BJA FY 2012 Anti-Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance for Tribal Law Enforcement

BJA FY 2012 Anti-Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance for Tribal Law Enforcement – Through this solicitation, BJA is seeking to develop and deliver training for federally-recognized Indian tribes with their respective law enforcement and criminal justice authorities (tribal, state, and/or federal law enforcement) that will equip them with the knowledge and ability to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking on tribal lands. This training curriculum will build on the “Advanced Human Trafficking Investigation Training,” “Human Trafficking Training for State Judges,” and “Human Trafficking Training for State Prosecutors” that has previously been developed for BJA. One cooperative agreement for up to $305,000 is expected to be awarded by BJA to support the development of the training and support up to three pilot trainings. (See “Program-Specific Information,” page 5, for more details about the goals and objectives of the training program.) The statutory authority for this program is 22 U.S.C. § 7105(b)(2). Current Closing Date for Applications: April 10, 2012.

OVW Fiscal Year 2012 Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program

OVW Fiscal Year 2012 Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program – The United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) (www.ovw.usdoj.gov) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program). This program furthers the Department of Justice’s mission by encouraging State, local, and Tribal governments and State, local, and Tribal courts to treat sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking as serious violations of criminal law requiring the coordinated involvement of the entire criminal justice system.  Current Closing Date for Applications: March 12, 2012.

BJA FY 2012 Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles

BJA FY 12 Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles - The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of incarcerated adults and juveniles who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities and returning to communities. There are currently over 2.3 million individuals serving time in our federal and state prisons, and millions of people cycling through local jails every year. There are approximately 94,000 youth in residential confinement within the juvenile justice system on any given day. Ninety-five percent of all offenders incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to communities. The Second Chance Act will help ensure that the transition individuals make from prison, jail, or juvenile residential facilities to the community is successful and promotes public safety. Section 115 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to states, units of local government, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes to provide technology career training to persons confined in state prisons, local jails, and juvenile residential facilities. Current Closing Date for Applications: March 02, 2012.

Action Alert! – Act Now to Restore Funding for Tribal Justice Systems – FY 2012 Minibus

NCAI Action Alert
News & Updates for Indian Country
The National Congress of American Indians | Founded 1944

November 16, 2011

On Monday, Congress released a consolidated FY2012 appropriations bill for Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, State & Transportation-HUD. The National Congress of American Indians is alarmed by very large proposed cuts in Department of Justice law enforcement funding for Indian tribes. Not only did the conference report NOT include the proposed 7% tribal set-aside from discretionary Office of Justice Programs (OJP) programs-which has previously been supported by both the House and Senate Commerce/Justice/Science (CJS) Committees-the report drastically cut funding for tribal justice programs across the board.

Funding for tribal law enforcement assistance within OJP was decimated, receiving only $38 million-a mere fraction of the $100 million proposed in Senate approved bill and in last year’s House approved bill, and a $12 million cut from last year. The COPS Tribal Resources Grant Program and the Tribal Youth Program also are proposed for very large cuts.

NCAI urges Congress and tribal leaders to ACT NOW to reinstitute the 7% tribal set-aside in OJP funding and restore funding levels for DOJ tribal justice programs to those contained in S.1572, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012.

Tribal communities are suffering some of the country’s highest rates of violent crimes, gang activity, and drug trafficking. Leaders in Congress are acutely aware of the public safety issues that exist in Indian Country, which is why they enacted the Tribal Law & Order Act (TLOA) of 2010. Moreover, recent efforts by the Department of Justice to combat crime in Indian Country have begun to make a positive difference in the lives of many Native people. However, these efforts cannot be sustained and the intended goals of the TLOA cannot be achieved unless tribal justice systems are adequately funded. Now is not the time to slash funding for tribal justice programs. We urge Congress to act now to restore funding for DOJ tribal justice programs.

