FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Law and Order Committee members attend Tribal Leadership Consultation regarding public safety issues in Indian Country TUCSON, Ariz. – On Monday, Law and Order Committee chair Council Delegate Edmund Yazzie (Churchrock, Iyanbito, Mariano Lake, Pinedale, Smith Lake, Thoreau) and Council Delegate Russell Begaye (Shiprock) attended the Tribal Leadership Consultation, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to cooperatively identify and prioritize public safety issues within Indian Country in the state of Arizona. The tribal consultation consisted of presentations focused on offender reentry programs, domestic violence, victims assistance programs (i.e. rehabilitation, affordable housing, family counseling, etc.), and federal grants relating to public safety. The consultation also focused on two federal acts that were recently passed by Congress – the Violence Against Women Act and the Tribal Law and Order Act. Both of which have been revised recently to strengthen jurisdictional and judicial rights of Arizona tribes. “The consultation is vital to the Navajo Nation because it provided very important information regarding the implementation of these federal acts, and the resources we can obtain in order to implement them successfully,” said Delegate Yazzie. VAWA was revised in 2013 to grant jurisdictional authority to tribes over non-Indians who commit domestic violence crimes on Indian reservations, and to include additional protections for female domestic abuse victims and children. TLOA was enacted in July 2010, which created an option for tribal justice systems to strengthen sentencing provisions, such as increasing the penalty for certain offenses to up to three years of incarceration in a tribal jail facility. Delegate Begaye attended the tribal leaders roundtable discussion and provided suggestions regarding drug issues plaguing the Navajo Nation. “I had the opportunity to talk about drug trafficking and the need for federal assistance in dealing with drug dealers, who are primarily non-Indians. The Navajo police need to work alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating these drug crimes,” said Delegate Begaye. Delegate Begaye said that the TLOA should be amended to allow tribes to have jurisdictional authority over non-Indians that commit any type of crime on an Indian reservation. He added that the Navajo Nation Council would need to update current criminal and judicial codes to compliment the implementation of VAWA and TLOA on the Navajo Nation. Relating to the tribal consultation, LOC members will attend an additional meeting with the U.S. Department of Justice to discuss court case declinations Friday, September 19 in Phoenix, Arizona, specifically relating to the Navajo Nation.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:30:03 +0000
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