More Prosecutions, More Transparency, Better Relationships

A report for the Attorney General on Indian Country highlights the improvements that TLOA has wrought. Federal prosecutions for crimes committed on reservations is up 54% since 2009. Tribes and feds are also working together to decide whether cases should be tried in tribal courts or in federal courts, resulting in building trust and respect on both sides.

 Declinations are still high in some areas, but in others, they're down to about 20%. In the past two years, declined cases were overwhelmingly due to a lack of evidence. Tribes and prosecutors alike insist that the declination rate doesn't matter so much as long as everyone is working together. Grant Walker, the tribal prosecutor for the Standing Rock Sioux, said, “Declinations aren’t really a big deal anymore to us because we know what the case is, and if the federal government declines we’ve already had a chance to prosecute that case too. So it’s not like the ball is hidden, and the prosecution’s office doesn’t know about it.”

Have you been seeing a difference in your community? Join us at SafeRez to talk about justice, health and improving our tribal communities.