Seminole Nation Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court (JHWC)

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) 2016 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 Seminole Nation will develop a Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court (JHWC) to address growing alcohol and substance abuse problems in their jurisdiction and to break the cycle of self-defeating behaviors by juvenile offenders. The funding will allow Seminole Nation to assume a greater role in restorative justice by adding the Healing to Wellness component to its tribal court system. The JHWC will address status offenses, substance abuse and alcohol-related issues concerning delinquent and minors in need of supervision. All juvenile at risk cases will be placed on a specialized docket where specially trained judges and court personnel will work, collaboratively with the Seminole Nation Alcohol & Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Seminole Nation Juvenile Task Force to develop safety protocols and to provide synergized victim-oriented services. The JHWC team will work collaboratively to develop and address available resources for participants. Through this grant the program will be able to hire JHWC staff members; connect with organizations in the community and surrounding areas; update and amend Tribal code according to the needs of JHWC; and data collection for evaluation.
CA/NCF