Research Reports
Reflections on Traditional American Indian Ways, 1998
Threats to Tribal Sovereignty, 1998
Traditional American Indian Leadership: A Comparison with U.S. Governance, 1997
Recommendations
This report offers recommendations focusing on actions that will bring enhancements to the criminal justice system’s effectiveness in working with American Indians. We must be mindful that causes for the disparities in the criminal justice system were neither easily determined, nor will the proposed responses be readily accepted. They are complex and subtle. They are interwoven into all aspects of the criminal justice system making it nearly impossible for one sector of the justice system to respond adequately.
Recommendation:
Create a criminal justice workforce that represents the diversity of tribes and Indian communities in Minnesota
Strategies
To work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Develop a process for identifying applicants and hiring American Indians for positions at all levels of the criminal justice system
- Design a recruitment plan for all sectors of the criminal justice system that promotes and rewards hiring and training of American Indians
- Establish reliable communications with Indian tribes and urban Indian non-profits to identify prospective applicants and hires for the criminal justice system
- Support a pipeline to encourage American Indian young people to enter training/education programs that lead to careers in criminal justice systems
Recommendation:
Educate/train a workforce culturally competent to work with American Indians
Strategies
To work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Develop curriculum to teach criminal justice personnel about oral history, language, and ceremonial practices of American Indians
- Develop curriculum to teach criminal justice personnel about law and policy including sovereignty, treaties, Public Law 280, ICWA, and “trust” responsibility
- Develop curriculum about historic events and continuing impact on Indian communities included treaty-making, General Allotment Act, boarding schools, Termination (HCR 108), and urbanization/relocation
Recommendation:
Support American Indian involvement in policy development/political activity
Strategies
To work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Provide support for community forums and discussion groups to focus on crime, gangs, and violence in American Indian communities
- Support the implementation of talking circles to develop action plans to engage Indians in policy development/political activity
- Support structured study groups for Indian people to learn about working with legislators and policy-makers
- Develop and support a model that includes experienced volunteers educating Indian community members about the political process
Recommendation:
Support revitalization of language, culture, and values in American Indian communities
Strategies
Criminal justice systems must work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Provide resources to support communities in revitalizing, American Indian language.
- Provide resources and support so that American Indian youth may learn about culture values, traditions, and beliefs
- Provide resources and support for programming that reestablishes and emphasizes the important traditional role of men in Indian communities
Recommendation:
Utilize the talking circle as an effective means of gathering information from American Indians; especially those involved in the criminal justice system
Strategies
To work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Promote the use of talking circles for American Indians in state institutions
- Promote the use and value of the intrinsic cultural knowledge possessed by American Indian elders
- Recognize the value of oral history to transmit knowledge, values, and skills from generation to generation
Recommendation:
Address the social/environmental factors that place American Indian people at risk to enter into the criminal justice system
Strategies
Federal and state criminal justice leadership must work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Examine and recognize the environment and living conditions that place Indian people at risk of being involved in the criminal justice system, including poverty, poor housing, high unemployment rates, poor educational outcomes and other social factors.
- Help local Indian communities in changing social conditions and inequalities in order to have an impact on eliminating disparities in the criminal justice system.
- Institutional discrimination that is based on benign ignorance about Indian culture must be addressed in order for changes to occur within the criminal justice system.
- Educate and inform broader community about disparities in the criminal justice system.
- Build coalitions within social institutions e.g., (social service, business, education) to address the issue of American Indian disparities in the criminal justice system.
Recommendation:
Examine lingering effects of the trauma experienced by American Indians from the boarding school experience and other social traumatic experiences that may have implications for American Indian involvement in the criminal justice system
Strategies
To work with American Indian community members and organizations to:
- Develop a core group of Indian psychologists and others having experience in the area of historic trauma and post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) to discuss and develop models for understanding and/or treating PTSS
- Examine current assessments of PTSS in Indian clients.
- Develop meaningful FAS/FAE mental health evaluation to determine whether Indians might be treated as mental health clients rather than as criminals.
Recommendation:
Examine possible correlation between Indian student involvement in Truancy Intervention Project (TIPS) and whether this is a factor in number of Indian youth in correctional institutions.
Strategies
To create opportunities and information so that institutional/systemic change is possible.
- Create expanded database specifically on American Indians.
- Utilize American Indians in the TIPS process.
- Create a Technical Advisory Committee of American Indians to help guide reconsideration of policies and procedures and their cultural influence on American Indian behavior.
- Establish a negotiated working relationship with American Indian communities.
Recommendation:
Social workers that work with American Indian clients must be adequately educated so that they possess an acceptable level of cultural competence.
Strategies
Education and training curriculum is made available.
- Develop partnerships with American Indian community leadership and School of Social work to review curriculum for application with Indian clients.
- Develop a training and education curriculum for criminal justice social workers and for other social workers on the periphery of criminal justice.
- Examine cultural appropriateness of social work licensure.
- Develop Indian community sites for placement of Graduate Students of social work.
The
Well-Being of American Indian Children in Minnesota: Economic Conditions,
1994
top | Projects
| Research | Publications
| Links | About Us
| Contact Us | Home
© Copyright 2002, American Indian Policy Center. All Rights
Reserved.
1463 Hewitt Avenue • St. Paul, MN 55104 • tel: 651-644-1728
aipc@cpinternet.com
Last updated:
Tuesday November 1, 2005