NCJ Number
169560
Journal
Social Pathology Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1996) Pages: 87-119
Date Published
1996
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the major themes found in extant research on "bush justice" in Alaska and shows the literature on the race/community nexus is both varied and detailed.
Abstract
Typically, researchers who have examined bush justice issues have tended to concentrate on the historical development of law enforcement, court and correctional services in rural areas, and the attenuation of indigenous social control mechanisms. Sufficient historical and anthropological research has been conducted to provide the basis for a relatively cohesive set of theoretical perspectives on bush justice. Several themes recur in the bush justice literature: (1) the notion that Alaska's justice system is administratively and geographically centralized, with limited attention to crime and delinquency problems at the village level; (2) concern that Alaska's justice system is incompatible with traditional forms of social control; (3) the erosion of traditional and social control mechanisms has been fostered by government as part of a drive to assimilate Alaskan Natives and eliminate tribal sovereignty; (4) centralized justice and the erosion of social controls have caused critical deficiencies at the village level in resources available to respond to crime, delinquency, and related problems; and (5) alcohol-related social problems indicate a significant deterioration in traditional cultural values and lifestyles. The prevalence of race bias in bush justice research is discussed. 135 references and 39 notes