This 7% set-aside would amount to nearly $100.5 million and would provide a more flexible funding structure to tribes, which would complement the Department of Justice’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) currently in place. CTAS attempts to streamline the application process for tribes, enabling them to submit a single application and select multiple purpose areas, as opposed to previous years in which they would have been required to submit multiple grant applications. However, this streamlined application model will not achieve its intended success unless and until it is accompanied by a streamlined funding mechanism. NCAI urges Congress to revive the 7% tribal set-aside of OJP programs proposal, as well as restore tribal law enforcement funding levels.

At a minimum, we urge Congress to restore funding to FY2011 levels. Law enforcement on Indian reservations is a fundamental federal responsibility, and public safety in Indian country cannot withstand the significant cuts in funding proposed in the current bill.

Contact Members of Congress and Urge Them to Restore Tribal Funding!

Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Chairman, Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

• Phone: (202) 225-5136
• Chief of Staff: daniel.scandling@mail.house.gov
• Native Issues Staffer: mira.lezell@mail.house.gov

Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-Chairs of the House Native American Caucus

• Phone: (202) 225-6165
• Chief of Staff: sean.murphy@mail.house.gov
• Native Issues Staffer: stratton.edwards@mail.house.gov
• Appropriations Staffer: chris.caron@mail.house.gov

NCAI Contact Information:  John Dossett, General Counsel, jdossett@ncai.org or Katy Jackman, Staff Attorney – kjackman@ncai.org

DOJ Official Urges More Protection for Native American Women from Non-American Indian Abusers

By the Associated Press

November 10, 2011 (Washington, DC) — A high-level Justice Department official pushed Thursday for tribal courts to have more power in prosecuting non-Indians in domestic violence cases, saying the lack of authority has meant many serious crimes have gone unprosecuted. Although tribal judges can now impose tougher sentences in such cases under a law passed last year, the courts still have no authority to prosecute domestic violence offenders who are not members of tribes, associate attorney general Tom Perrelli told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, has sponsored legislation that would increase tribes’ authority to deal with violence against Native American women. A 1978 Supreme Court ruling, known as Oliphant, stripped tribal courts’ of jurisdiction over non-Indians, which some blame for increased crime and violence on reservations.

“Tribal leaders, police officers and prosecutors tell us of an all-too-familiar pattern of escalating violence that goes unaddressed, with beating after beating, each more severe than the last, ultimately leading to death or severe physical injury,” Perrelli said. “Something must be done to stop the cycle of violence.”

The inability to prosecute non-Indians often leads to tribal law officers mistakenly believing they can’t make an arrest when responding to a domestic abuse case involving non-Indians, which “has left many serious acts of domestic violence and dating violence unprosecuted and unpunished,” Perrelli said.

Congress gave tribal courts the power to levy sentences of up to three years in prison against American Indians for each domestic violence offense in the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. Before the law was passed, tribal courts could only sentence an abuser to a year in prison.

But the tribal courts still have little power when it comes to non-Indians, even when that abuser is married to a tribal member, Perrelli said.

According to a National Institute of Justice study, one third of Native American women will be raped during their lifetimes, Perrelli said. An analysis of death certificates by the institute also found that on some reservations Native American women are murdered at a rate of more than 10 times the national average, he said.

Among other things, Akaka’s legislation would make clear that Congress intended when it passed the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to give tribal courts authority to issue and enforce protection orders for domestic violence victims, even if they involve non-Indians.

It also would allow courts to impose sentences that gradually increase the punishments for repeat offenders who assault and injure a spouse, partner or date.

The legislation also would provide grants for assisting Native American women who are victims of domestic violence and fund research to gather more data on domestic and sexual violence against women.

Suzanne Koepplinger, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, said the Justice Department estimates that 70 percent of sexual assaults against Native American women go unreported. None of the women and girls ages 11 to 20 who participated in a program run by her organization had reported their assaults to law enforcement, Koepplinger said.

• Watch the live webcast of the hearing, which may be accessed via the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs’ website.
• Visit the Center’s Safe Women, Strong Nations project and learn how you can take action now to help end violence against Native women.

APPA Announces New Resources on Preventing and Addressing Sexual Abuse in Tribal Detention Facilities

The American Probation and Parole Association, through support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, is pleased to release a series of resources on preventing and addressing sexual abuse in tribal detention facilities.

