NCJ Number
168132
Editor(s)
M O Nielsen,
R A Silverman
Date Published
1996
Length
334 pages
Annotation
Papers introduce students to the major issues involved in Native American crime and justice under the topics of context, law, crime, police, courts, sentencing, corrections, and justice initiatives.
Abstract
This book is organized in such a way that the reader is taken through the criminal justice system as it impacts and is influenced by Native peoples, starting with the social and historical context of Native involvement in the criminal justice system. The differences in Native and non-Native culture and values are discussed, so that the reader can become aware of these as sources of conflict within the criminal justice system. The section on law points out that Native peoples had well- functioning "legal" systems long before the non-Native system was imposed on them. This section also provides an overview of some of the major pieces of non-Native legislation that define the criminal justice powers of American Native nations today. The section on Native criminal behavior gives an overview of trends in crime statistics and highlights several categories of crime that are of particular importance to Native communities, including juvenile crime and family violence. The sections on policing, courts, sentencing, and corrections describe some of the most important issues, including the effectiveness of Native police forces, the overrepresentation of Native offenders in jails, the lack of favorable parole decisions for Native offenders, and the need for Native spirituality programs in correctional institutions. The final section addresses the future of Native involvement in crime and in the criminal justice system. Initiatives based in traditional justice practices are discussed, along with the issues associated with them. For individual chapters, see NCJ-168133-67. Chapter notes, tables, and figures, and 493 references