U.S. Department of Justice Responds to Tribal Needs
Late this summer, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) conducted a week of tribal consultation, training, site visits, and related activities in Arizona. At the center of this activity was the 3-day tribal training and technical assistance session in Phoenix. In addition, OJP representatives visited Arizona's White Mountain and San Carlos Apache Reservations.
This tribal training and technical assistance session, which was the fourth such session offered by OJP this year, was aimed at improving law enforcement and criminal justice in Indian Country and ensuring that federally recognized tribes are full partners in these efforts. The three other sessions were held in Palm Springs, CA; Prior Lake, MN; and Shelton, WA. The Phoenix session was OJP's response to tribal leaders' recommendation for improved tribal capacity and infrastructure through training and technical assistance. The session focused on public safety and public health for tribal families and communities and addressed funding opportunities, agency initiatives, and promising practices on substance abuse prevention, law enforcement, tribal justice, and health. Tribal leaders and key policy decisionmakers, tribal administrators, executive directors, finance and grant administration officers, tribal planners, grant writers, and justice and law enforcement personnel participated in the briefing.
Building Capacity Through a Comprehensive Approach
To ensure that participants were provided a comprehensive overview, OJP brought in experts from five federal agencies:
- U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Justice Programs, Office of Tribal Justice, and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
- U.S. Department of the Interior: Bureau of Indian Affairs.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Office of Minority Health, and the Indian Health Service.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Office of Native American Programs.
- U.S. Small Business Administration: Native American Office.
In Phoenix, experts from these federal departments addressed topics such as building capacity for public safety and criminal justice infrastructures; responding to sexual assault, AMBER Alerts, and methamphetamine abuse; and preventing suicide. The Phoenix session also focused on the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. OJP will form an advisory group of tribal leaders to seek input during the efforts to implement the act.
Information Sharing on Federal Grant Application Process
Another important function of these sessions has been to provide information on the fiscal year 2007 grant application solicitations and to serve as a forum for evaluating and improving the application process and planning for the FY 2008 programs and applications. In Phoenix, OJP announced improvements in its grant policies that will begin in fiscal year 2008. These changes are a response to input from tribal leaders at earlier consultations and will make it easier for tribes to apply for OJP grants.
After the session, OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics convened its 2007 Tribal Crime Data and Information Sharing Conference. This national conference examined the challenges tribes face in collecting reliable data on arrests, victimizations, and other criminal justice-related issues. The U.S. Department of Justice (and OJP in particular) has made it a priority to work with tribes to meet these challenges and collect the needed criminal justice information.
Future Capacity Development Opportunities
In 2008, OJP will continue to hold tribal consultation, training, and technical assistance sessions and reach out to other federal, state, and tribal agencies to try to respond to the various needs of tribal communities, not just those related to criminal justice and public safety.
For more information, please visit:
The U.S. Department of Justice's Tribal Justice and Safety Web site's Consultation, Training and Technical Assistance page.
Resources from past sessions such as executive summaries, presentations, agendas, and more will be found on the One OJP pages of the Fox Valley Technical College Web site as they become available.