Recent incidents of sexual violence within America’s corrections systems have brought corrections-based sexual abuse to the foreground among public policymakers, researchers, and corrections professionals, resulting in growing attention to and activities surrounding the issue, including the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA). PREA, the first-ever federal legislation addressing the issue of sexual assault in correctional settings, supports the elimination, reduction, and prevention of sexual assault, including abuse by correctional staff and by inmates, in federal state, and local prisons; jails; lock-ups; private facilities; and community residential facilities. Passed unanimously by Congress, PREA established a zero tolerance policy for sexual abuse in America’s correctional settings. Once fully implemented, PREA will:

• Establish national standards for the detection, reduction, prevention, and punishment of prison rape;
• Provide for data collection and information dissemination on the incidence of prison rape; and
• Provide training, technical assistance, and grant funding to help states and localities reduce and prevent the incidence of sexual violence.

In an effort to assist tribal detention facilities and staff to better prevent and address sexual violence within detention settings in Indian Country, the American Probation and Parole Association, through funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, has developed a range of training and technical assistance resources, including:

• a bulletin to provide an overview of PREA and its implications for tribal detention facilities;
• a training curriculum package to educate front-line staff within tribal detention facilities about strategies for the prevention and response to sexual abuse incidents;
• a policy development guide to help tribal detention administrators in establishing and implementing effective policies and protocols; and
• a brochure to educate tribal leaders on the importance of measures to enhance the prevention and response to sexual abuse within tribal detention facilities.

To download these free resources, please visit the PREA in Indian Country project page on the APPA Web site. For more information about this project, please contact Carrie Abner at cabner@csg.org or 859.244.8031.

IACHR Hearing on Violence Against Native Women

International Commission Holds Historic Hearing on Violence Against Native Women in the U.S.– U.S. Officials and Native Advocates Agree Violence Must End

Terri Henry testifies before the Commission

November 04, 2011 (Washington, DC) — During an historic hearing dedicated to their missing and murdered Native sisters throughout the Americas, Native women and tribal advocates resorted to an international human rights body to raise global awareness on the epidemic of violence against Native women in the United States.  Representatives of the United States appearing at the hearing admitted that the level of violence against Native women is “an assault on the national conscience.”

“The right to be safe and live free from violence is a fundamental human right that many take for granted—but not Native women in the United States,” said Jana Walker, Director of the Safe Women, Strong Nations Project at the Indian Law Resource Center.  “Through this unprecedented hearing—the first of its kind—the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has made it clear that others in the world are now focusing on this crisis too.”

The October 25, 2011, thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS) created by countries to protect human rights in the Americas, was the first ever to focus specifically on violence against Native women in the United States.  The Commission, located in Washington, D.C., took testimony during an hour-long hearing from representatives of the Indian Law Resource Center, National Congress of American Indians Task Force on Violence Against Women, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Clan Star, Inc., and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Inc.

A Human Rights Crisis

The epidemic of violence against Native women in the United States is a human rights crisis that Indian country has been aware of for far too long.  “It was imperative for this panel to make clear to the Commission how systemic legal barriers in U.S. law and chronic lack of enforcement is allowing rapists and batterers to commit crimes against Native women without fear of punishment whatsoever,” noted Juana Majel Dixon, First Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians and Co-Chair of the NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women.

According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, 1 out of 3 Native women will be raped in her lifetime and 3 out of 5 will be physically assaulted, while their offenders escape prosecution under the color of discriminatory United States law.  In this human rights crisis, Native women are murdered at rates 10 times the national average, and subjected to domestic violence and assault at staggering rates — rates 2½ times higher than any other group in the United States.

These distressing statistics are linked to systemic barriers imposed by United States law—barriers that prevent Indian nations from effectively safeguarding their citizens and adequately responding to crimes.  Unlike local communities or state governments, Indian nations and Alaska Native villages are legally prohibited from prosecuting non-Indians.  Furthermore, federal law has greatly restricted the sentencing authority of tribal courts for offenders committing acts of sexual and domestic violence that occur within tribal lands and communities.

