Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation (Smith River Rancheria)Juvenile Wellness Court 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) 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.

Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation (Smith River Rancheria) has recognized a significant increase in alcohol and substance abuse among their tribal youth population. During the past ten years, 100% of youth involved with Tribal Court experience significant trans-generational substance abuse problems within their families. There is need for increased judicial intervention in the form of the Juvenile Wellness Court program. The Juvenile Wellness Court will expand and enhance the current Tribal Court to provide comprehensive early intervention and prevention for the majority of tribal youth under the age of 21 who are high-risk for abusing alcohol and other substances. The program’s overall goal is to decrease the incidence of tribal youth substance abuse and attendant social and legal consequences. This will be accomplished through the enhancement of the Tribal Court by designing and implementing a comprehensive Juvenile Wellness Court. The Juvenile Wellness Court will provide intensive court monitoring and supervision, incentives and sanctions, and continue the court’s interdisciplinary approach to engagement and ongoing education for the community. CA/NCF