Special Projects

TRIBAL JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM

The Native American Law Center (NALC) is funded by the Models for Change initiative at the MacArthur Foundation to engage in research and provide support for reforms to tribal juvenile justice systems in Washington State. As part of this work, the Native American Law Center is engaged in several projects.

Model Tribal Juvenile Codes

NALC is developing model tribal juvenile delinquency, truancy and "at risk youth" codes in partnership with the Kalispel Indian Tribe in northeastern Washington State. When completed, these codes will be disseminated through the Native American Law Center’s website.

Remote Representation Project

In partnership with the Quinault Nation, the Native American Law Center, NALC, is piloting the representation of juveniles via web-based video conferencing. While in-person representation is the best practice for legal representation, many tribal communities are too remote to be able to provide attorneys for the defense of their juveniles involved in their justice system. This project will provide remote representation through the use of Microsoft Live Meeting software and will also measure the effectiveness of such representation. At the conclusion of the project, we will evaluate and publish the best practices for using this type of system.

Association of Tribal Juvenile Justice Professionals

In an attempt to assist information sharing between tribal juvenile justice systems, NALC plans to provide coordination services to tribal juvenile justice system professionals. This will include trainings hosted by the NALC using Microsoft Live Meeting and the podcasting of trainings for later viewing.

Washington State Tribal Gathering: Tribal Juvenile Justice Enhancement Report

Read our October Newsletter, NALC Partnership of Juvenile Justice Professionals

View our webinar materials: Working with Prosecutors

View our webinar materials Toward a Model Tribal Youth Code and Model Tribal Youth Code Draft