TRIBAL LAW AND ORDER ACT GIVES TRIBES GREATER AUTHORITY TO PROSECUTE CRIMES
Effective this date, the Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama, expanded the punitive abilities of tribal courts across the nation by allowing tribal courts operating in Indian country to increase jail sentences handed down in criminal cases over Indian offenders. The Act placed strong emphasis on decreasing violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. The Act expanded efforts to recruit, train and keep Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Tribal police officers and provides BIA and Tribal police officers with greater access to criminal information sharing databases. It authorized new guidelines for handling sexual assault and domestic violence crimes, from training for law enforcement and court officers to boosting conviction rates through better evidence collection and providing better and more comprehensive services to victims. It also encouraged development of more effective prevention programs to combat alcohol and drug abuse among at-risk youth.
Sources:
Tribal Law and Order Act,” National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved 7/8/2019, http://www.ncai.org/tribal-vawa/resources/tribal-law-order-act
“Tribal Law and Order Act,” U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved 7/8/2019, https://www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-law-and-order-act
Photo: Pete Souza, White House Official Photograph, 7/29/2010. Public Domain. Photograph taken by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.