In May 2016, victim advocates, restorative justice practitioners, tribal peacemakers, prosecutors, federal policymakers, and others came together in Santa Fe, N.M., to discuss whether and how restorative practices could be used to safely and effectively respond to intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and dating violence. This document synthesizes a complex discussion into a series of themes for future reflection and planning around the issues raised.
Domestic violence is one of the most pressing problems facing Native American and Alaska Native communities. Although the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act recognizes the authority of tribes to prosecute non-Native offenders, more tools are needed. This paper explores whether specialized domestic violence courts, which focus on enhancing victim safety and promoting offender accountability, can be part of a multi-faceted approach for tribal justice systems to address domestic violence.
Tribal courts around the country are exploring the use of problem-solving justice, which offers a way to blend the adversarial process with more traditional practices that focus on healing and restoration. This toolkit offers tribal justice planners a step-by-step guide to developing effective problem-solving justice initiatives.
This study examines the work of the Red Hook Community Justice Center’s Peacemaking Program, which uses traditional Native American practices to resolve disputes. Participants can avoid the justice system by participating in peacemaking sessions and reaching a consensus agreement for restitution and repair.
This article describes Native American peacemaking as an alternative to the Canadian justice system's "overreliance on punitive and isolationsist tactics." Published in Policy Options, February 2013.
This report details the results of a regional survey of Northern California tribal communities focused on domestic violence. The goal was to assess the prevalence of domestic violence victimization, as well as perceptions regarding community and justice system responses to these incidents.