Tribal Justice Advisory Group Final Report, August 27, 2010

• NCJ Number: 235739
• Date Published: August 2010
• Length: 205 pages
• Agencies: OJP
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Description; Historical Overview

Annotation

This final report of the Tribal Justice Advisory Group (TJAG) presents a record of its history, resources, goals, accomplishments, and recommendations as it is subsumed under the U.S. Justice Department's newly created (2009) Tribal Nations Leadership Council (TNLC).

Abstract

The TJAG was chartered in 2007 by recommendation of the Justice Program Council on Native American Affairs, a council of senior-level Office of Justice Programs (OJP) leaders and tribal liaisons from each of the OJP offices and other Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies. The TJAG is an independent group of tribal leaders and officials composed of 1 delegate and 1 alternate from each of the 12 regions of the United States as defined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Also, one delegate and one alternate represent each of the two largest nonprofit organizations involved in the affairs of American-Indians, Alaska-Natives, and Native-Americans (AI/AN/NA). The latter organizations are the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Health Board. The TJAG is a body through which AI/AN/NA perspectives and tribal input can be brought to bear on OJP efforts in order to better serve tribes. During its 3-year existence, the TJAG has been the only body of its kind at the Department of Justice acting as a truly independent voice for tribal interests. The TJAG's primary goal has been to obtain more resources for tribes (money, training and education, as well as access to top-level officials at OJP and DOJ. Through regular TJAG meetings, meetings and communications with top-level officials at OJP and DOJ, and numerous working-group sessions, the TJAG has made significant advances on a number of fronts. This report summarizes some of TJAG's accomplishments and presents a list of recommendations for both the Federal Government and for the new TNLC.