New Publication

Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons: Legal, Prosecution, Advocacy, & Healthcare

This issue of the Department of Justice Journal of Federal Law and Practice focuses on topics related to law, prosecution, advocacy, and healthcare surrounding missing or murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives—a key priority for the Department.

The top story addresses the major elements of a comprehensive response to a missing, neglected, abused, or exploited child case. These include federal law, multidisciplinary teams, forensic interviews, and prosecution strategies for using a forensic interview at trial. The section on interviewing strategies highlights methods from OJJDP's Child Forensic Interviewing: Best Practices bulletin. The article also discusses the role of child protection teams and multidisciplinary teams in responding to cases of suspected abuse.

Other articles focus on the registration of sex offenders in Indian country, victim advocacy and coordinated services for families following the disappearance of a loved one, and trauma-informed mental healthcare for survivors.

View and download this publication.

Upcoming Events

11th Annual Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Virtual Enhancement Training: June 21–25, 2021

Offered through the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, this OJJDP virtual training features best practices and innovative strategies for Tribal problem-solving courts.

The training will cover jurisdictional and legal issues unique to Indian country; the preservation of traditional practices; and peer-to-peer sharing of successful healing to wellness court models. The training applies to adult criminal, juvenile delinquency, family dependency, DWI/DUI, and veterans court models.

The program is free to all participants. Registration information is available online.