A federal law preventing parents from taking custody battles across state lines did not apply to tribal nations, a federal appeals court ruled this week.
Holistic treatment of people in the criminal justice system is not new in Indian Country, but there are new programs coming on board as well as expanded approaches. The National American Indian Court Judges Association says about one-third of the U.S.’s roughly 320 tribal court systems have healing and wellness aspects. A program at the Port Gamble S’klallam Tribe in Washington state assigns wellness coaches to those in the county jail, while the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma helps with financial support and housing services. Advocates of tribal healing to wellness initiatives see the approaches as a way to shift the narrative of someone’s life and address the underlying causes of criminal activity.
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