In effect, United States law condones violence in Indian country and Alaska Native villages, where 88% of the violent crimes against Native women are committed by non-Indian perpetrators.  Very few of these Native women have access to meaningful justice and ever see their assailants prosecuted.  According to a recent United States Government Accountability Office study, U.S. attorneys failed to prosecute 52% of all violent criminal cases, including 67% of sexual abuse cases and 46% of assault cases occurring on Indian lands.

“In most non-Indian communities in the United States, county or city governments have, by and large, unquestionable authority to investigate and prosecute both misdemeanor and felony crimes committed against women,” testified Dorma Sahneyah, Vice Chairperson for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and Executive Director of the Hopi Tewa Women’s Coalition to End Abuse.  “United States law has left Tribal governments with inadequate legal authority to protect its citizens, allowing perpetrators to prey on Native women with impunity.”

Lisa Brunner, Executive Director of the Sacred Spirits First Nation Coalition, described the devastating impacts of Public Law 280 on the safety of Native women and tribal justice systems.  “Many young Native girls and their mothers are forced to plan for a rape and how they will respond,” testified Brunner.  She described one pre-rape decision by a 14-year-old girl and her mother to not report the event when it happens for fear that nothing would be done and it would cause problems for their family.  “When the issue within Native communities becomes a matter of preparing your daughter to be raped, the United States has failed in its federal trust responsibilities to our tribes.”

Recommendations to Improve Safety for Native Women in the U.S.

The Native women and tribal advocates concluded by urging the Commission to issue strong recommendations  to the United States with respect to its obligations to Native women under international human rights law.  Terri Henry, Co-Chair of the National Congress of American Indians Task Force on Violence Against Native Women and a Tribal Council Representative for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, detailed the following recommendations targeted at the United States:

• enact legislation that contains the Department of Justice’s legislative proposal to restore criminal authority of Indian Nations to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators on dating and domestic violence;
• fully fund and implement the Tribal Law and Order Act, particularly as to bolstering capacity to exercise enhanced sentencing authority, ensuring federal prosecutors share information on declamations of Indian country cases, and providing training and cooperation among the tribal state and federal agencies;
• launch a national initiative and consultation within Indian nations to examine and implement reforms to increase the safety of Native women living within tribal lands under concurrent tribal, state, and jurisdictional authority of Public Law 280;
• increase federal technical and financial support to Indian nations to enhance their responses to violence against Native women;
• create a grant program to provide sufficient federal support to non-profit government Native women’s organizations to provide effective services including shelters, transitional housing, and rape crisis centers;
• incorporate tribal specific provisions in sex trafficking legislation, ensure Native women are prioritized in research on sex trafficking, and provide adequate resources and training for justice officials on how to respond to sex trafficking of Native women;
• develop a national protocol and reporting system for handling and monitoring cases of murdered and missing Native women; and
• create a forum for dialogue collaborating and cooperating among tribal, federal, and state courts on the issue of violence against Native women.

Henry also urged the Commission to conduct site visits to Indian nations throughout the United States to further investigate these ongoing human rights violations against Native women and its implications for U.S. international human rights obligations.  Additionally, Henry asked the Commission to issue a special report or country report on how the United States, in consultation and collaboration with tribes, could better protect the human rights of Native women.  The panel of advocates also urged the Commission to include information related to this hearing in its press release on the 143rd Ordinary Period of Sessions and in its Annual Report to the Organization of American States General Assembly.

Representatives of the United States appearing at the hearing acknowledged that much more needs to be done to protect Native women.  Virginia Davis, U.S. Department of Justice, explained that, for many reasons, the current legal structure for prosecuting crimes of violence against women in Indian country is just not working.  The Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior are recommending legislation and refinement to existing laws to better protect Native women, and both Departments support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and proposed amendments.  Jodi Gillette, U.S. Department of the Interior, echoed Ms. Davis’ comments, adding that the goal is to move towards a system that will eliminate the devastating problem of violence against Native women.

