Federal Program To Incarcerate Tribal Prisoners

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons has implemented a key provision of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 by launching a four-year pilot program to begin accepting certain tribal offenders sentenced in tribal courts for placement in Bureau of Prisons institutions.

The pilot program allows any federally recognized tribe to request that the bureau incarcerate a tribe member convicted of a violent crime under the terms of Section 234 of the Tribal Law and Order Act and authorizes the bureau to house up to 100 tribal offenders at a time, nation-wide. By statute, the pilot will conclude on Nov. 26, 2014.

"The launch of the Bureau of Prisons pilot program is an important step forward in addressing violent offenders and under-resourced correctional facilities in Indian country," said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli. "This is one step among many to bolster the safety and security in tribal communities. Under the landmark Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, the Justice Department will continue to work with our tribal partners on a multilateral approach that includes better law enforcement training, enhanced treatment and prevention programs, and improved tribal crime data gathering and information sharing." In anticipation of the Tribal Law and Order Act , Attorney General Eric Holder in January 2010 directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices with districts containing Indian country (44 out of 93) to: meet and consult with tribes in their district annually; develop an operational plan addressing public safety in Indian country; work closely with tribal law enforcement on improving public safety in tribal communities, and to pay particular attention to violence against women in Indian country and make prosecuting these crimes a priority. The Justice Department routinely briefs Congress, and state, local and tribal governments on the progress of the Tribal Law and Order Act implementation.

A fundamental goal of the Bureau of Prisons is to reduce future criminal activity by encouraging inmates to participate in a range of programs that have been proven to help them adopt a crime-free lifestyle upon their return to the community. Accordingly, the bureau provides many self-improvement programs, including work in prison industries and other institution jobs, vocational training, education, substance abuse treatment, parenting, anger management, counseling, religious observance opportunities and other programs that teach essential life skills.