NCJ Number
251639
Date Published
September 2014
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This overview of Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts discusses the history of the Drug Court movement and the adaptation of the Drug Court model for tribal justice systems, along with an overview of some of the critical issues and challenges faced by Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, as well as some opportunities these courts provide.
Abstract
In 1997 the Drug Court Program Office, Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) developed a special program to assist Indian nations in planning and implementing a drug court within tribal governments. The National Association of Drug Court Professionals created a culturally sensitive training program to meet the needs of the initial 22 Indian nations awarded drug court grants in August 1997. An adapted curriculum for tribal drug court training sessions was developed and provided. The name Tribal Healing to Wellness Court was coined by a tribal advisory group convened to develop publications on tribal drug courts. These courts have the specific responsibility of managing cases that involve alcohol- or drug-using offenders through an extensive supervision and treatment program. This overview addresses common challenges involved with Wellness Courts, including adapting the drug-court concept to include alcohol dependency and abuse treatment services due to the high volume of alcohol abuse in Indian country, tailoring courts to distinctive jurisdictional issues, and ensuring sustainability with limited resources. Ways to address the various identified challenges are discussed. Opportunities provided by the Tribal Healing and Wellness Courts include tailoring court approaches to positive tribal customs and traditions and the opportunity of judges and court teams to develop innovative ways of managing offenders with problematic alcohol or drug abuse. Appended chart list of 72 tribes and the type of court, the city, and state of each tribe