Taking Action—Next Steps

The Violence Against Women Act is up for reauthorization in the U.S. Congress and, since the thematic hearing, on October 31, 2011, Chairman Daniel Akaka of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs introduced S.1793, the Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women (SAVE Native Women) Act.   Given the epidemic of violence against Native women, it is crucial that the United States do something quickly to restore safety and justice for Native women and to strengthen Native nations and communities.

For more information about the Violence Against Women Act, the SAVE Native Women Act, and to view or read about the thematic hearing on violence against Native women click “Updates and News.“

For more information contact:
Jana L. Walker
(406) 449-2006
email: jwalker@indianlaw.org

Federal Court Finds Interior Violates Self-Determination Act in Denying Public Safety Funds to Tribes in P.L. 280 States

In a decision from the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, the court ruled that the Bureau of Indian Affairs cannot deny law enforcement funding to tribes just because tribes are located within in a P.L. 280 state (decision only applies to tribes within the Eight Circuit).

From the decision …

As discussed below, the Court finds that Defendants may not decline Plaintiff’s 638 contract for law enforcement funding solely on the basis of Plaintiff’s location in a P.L. 280 state. Defendants’ policy violates the ISDEAA, the APA, and Plaintiff’s right to equal protection of the law. To be clear, the Court is not requiring that Defendants issue the contract or otherwise dictating how Defendants should allocate their funds. Instead, to level the playing field and ensure that Plaintiff’s request receives a fair evaluation, the Court enjoins Defendants from using California’s P.L. 280 status as the sole reason for declining Plaintiff’s contract proposal.

For the reasons discussed above, the Court hereby enjoins Defendants from denying Plaintiff’s 638 contract solely on the basis of California’s status as a P.L. 280 state. The Court finds that Defendants’ unwritten policy of denying law enforcement funding to tribes in P.L. 280 states violates the ISDEAA, the Administrative Procedures Act, and Plaintiff’s right to equal protection of the law. The Court therefore GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment, and GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Defendants’ Cross Motion for Summary Judgment.

Here are the materials in Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians (S.D. Cal.) (from Turtle Talk):

• DCT Order Granting Los Coyotes Motion
• Los Coyotes Band Motion for Summary J
• Interior Motion for Summary J
• Los Coyotes Reply
• Interior Reply

Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota

Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota, the first-ever study of prostitution and trafficking of Native women in Minnesota was released by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and Prostitution Research & Education. The Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition is a statewide tribal coalition of individuals and organizations working to prevent and end sexual violence against Native women. The coalition was created in 2001 through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, and is one of 22 tribal coalitions addressing gender violence in Native communities.

The Garden of Truth is the first study detailing the personal experiences of Native women who have been prostituted and trafficked in Minnesota. The 105 women interviewed for the report describe extreme and frequent violence including child sexual abuse, rape, beatings, and traumatic brain injuries, with a majority experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

Summary of Report

Since Native women are at exceptionally high risk for poverty, homelessness, and sexual violence which are elements in the trafficking of women, and because the needs of Native women are generally not being met, and because prostituted women are at extremely high risk for violence and emotional trauma, our goal was to assess the life circumstances of Native women in prostitution in Minnesota, a group of women not previously studied in research such as this. We assessed their needs and the extent to which those needs are or are not being met.

We interviewed 105 Native women in prostitution for approximately 1.5 hours each, administering 4 questionnaires that asked about family history, sexual and physical violence throughout their lifetimes, homelessness, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociation, use of available services such as domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, rape crisis centers, and substance abuse treatment. We asked the women about the extent to which they connected with their cultures, and if that helped them or not. We asked about racism and colonialism. The questionnaires were both quantitative and qualitative.

About half of the women met a conservative legal definition of sex trafficking which involves third-party control over the prostituting person by pimps or traffickers. Yet most (86%) interviewees felt that no women really know what they’re getting into when they begin prostituting, and that there is deception and trickery involved.

