Improving the Administration of Justice in Tribal Communities Through Information Sharing and Resource Sharing

• NCJ Number: 233225
• Author(s): Kimberly Cobb; Tracy Mullins
• Date Published: December 2010
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2006-MU-BX-K015
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Issue Overview

Annotation

This bulletin discusses challenges identified by three jurisdictional teams of justice personnel (tribal, State, and Federal) in establishing mechanisms for information and resources sharing.

Abstract

Team discussions were based on the following definition of "information sharing:" "getting the right information to the right people in the right place at the right time to ensure a just and safe society. Privacy is protected, security is ensured and quality includes timely and reliable data" (Wicklund, personal communication). The definition used for "resource sharing" is "the sharing of human, technological, educational and therapeutic resources in a manner that assists all parties involved. Memoranda of understanding help guide the effective and fair sharing of resources" (Wicklund, personal communication). Discussion participants shared their ideas of what information would be useful to share among tribal, State, and Federal probation agencies. All three jurisdictions agreed on numerous types of information that could aid in supervising offenders. Thirteen of the suggested types of information are listed. Participants believed that the sharing of the suggested types of information would assist them in identifying potential patterns of behavior or escalating behavior, which is necessary for developing supervision and treatment plans, as well as alerting them if another jurisdiction is currently looking for a particular individual or has an individual under supervision. Other advantages for sharing information are discussed. Obstacles and barriers to information sharing are also identified and categorized as legal barriers, trust barriers, technological barriers, and policy barriers. This is followed by suggestions for ways to overcome barriers to information sharing. The participants discussions of resource sharing focus on the types of resources that should be shared, advantages to improved resource sharing, obstacles and barriers to resource sharing, and suggestions for overcoming these obstacles and barriers. 10 references