Although the violent crime arrest rate for American Indian juveniles fell 20 percent between 1995 and 1998, the 1998 rate was still nearly 20 percent above the average rate of the 1980s. Of particular concern to American Indian tribes and OJJDP is the increasing number of violent crimes being committed by juveniles in many tribal communities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the number of American Indian youth in the Bureau�s custody has increased 50 percent since 1994, and American Indians represent more than 70 percent of the approximately 270 youth in the Bureau�s custody on any given day.

OJJDP is supporting initiatives in five broad program areas designed specifically to help American Indian and Alaska Native jurisdictions¹ address juvenile crime in their communities. The first of these, the Tribal Youth Program (TYP), provides funds directly to tribal communities to develop programs to prevent and control juvenile delinquency, reduce violent crime, and improve tribal juvenile justice systems. (TYP is part of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative, a joint activity of the U.S. Departments of Justice and the Interior to improve the administration of criminal and juvenile justice among federally recognized tribes with high rates of delinquency and child abuse and neglect.) OJJDP also provides training and technical assistance to TYP grantees and other tribal communities to help them improve responses to youth crime, violence, and victimization. In addition, the Office funds a number of research and evaluation activities that will yield a better understanding of the uniqueness and context of the juvenile justice problems that currently face American Indian tribes. OJJDP also is supporting a new mental health program to help tribal communities provide diagnostic and treatment services to youth involved with tribal juvenile justice systems. The fifth program area is the Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement (CIRCLE) Project. This Federal initiative is helping tribal communities address local crime, violence, and substance abuse problems by developing comprehensive community programs.

In addition to these five specific program areas, tribal communities were active participants in a number of other OJJDP programs in FY 2000. Tribal communities were among the grant recipients in three major OJJDP initiatives: Juvenile Mentoring, Safe Schools/Healthy Students, and Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws. OJJDP also is developing training support for tribal law enforcement officers (see Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Program) and adding a new component to the annual National Youth Gang Survey to learn more about juvenile gangs in Indian Country.

OJJDP also addressed the subject of preventing and combating delinquency among American Indian youth in an issue of its journal, Juvenile Justice. This journal issue includes an interview with Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, summarizes OJJDP�s Tribal Youth Program, and discusses the importance of cultural practices in delinquency prevention programs. Copies of Juvenile Justice (Volume VII, Number 2) are available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

This chapter highlights activities in the five program areas specifically designed to address the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities. OJJDP is confident that the programs and activities noted in the previous paragraphs will help these communities and their juvenile justice systems address the many challenges facing American Indian and Alaska Native youth today.

Tribal Youth Program

In FY 2000, OJJDP awarded TYP grants totaling $8 million to 38 American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities to develop programs for the prevention and control of youth violence and substance abuse. Awards ranged from $73,352 to $498,475 and were based on the size of the juvenile population served. A broad spectrum of tribal communities responded to the TYP solicitation—an indication that OJJDP is achieving its goal of working with tribal communities of various population sizes and geographic locations. The marked increases in the number of applications from Alaska and in the number of first-time applicants for TYP funds were another indication that the Office�s outreach efforts are succeeding.

Grant recipients are required to use their TYP funds for one or more of the following purposes: (1) to reduce, control, and prevent crime and delinquency both by and against tribal youth; (2) to provide interventions for court-involved youth; (3) to improve tribal juvenile justice systems; and (4) to provide prevention programs focusing on alcohol and drugs. As illustrated in the following paragraphs, grantees have developed a variety of activities under TYP.

The Burns Paiute Indian Reservation in Harney County, a rural area of eastern Oregon, is addressing alcohol and marijuana abuse, juvenile crime, and school failure. The tribe will improve tribal youth service delivery systems and increase the availability and accessibility of community-based wraparound services for high-risk youth. The tribe also will work with volunteer parents and other tribal members to develop and implement a comprehensive 3-year plan to combat early onset of alcohol and drug use, reduce the incidence of violent and other criminal offenses, and prevent youth from dropping out of school.

The Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, which is uniquely located in an urban setting near El Paso, TX, is providing interventions for court-involved tribal youth and improving its tribal juvenile justice system. The Pueblo is introducing a home detention system to reduce the need for detaining youth away from their families. The Pueblo also will expand its community service program to include traditional restitution, involve police in mentoring activities, increase diversion by applying auxiliary community policing concepts, increase supervision of youth on probation, and add activities to deter further crime among court-involved youth.

The Knik Tribal Council, based in Matanuska-Susitna Valley near Wasilla, AK, is providing delinquency prevention and court-ordered youth services to Alaska Native and American Indian youth ages 12�18. The Council is working with State, school, and community agencies to reinforce traditional values essential for the well-being and future of native youth.

