Conference Program Home
  My Program

All Times EDT

Abstract Details

Activity Number: 547 - Statistics About Crime and Justice for Tribal Areas and for American Indian and Alaska Natives: Current State and the Need for Innovation
Type: Topic Contributed
Date/Time: Thursday, August 11, 2022 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
Sponsor: Government Statistics Section
Abstract #322382
Title: Tribal Law Enforcement and Court Systems in the U.S
Author(s): Steven W. Perry*
Companies: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice
Keywords: Tribal Justice; American Indians; Tribal Law Enforcement; Tribal courts; Village Public Safety Officers; Indian country
Abstract:

The Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) of 2010 required BJS to establish and implement a tribal crime data collection system. The Census of Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies (CTLEA) and National Survey of Tribal Court Systems (NSTCS) are part of BJS’s innovative approach to improve the availability, timeliness, and quality of tribal crime and justice information. The CTLEA gathered data from 234 known tribally operated law enforcement agencies, 23 Bureau of Indian Affairs police departments, and the Alaska State Troopers, which reported for the Village Public Safety Officer program operating in Indian country. The NSTCS gathered data from 309 known tribal court systems in the lower 48 States and Alaska. The CTLEA and NSTCS data collections covered operational characteristics, including jurisdiction, sources of funding, work activity and services, and information sharing with regional and national criminal justice databases. BJS achieved overall response rates of 92% for the CTLEA and 81% for the NSTCS. In this presentation, we will discuss the methodology, notable results, and some data collection challenges for the two collections.


Authors who are presenting talks have a * after their name.

Back to the full JSM 2022 program