American Indian Youth -- Victims of the Drug War

• In Event: Convict Criminology Session 5: The Politics of Punishment

Abstract

Today’s American Indian communities face devastating problems that threaten their way of life and drain their resources. Substance abuse is an ever-growing problem that is destroying many lives in more than 560 independent sovereign tribal communities. The National Indian Country Substance Abuse Initiative reports American Indians ages 18 to 25 years experience substance abuse at a rate twice that of non-American Indians. Between 2006 and 2008, approximately 3 times more American Indians aged 12 and older reported substance abuse verses all other U.S. ethnic groups.
An intervention program designed to break the cycle of substance abuse by American Indians, other than incarceration in jail, is the most viable alternative. This approach includes restoration of tribal cultural values and implementing a program that tackles substance abuse addictions in a community setting. The proposed intervention program would have program staff partner with local officials to identify offenders eligible to undergo community drug treatment intervention rather than experience jail time as part of a community corrections rehabilitation program. Second, program staff will collaborate with school officials to create a youth prevention program with the intent to detect, deter, interdict, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations preying on tribal youth.

Author

• Scott Tighe, Western Oregon University