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American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs

Featured Resource: Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence

At the 2013 White House Tribal Nations Conference, former Attorney General Eric Holder announced the creation of the Attorney General’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence. This task force is examining the scope and impact of violence facing American Indian and Alaska Native children and will make policy recommendations to former Attorney General Holder on ways to address it. It is part of the Attorney General’s Defending Childhood Initiative, a project that is working to solve the epidemic levels of exposure to violence faced by our nation’s children. Task force members include a federal working group and an advisory committee of experts. OJP is represented on the Task Force by staff including Beth McGarry, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, along with several other OJP staff and OJP visiting fellows.

Justice Programs Council on Native American Affairs (JPCNAA)

The Justice Programs Council on Native American Affairs (JPCNAA) is the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) senior-level policy body established in 2005 under an approved charter by the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs to develop consistent tribal justice and safety policy, strategies and enhance coordination across the department.

In January 2007, Council membership was expanded to include all senior-level office leaders, who designated JPCNAA federal staff tribal liaisons from their respective bureaus and offices to remain abreast of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native American affairs. The OJP Assistant Attorney General chairs the council and the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General serves as the Vice-Chair.

The council meets semi-annually. The council helps to identify opportunities, programs, and address issues of concern to Indian Tribes and Native communities, coordinates, outreach and consultation on justice and safety issues affecting the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native American justice programs nationwide. The JPCNAA also serves as a liaison advisory body to other Department of Justice agencies, bureaus and offices that desire to participate on the council.

Tribal Justice and Safety Website

OJP Members

Bureau of Justice Assistance
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Equal Employment Opportunity Office
National Institute of Justice
Office of Administration
Office of Audit and Assessment Management
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Office of Communications
Office of the Chief Information officer
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office of the General Counsel
Office for Victims of Crime
Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking

Other DOJ Members

Community Oriented Policing Services
Community Relations Services
Executive Office of United States Attorneys
Federal Bureau of Investigation – Indian Country Unit
Office of Civil Rights
Office of Tribal Justice
Office on Violence Against Women

Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS)

The Department created the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) to respond to Tribal leaders’ requests to improve the grant-making process, and to strengthen tribal capacity for strategic community-based justice system planning. To learn more, visit http://www.justice.gov/tribal/grants.html

OJP Member Tribal Websites

BJA - Bureau of Justice Assistance
BJS - Bureau of Justice Statistics
NIJ - National Institute of Justice
OJJDP - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
OVC - Office for Victims of Crime
SMART - Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking

Other DOJ Members Tribal Websites

Civil Rights - Office of Civil Rights
COPS - Community Oriented Policing Services
CRS - Community Relations Services
ENRD - Environmental & Natural Resources Division
EOUSA - Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys
FBI - Indian Country Unit
OTJ - Office of Tribal Justice
OVW - Office on Violence Against Women

Resources

• Jails in Indian Country (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• Indian Country Justice Statistics (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• Justice in Indian Country (OJP's National Criminal Justice Reference Service)
• Tribal Justice Publications (National Institute of Justice)
• Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women: Program of Research (National Institute of Justice)
• More resources can be found at http://www.justice.gov/otj/federal-resources

JPCNAA Workgroups

JPCNAA Tribal Public Relations, Consultation, Education and Outreach Workgroup
To ensure a coordinated approach for all tribal press and related public relations activities, increase tribal education efforts regarding OJP and other DOJ components, develop internal communications strategy recommendations, and maintain up to date information for the Tribal Justice and Safety Website.

JPCNAA Research, Data Collection and Information Sharing Workgroup
Improve the coordination among OJP and other DOJ components working on Indian country issues to improve the quality, accessibility, and completeness of tribal justice statistics, research, evaluation, information technology, and information sharing.

JPCNAA Youth Initiatives Coordinating Workgroup
Improve coordination and information sharing between OJP and other DOJ components on Department initiatives and programs for youth, e.g., (Tribal Youth program, Drug Endangered Children, AMBER Alert, Defending Childhood, etc.).

JPCNAA Tribal Grants Policy/Training & Technical Assistance Workgroup
Develop a recommended AAG tribal grants policy, coordinate OJP training and technical assistance providers serving Indian country (CTAS), and develop a recommended training & technical assistance process for OJP to implement which can serve as a model for other DOJ components.

JPCNAA Federal Employee/Workforce Native Education & Training Workgroup
Support the Indian Affairs Executive Working Group development of a draft Executive Order/Proclamation and online training program designed for government-wide federal employee/workforce education and training about American Indian, Alaska Native, Native American (AI/AN/NA) tribal governments; and, to provide recommendations to implement the same programs tailored for DOJ purposes.

SUNSETTED: Tribal Justice Advisory Group
The Tribal Justice Advisory Group was established in 2007 to assist the AAG and JPCNAA with tribal advice on justice and safety issues. The Attorney General established a Tribal Nations Leadership Council (TNLC) in 2010. The TJAG was sunset to avoid conflict and duplication, and the TJAG Co-Chairs served as Ex Officio members for the initial TNLC year to assist with transition.

For Assistance Please Contact: Eugenia Tyner-Dawson Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs & Executive Director Justice Programs Council on Native American Affairs 202-353-3442 Eugenia.Tyner-Dawson@ojp.usdoj.gov