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, based in La Plata County, CO (near Ignacio), is implementing three levels of activity to reduce, control, and prevent crime and delinquency in children up to age 18. Level one involves adolescents in an established teen court program. Level two is a family preservation program that provides family therapy in times of crisis, mediates conflicts, identifies appropriate family behaviors, and provides required services for adolescents and preadolescents who are returning home from out-of-home placements or from alcohol/substance abuse treatment. Level three uses a behavior coach to redirect destructive and dangerous behavior patterns of adolescents and preadolescents who are involved in the family service division of the Southern Ute Tribal Court.

The White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota is using a three-pronged approach to curb tobacco, alcohol, and drug use and reduce the incidence of violence, truancy, and dropping out of school among youth ages 12�18. The grantee is developing and adopting a fair, equitable, and culturally appropriate juvenile justice code; establishing a Juvenile Tribal Court Advocate to provide probation and counseling services to juveniles; and developing �sentencing circles� (a method of peer group sentencing that combines aspects of tribal traditions and formal court processes) in schools to deal with youth in a culturally appropriate manner.

The Gila River Indian community is located southeast of the Phoenix, AZ, metropolitan area; part of the community is on a reservation. The community is developing a teen court program that involves a youth council and youth acting as prosecutors and judicial staff. The program, which will incorporate Pima and Maricopa cultural values and history, will target juvenile offenders ages 12�17 who admit to committing the offenses of which they are accused. The program will educate these youth about the judicial system and encourage them to be active in community problem solving. The program will hold juvenile offenders and their parents accountable for the juveniles� actions and will compel juvenile offenders to complete constructive dispositions imposed on them by their peers.

Training and Technical Assistance

OJJDP also supports a two-pronged training and technical assistance program to help TYP grantees implement their programs and to help other American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities develop or enhance their juvenile justice systems. The training and technical assistance are provided by American Indian Development Associates (AIDA) of Albuquerque, NM.

For TYP grantees, AIDA works with the grantees to determine the type of technical assistance or training to be provided by reviewing a community�s history and needs. In some cases, it may be necessary to provide training about concepts before changes in tribal juvenile justice systems can take place. For example, Indian nations that rely on customary laws and traditions may need to learn about American-style justice systems before they are ready to develop written policies and procedures. In other cases, nations that do not have jurisdiction over their youth may need help in developing intergovernmental agreements to influence prosecution, adjudication, or disposition alternatives.

As noted above, AIDA also provides training and technical assistance to tribal communities that are not TYP grantees. AIDA helps these communities improve their juvenile justice systems and address issues of youth and wellness, community development, and planning and development. Between 1997 and 2000, AIDA received 135 requests for training and technical assistance.

Research and Evaluation

OJJDP supports a number of research and evaluation activities with TYP funds. Based on suggestions and feedback from both meetings and focus groups with American Indian practitioners and researchers, OJJDP established three principles to guide tribal youth research and evaluation activities: First, the research should provide practical results that are useful to the parties who are the focus of the research; second, the projects should include local community members in the decisionmaking and implementation activities of the projects; and third, researchers must acknowledge and respect native customs, traditions, values, and history.

OJJDP�s tribal youth research and evaluation activities are designed to provide empirical evidence about juvenile justice and delinquency prevention policies and practice and their impact on American Indian and Alaska Native youth. These activities include the following:

• The Michigan Public Health Institute in Okemos, MI, in partnership with the Native American Institute at Michigan State University, is helping five tribes evaluate the programs they are developing with their TYP grants.

• The College of Menominee Nation in Keshena, WI, is working with Menominee organizations to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate a culturally appropriate, community-based, family-centered, integrated approach to the prevention of delinquency among American Indian youth ages 11�18.

• New Mexico State University in Las Cruces is examining delinquency and the legal processing of juveniles over the past 11 years, taking into account changes in tribal resources (such as casino openings on reservations).

• The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch in Window Rock, AZ, is conducting a comprehensive assessment of gang activity (the first such study to be undertaken by a tribal government) to identify approaches that can be adopted by other tribes in dealing with gangs.

• California State University in Sacramento, building on the Navajo gang study, will use ethnographic observation, community surveys, and gang member interviews to document and profile the youth gang experience in up to six sites, including reservations and metropolitan areas with large Indian populations.

