Sex Offenders in Your Community

When released from prison, there are few restrictions that prevent sex offenders from living anywhere they want. Depending on the case, some individuals may be released without supervision. A recent report from the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing (DOJ COPS) offers individuals more information about steps taken to monitor sex offenders and how to protect your family.

A few key tips from the report:
• Check the National Sex Offender Public Website to see if there any sex offenders are living within three miles of your home or children's school.
• Practicing proactive parenting, including monitoring Internet use, and regularly checking the offender website can alert you to suspicious individuals quickly.
• Understand the differences among the types of offenders.
• Encourage any offenders you know to fully comply with court orders.

Click here to download the full report.

Understanding and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

If you are a service professional working with children in Indian Country, take some time to attend this tuition free webinar with Nadja Jones of NICWA.

The Ever-Changing Jurisdictional Maze

A bill is making its way through the Washington state legislature right now that creates a procedure to for tribes to request jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters, including delinquency, truancy and adoption. On the flip side, the New Mexico Supreme Court just restricted tribes' sovereign immunity when it comes to casino liquor sales.

Anyone who has worked in Indian Country justice knows figuring out authority and responsibility in any given case can be a challenge. Often the laws were confusing to begin with and the jurisdictional landscape keeps changing through court and legislative actions. To help you get a grip on who has jurisdiction when, Indian Country Training instructor Joseph Rosen is offering a terrific webinar on April 5th on Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country under TLOA. Don't miss this participatory and interactive course- you won't even have to leave your desk to take it.