NCJ Number
84571
Date Published
1982
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Under the influence of Native American advocacy groups, recent corrections efforts on behalf of Native Americans have sought to establish Indian offenders' self-worth in tribal culture while providing the skills to survive in the dominant white culture.
Abstract
Native American tribal culture does not exist in its pure form anywhere in the United States, and it is not possible to reconstitute it. Still, Native Americans have a sense of cultural identity that has evolved separately from the dominant white culture. Contemporary Native American movements have advocated the promotion of a common ethnic image of the Native American rooted in the common positive aspects of Indian tribal culture. This emphasis has focused particularly on Indian experiences of maladjustment that have resulted in contact with the criminal justice system. Whereas traditional corrections shows little respect for Indian ethnic identity, Indian advocacy groups have been instrumental in establishing correctional programs that seek a synthesis of Indian and white culture that will establish a positive self-image for the Indian while cultivating the skills to survive in the dominant culture. The Swift Bird project is an Indian-run, minimum security prison in South Dakota designed to serve Plains Indians inmates. Another approach involves the establishment of schools exclusively for Indian inmates within larger inmate populations. Under both of these correctional approaches the Indian offender is encouraged to adopt a native-oriented cognitive style through the teaching of native customs, rituals, and languages. Nine references are listed.