Unmet Operational Challenges in Tribal Criminal Justice Systems Agencies

• In Event: Factors Influencing Interpersonal Violence and the Criminal Justice Response in Tribal Communities

Abstract

There is a dearth of evidence on the operations of tribal criminal justice agencies. Multiple layers of legal authority (federal, state, and tribal) create additional complexities that confuse jurisdiction over criminal matters. We conducted 25 interviews with representatives from tribal agencies (9 law enforcement agencies in 6 states, 9 courts in 8 states, and 7 corrections facilities in 6 states) in order to understand their unmet operational challenges and found that many of the challenged faced by tribal agencies are similar to challenges described by interviewees from border (SRTB) agencies that are not tribal. There were, however, a number of challenges that appeared to be unique to tribal agencies, or that were only raised in the context of our interviews with tribal agencies. In this presentation, we will describe the challenges faced by tribal law enforcement, courts, and corrections that are similar to other small and rural departments, and those that are unique to the tribal settings. We conclude the discussion with a set of research priorities for testing technology to solve some of these challenges.

Authors

• Jess Saunders, CNA Institute for Public Research

• Meagan Cahill, RAND Corporation

• Charles M. Katz, Arizona State University