Tribal Youth in the Federal Justice System: Final Report (Revised)

Historical Trauma and American Indian/Alaska Native Youth Mental Health Development and Delinquency

“…Evidenced by the disproportionate amount of AI/AN youth involved in the juvenile justice system (Adams et al., 2011; Crosby, 2016; Rolnick & Arya, 2008; Rovner, 2016), delinquent behaviors among AI/AN youth appear to be common. An analysis of self‐reports from youth of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds indicated that AI/AN youth were the most likely to carry a weapon in the past month, with nearly 25% of AI/AN youth reporting this behavior (Pavkov et al., 2010).…”

“…Some research suggests that AI/AN youth are four to ten times more likely to be committed as compared to White youth depending on the state, and this racial disparity appears to be growing (Rovner, 2016). In the early‐to‐mid 2000s, an estimated 40–70% of juveniles in the federal system were AI/AN, despite only accounting for 1% of the total U.S. youth population (Adams et al., 2011; Rolnick & Arya, 2008). Additionally, these youth appeared to be more likely to be arrested and tried at the federal level (as opposed to the state level) when compared to non‐Native youth with similar offense profiles (Rolnick & Arya, 2008).…”

“…Additionally, these youth appeared to be more likely to be arrested and tried at the federal level (as opposed to the state level) when compared to non‐Native youth with similar offense profiles (Rolnick & Arya, 2008). These differences do not necessarily appear to be due to higher rates of crime, but rather because the state is unable to prosecute crimes committed on tribal land, thus these crimes will often fall under federal jurisdiction even if the case is also processed within the tribal courts (Adams et al., 2011). Measuring the actual proportion of AI/AN youths in the juvenile justice system proves to be challenging, given that the ratio of AI/AN youths to non‐Native youths depends on the state (roughly 90% of AI/AN youth live in half of the states; Rovner, 2016).…”

Native American youth and justice

“…The most recent data on juvenile justice in Indian Country is found in the 2011 Final Report (Revised) provided by the Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, entitled Tribal Youth in the Federal Justice System" (Adams & Samuels, 2011). The authors note that gleaning accurate data from Indian Country is a complicated task: "There is no reliable source of information regarding tribal youth who come into contact with these systems, and currently, there is limited information available about tribal youth cases handled in the federal system" (Adams & Samuels, 2011: vi).…”