This 2022 update to the 2015 Edition of the Guide incorporates the Bureau of Indian Affairs 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code as well as the 2018 Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
The purpose of this document is to aid tribal nations in drafting or revising their juvenile statutes, also known as ordinances, codes, or code provisions; it provides an update to the 2015 Edition of the Guide, and incorporates the Bureau of Indian Affairs 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code, the 2018 Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, and a new Background section in the front matter, as well as a Glossary and Appendix at the end. The document consists of 33 chapters, divided into two parts, with Part I serving as a guide to establishing a juvenile code development project, and Part II serving as a workbook with model and tribal code examples as well as code commentaries, exercises, and points for discussion. The workbook portion is designed to be used by a group of people, including tribal and justice system leaders and personnel, representatives from service agencies, community members, and representatives of youth and their families who are interested in developing or revising a tribal juvenile code.