New tribal court programs aim to reduce recidivism   Two new tribal court programs are getting off the ground at Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. They’re focused on reducing recidivism. It’s part of a larger conversation to identify what’s holding some people back from reaching their potential. Namely, things such as childhood trauma,

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DWI court’s treatment program promotes Native culture   ALBUQUERQUE — Inside the busiest courthouse in New Mexico, Arnett Tafoya stood in the same courtroom where he had appeared numerous times after being charged last year with drunken driving. This time, things were different. There was cake on a table, and Bernalillo County Judge Maria Dominguez

New joint tribal-state court established   For the first time in Alaska, there will be a joint tribal-state court. A Kenaitze tribal judge will sit side-by-side with a state judge and have equal say in decisions. It will be a wellness court that hears criminal cases involving substance abuse, and will start taking up to

Tribal courts have lessons for children’s courts, judges’ panel says   SANTA FE, N.M. — Peacemaking practices used in indigenous American cultures can have a place in courts dealing with child abuse and neglect within tribes and in nontribal courts, says a new national panel that includes two local judges. Read the full September 4,

When Justice Doesn’t Work: A NARF Attorney on Restoring the Circle Most Americans can turn to the courts for remedies to injustice. However, the mainstream justice system may not provide comfortable solutions, and sometimes isn’t even available, for Native people, said Brett Lee Shelton, an Oglala Lakota attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, a

Funding Opportunity: Safety and Justice Challenge (March 2015)   (FUNDING OPPORTUNITY)DUE DATE: March 31, 2015 The MacArthur Foundation has announced a five-year $75 million investment in a major new initiative called the Safety and Justice Challenge, to address over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.   Core to the Challenge is

Natick Peace-making Circle Aims to Resolve Racial Tensions   Looking for a way to resolve the racial tensions in their own towns and beyond, around 25 people attended a peace-making circle at the Common Street Community Church Saturday afternoon. The exercise, according to leader Michelle Cromwell, is a “powerful mixture, elixir” of Native American tradition

Lac du Flambeau Tribe is Banishing People as Anti-drug Strategy The Lac du Flambeau Tribe is meeting the challenge of drug abuse on its reservation with sentencing alternatives based on tribal tradition. This article discusses two of those, banishment and a Zaagiibagaa Healing to Wellness Court, as innovative ways to help foster healing and reduce

Funding Opportunity: Journalists and Writers Foundation’s Peace Projects FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DUE DATE: September 30, 2014 The Journalists and Writers Foundation’s Peace Projects is seeking proposals for conflict resolution and peacebuilding projects that support reconciliation and dialogue in communities experiencing conflict.

Navajo Nation Court Moves Naize Case to Peacemaking Program WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Nation District Court has referred a case brought by Speaker Johnny Naize against 12 members of the Navajo Nation Council and a legislative worker to the nation’s peacemaking program. Window Rock District Judge Carol Perry issued the order on May

Aboriginal Person’s Court: ‘It’s a court that’s evolving’ Brantford’s Aboriginal Persons’ Court may be in its infancy but is already making a difference, says the judge who was the driving force behind the local court initiative that focuses on healing and rehabilitation of native offenders. “I think we’re seeing good results. It’s a court that’s

Tribal Judge Works For Yurok-style Justice Native American jurisprudence has evolved since tribes began to regain their sovereignty, returning to traditional values of respect, community support and responsibility, and collective healing — for victims, perpetrators and the circle of lives they touch. Abinanti, who in 1974 became the first Native American woman admitted to the