• 79% of the women we interviewed had been sexually abused as children by an average of 4perpetrators.
• More than two-thirds of the 105 women had family members who had attended boarding schools.
• 92% had been raped.
• 84% had been physically assaulted in prostitution.
• 72% suffered traumatic brain injuries in prostitution.
• 98% were currently or previously homeless.
• Racism was an emotionally damaging element in these women’s lives and a source of ongoing stress.
• 62% saw a connection between prostitution and colonization, and explained that the devaluation of women in prostitution was identical to the colonizing devaluation of Native people.
• 33% spoke of Native cultural or spiritual practices as an important part of who they were.
• 52% had PTSD at the time of the interview, a rate that is in the range of PTSD among combat veterans. 71% had symptoms of dissociation.
• 80% had used outpatient substance abuse services. Many felt that they would have been helped even more by inpatient treatment. 77% had used homeless shelters. 65% had used domestic violence services. 33% had used sexual assault services.
• 92% wanted to escape prostitution.
• Their most frequently stated needs were for individual counseling (75%) and peer support (73%),reflecting a need for their unique experiences as Native women in prostitution to be heard and seen by people who care about them. Two thirds needed housing and vocational counseling.
• Many of the women felt they owed their survival to Native cultural practices. Most wanted access to Native healing approaches integrated with a range of mainstream services.

Prostitution is a sexually exploitive, often violent economic option most often entered into by those with a lengthy history of sexual, racial and economic victimization. Prostitution is only now beginning to be understood as violence against women and children. It has rarely been included in discussions of sexual violence against Native women. It is crucial to understand the sexual exploitation of Native women in prostitution today in its historical context of colonial violence against nations.

In order for a woman to have the real choice to exit prostitution, a range of services must be offered yet there are currently few or no available services especially designed for Native women in prostitution.

We recommend increased state and federal funding for transitional and long term housing for Native women and others seeking to escape prostitution. We recommend increased funding for Native women’s programs, including advocacy, physical and mental health care, job training and placement, legal services, and research on these topics.

We urge state, local, and tribal officials to review and reconsider their policies toward victims of prostitution and trafficking, including this new research about Native women. The arrest and prosecution of victims is counter-productive and exacerbates their problems. As a Native woman interviewed for this research study said, “We need people with hearts.” Arresting sex buyers, not their victims, is a more appropriate policy.

COPS Office is Seeking Tribal Methamphetamine Program Fellows

The COPS Office would like to announce an opportunity to participate in a tribal methamphetamine fellows program. We are seeking eight highly motivated individuals to participate in this exciting two year program. This opportunity to build knowledge, skills and leadership on methamphetamine prevention, treatment and/or enforcement is being offered by Strategic Applications International (SAI), the COPS Office’s Training and Technical Assistance provider for Tribal Methamphetamine Program grantees.

The Fellows program will include up to eight American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiians early in their careers, who will be connected with national experts in the area of methamphetamine. Participants will be selected from tribal communities that possess some experience in the major issues affecting tribal communities related to methamphetamine, such as law enforcement, prevention, treatment, child protection, environmental clean-up, precursor chemicals, gangs and organized crime, drug courts and restorative justice, and tribal behavioral and mental health. Fellows will be asked to: (a) develop topic-specific white papers on emerging and evidence-based strategies to address methamphetamine, (b) advise the SAI project team on effective methods for T/TA delivery for an American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian audience, (c) design at least one webinar for the COPS grantees, and (d) develop a site-specific story illustrating the implementation of a best practice within a tribal community related to methamphetamine prevention, treatment and/or enforcement.  The duration of the project will be two years from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2013.  Fellows will be compensated for their time with a $5,000 stipend, paid in $1,250 installments upon completion of task milestones.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Tribal Meth Fellows Program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Be of American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian descent. Please note participation is open to both federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribal members.
2. Have less than ten years of experience in addressing drug and alcohol abuse.
3. Currently work or volunteer in some aspect of drug or alcohol prevention, treatment, law enforcement and/or child protection within a tribal community.

Application Process

American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian who meet the above criteria are encouraged to fill out the application form and email it with a current resume to hdeutsch@sai-dc.com by 11:59 PM EST on October 28, 2011.