This article reports on findings from a study aimed at improving communication between tribal and non-tribal justice agencies so they might improve their policies and practices to meet the needs of their communities; it describes the study’s quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, the scope of missing Native persons data in Nebraska, barriers to reporting and investigating, potential partnerships to increase reporting, lessons learned from the tribal-researcher partnership, and evidence-based recommendations.
To improve communication between tribal and non-tribal justice agencies so that those agencies' policies and practices are a better match for the realities of life in those communities, NIJ-funded researchers at the University of Nebraska Omaha: Analyzed data on reported missing persons cases in Nebraska; identified the prevalence and context of missing Native American persons there; and engaged Native American communities directly in missing-person research and solutions. This article reports on findings from this study and its implications for research, policy, and practice for missing murdered Native American women and children in and beyond Nebraska.