Pueblo of Jemez Healing to Wellness Program

The Justice Department's grant-making components have created a streamlined approach for federally recognized Tribes, Tribal consortia, Alaska Native villages and corporations, as well as authorized tribal designees to apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 funding opportunities. The Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) serves as a single solicitation for existing tribal government-specific grant programs administered by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The CTAS solicitation is designed to assist tribes with addressing crime and public safety issues in a comprehensive manner. The CTAS grant-application process was inspired by and developed after consultation with tribal leaders, including sessions at the Justice Department's Tribal Nations Listening Session in 2009, and has been updated based on continued tribal consultations and listening sessions. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides awards under CTAS Purpose Area 8--Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts. The overall goal of this program is to enhance the capacity of tribal courts to respond to the alcohol-related issues of youth under the age of 21. This can include the development of a new juvenile healing to wellness court or enhancements to an existing tribal healing to wellness court.

The Pueblo of Jemez (POJ) Healing to Wellness (JHTW) Program is both pre - and post-adjudication. The projected total number of participants is 120 justice-involved youth and minors 12 to 20 years old and their families. The risks of this population include: 1) frequent re-arrests for alcohol and substance abuse (ASA)-related offenses, 2) high unemployment and poverty, 3) high ASA-related deaths, 4) high suicide risks, 5) co-occurring mental health disorders, and 6) low education attainment. The needs include: better assessment strategies; access to culturally relevant treatment; connection to culture-based relapse and recovery and reentry support; and assistance with employment and education. The proposed intervention(s) include a Four-Phased HTW Program that features the Good Road of Life and American Indian Strengthening Families curricula and cultural immersion strategies.

The key components include: (1) Screening and Assessment: Early identification of participants, and pre-and post-adjudication, using screening and intake tools to identify risk and needs; (2) Target Population: Selection of youth and minors with high recidivism, criminogenic needs, and alcohol or drug dependence; (3) Procedural and Distributive Justice: Fair procedures to implement graduated sanctions and incentives and incorporating culture-based strategies; (4) Judicial Interaction: Consistent status hearings that provide adequate time for quality interactions among clients, the HTW Traditional Judges, and supporting participants; (5) Monitoring: Effective monitoring using random drug testing and monitoring devices, e.g., SCRAM bracelets, and personal check ups by Probation, and appropriate HTW team members, Tribal Police and Traditional Sheriffs; (6) Treatment and Other Services: Effective intensity and linkage to inpatient and outpatient treatment services for substance abuse, mental health disorders, and family and interpersonal relationships with ongoing case management and cultural-based support strategies; and (7) Relapse Prevention, Aftercare and Community Integration: Develop relapse prevention, aftercare, and reentry plan during the intervention phase and incorporating multi-level community support strategies. Data will be reported through quarterly and semi-annual reports and online to OJJDP.

CA/NCF