Final Report: Participatory Evaluation of the Tribal Victim Assistance Programs at the Lummi Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe

• NCJ Number: 228190
• Author(s): Ada Pecos Melton M.P.A.; Michelle Chino Ph.D.
• Date Published: August 2009
• Length: 159 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2005-VR-GX-0101
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This report summarizes the results of process evaluations of two tribal victim assistance (TVA) programs - the Lummi Victims of Crime (LVOC) Program in Washington State and the Passamaquoddy Tribal Victim Outreach Advocate (TVOA) Program in Maine - both of which are federally funded "on-reservation" victim assistance programs intended to provide permanent, accessible, and responsive crime-victim assistance services on tribal lands.

Abstract

The evaluation of the LVOC Program documented structural and procedural achievements in working toward three goals related to stopping partner violence, family violence, and other violent crimes. One goal was to increase access to community-based victim services by establishing a domestic violence shelter program and providing comprehensive services that are culturally relevant to all LVOC clients. A second goal was to increase the LVOC Program's human resource capacity and capability by hiring culturally competent staff by the end of the program's first year and providing training and personnel development in each of the following years. The third goal was to increase support for victims by improving services through public policy, collaboration, and community education on violence and victimization. The evaluation of the TVOA program documented structural and procedural achievements related to three goals that focused on providing services for victims of property and violent crimes (other than domestic violence or partner violence). One goal was to increase responses to crime victims through coordinated crisis response and accurate assessment of crisis and ongoing victim needs. A second goal was to increase crime victims' access to a variety of culturally relevant services and resources; and a third goal was to increase community outreach and awareness of tribal crime victimization problems, needs, concerns, and strategies to address them. The evaluation tools included victim surveys, a community survey, staff interviews, and talking circles or oral surveys. 14 tables, 10 figures, 27 references, and appended surveys, staff questionnaires, start-up profile and baseline data, and consent forms