This report identifies and explains the 10 key components of juvenile Tribal healing to wellness courts, which specialize in managing the supervision and treatment of Indian youth arrested for drug-related offenses.
One component of such a court is a focus on individual and community healing, which involves the court's recognition that youth who are successfully treated for drug addiction can make a positive contribution to the community. A second component is the use of referral points and legal processes that promote sovereignty and due process, which involves the use of legal processes that are perceived as fair and that adhere to Tribal custom and culture. A third component relates to screening and eligibility based on standard criteria and practices in accepting those youth who will participate in a juvenile healing to wellness court. A fourth component is the provision of treatment and rehabilitation that includes an array of physiological, behavioral, and spiritual modalities. A fifth component is intensive supervision that includes frequent drug and alcohol screening. A sixth component consists of incentives and sanctions that stimulate motivation for compliance with court requirements and consequences for failure to comply with these requirements. A seventh component consists of an ongoing interaction between the case-management team and youth participants. An eighth component is monitoring and evaluation of outcomes and the progress of participants, which involves the use of effective data collection relevant to case outcomes and the implementation of key components. A ninth component is on-going training for the court team, and the tenth component is continual development and maintenance of all partnerships essential to court services. 10 references