Tribal Youth Mental Health Initiative

OJJDP is supporting a new mental health program to provide diagnostic and treatment services to tribal youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The objectives of this program are the same as the TYP objectives discussed above, except that each objective must have a specific mental health and juvenile justice focus. OJJDP awarded FY 2000 grants under this program to six American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities. The grants totaled nearly $1 million, ranging from $75,000 to $300,000.

The Hannahville Indian Community (Potawatomi Band) of Wilson, MI, received a grant to expand education, vocational skills, and employment opportunities for the community. The community will restructure tribal programs and services and identify the fundamental needs of tribal youth. As part of the initiative, Hannahville�s Behavioral Health Department will procure psychological evaluations for at-risk and adjudicated youth ages 9�17. The community will use a grassroots, collaborative, problem-solving approach to mental health and treatment services.

The Chugachmiut of the Chugach Region, Anchorage, AK, will provide interventions for court-involved youth. The tribe will improve interagency coordination and collaboration efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency and intervene with predelinquent native youth and their families. It also will increase the delivery of direct clinical mental health services to individual juvenile offenders, at-risk juveniles, and their families.

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Nixon, NV, will provide mental health services for juveniles ages 12�17 and address delinquency, substance abuse, and court-mandated services. The tribe also will provide services to juveniles younger than 12, focusing on services related to crimes committed against these children, including treatment for sexual assault, anger, and attention deficit disorders. The project will coordinate services with the Tribe�s Juvenile Drug Court Program, providing family counseling and intervention for nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders. All of these activities will be based on the traditions and customs of the Pyramid Lake Paiute people.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians of Philadelphia, MS, will develop a system of youth-centered, family-focused, culturally competent mental health services for court-involved Choctaw youth. The project, which will emphasize capacity building, fits into an ongoing plan of integrated human service development initiated by the tribal Department of Family and Community Services. The plan was a result of extensive research and is part of an overall effort to improve the lives of the Choctaw people.

The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Poplar, MT, will provide mental health diagnostic and treatment services for at-risk juvenile offenders. The project�s psychologist will combine standard diagnostic and treatment options with adaptations and innovations that reflect Assiniboine and Sioux culture and values. The goal of the project is to provide alternatives to incarceration and to provide juvenile offenders with needed followup program support.

The South Central Foundation of Anchorage, AK, will use a treatment, intervention, and prevention approach to reduce criminal behavior, substance abuse, and educational failure among Native American youth ages 13�18 who live in Anchorage, AK. The program will address incarceration, alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, and school dropout rates. The grantee will collaborate with schools, juvenile detention facilities, and the court system to provide early intervention and prevention programs for youth at high risk for delinquency, criminal behavior, and serious emotional problems. The program also will use the �Young Warrior Program�—a self-help support group based on Alaska Native and American Indian spirituality and traditional healing practices—to instill traditional values.

Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement (CIRCLE) Project

The CIRCLE project is designed to help tribal communities (with the assistance of Federal, State, and private partners) develop comprehensive planning and funding infrastructures so that they can more effectively fight crime, violence, and substance abuse in their communities. CIRCLE emphasizes two primary principles:

• Local leadership in developing and implementing crime control initiatives.

• A comprehensive approach that incorporates coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts.

OJJDP—in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice�s (DOJ�s) Office of Tribal Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Attorneys, and Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of the Interior�s Bureau of Indian Affairs—is funding and providing technical assistance to tribes in three pilot sites (Northern Cheyenne in Lame Deer, MT; Oglala Sioux in Pine Ridge, SD; and Zuni Pueblo in Zuni, NM). The CIRCLE project complements and is supported by the Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative. Participating tribes receive special consideration for technical assistance and training related to strategy development and implementation. They also are eligible to apply for funding for law enforcement, tribal courts, detention facilities, and youth programs.

DOJ�s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is overseeing an evaluation of the CIRCLE project. In FY 2000, NIJ, with funds transferred from OJJDP, awarded a grant to the Harvard Project on American Indian Development at Harvard University�s John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, MA, to evaluate the CIRCLE project.

On the Horizon

OJJDP has developed two new research programs to assist American Indian and Alaska Native communities in developing and implementing programs to prevent delinquency and enhance the quality of their tribal juvenile justice systems. These programs are as follows:

• Tribal Youth Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program. This program will support projects that focus on tribal youth and address child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, or indigenous approaches to juvenile justice. OJJDP will announce grant recipients in FY 2001.

• Longitudinal Study of Tribal Youth Risk and Resiliency. The Office has developed a longitudinal study of tribal youth to learn more about the factors that influence their delinquency and resiliency. Researchers will study risk and protective factors within the unique cultural and historical context of tribal youth. OJJDP will competitively select a grantee in FY 2001.