Coeur D' Alene Tribe's Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court

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 purpose of this grant program is to support tribes seeking to develop a new Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court to respond to the alcohol and substance use issues of juveniles and young adults under the age of 21.

The Coeur D' Alene Tribe will support the planning and implementation of a Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court that will bring together agency representatives, cultural experts, and community partners to provide intensive wrap-around services for juvenile offenders as an alternative to incarceration. The first two years of the project will focus on planning and policy development by the Healing to Wellness Court team, chaired by the tribe's full-time judge and coordinated by a Healing to Wellness Court coordinator/clerk. The team will also include the juvenile probation officer, Tribal police, chemical dependency and behavioral health representatives from the Benewah Medical Center, Department of Education, Social Services, Tribal cultural programs, community members, and Plummer-Worley School District. Team members will meet to develop policies for identification and screening of eligible juvenile offenders and create culturally relevant incentives and sanctions that will encourage offenders and their families to participate in services. Additionally, the Team will participate in trainings and strategic planning sessions that will build capacity through increasing the understanding of juvenile substance abuse, cultural competence in service delivery, and programming that matches adolescent emotional and cognitive development. The Court will be implemented in years 3 and 4 and will focus on an approach that moves the offender through stages of intensive program requirements such as in- and/or out- patient substance abuse treatment, regular drug screening, required participation in cultural programming, close monitoring of educational progress, and an enforced curfew. The offender and family members will be required to meet with the Court team weekly chaired by the Tribe’s full-time judge and coordinated by a court coordinator/clerk. As the offender progresses through the phases, screenings and sanctions are gradually lessened and services will be tailored to help the individual prepare for full reentry into the community.

CA/NCF