NCJ Number
85524
Date Published
1981
Length
15 pages
Annotation
An analysis of common views of American Indian culture and approaches to justice is followed by a description of contemporary Native American movements and efforts to improve correctional treatment of American Indians.
Abstract
Justice among American Indians is commonly examined from either the aboriginal customary judicial perspective or from the white adversary judicial perspective. However, neither perspective is accurate. Native American justice appears to be a synthesis of these two orientations. Current American Indian movements have their roots in organizations formed after World War II. These movements have promoted positive images of Indians and have sought to dispel the negative stereotypes promoted through the media. They have also worked for self-sufficiency and self-determination for American Indians. Survival in correctional institutions is an important component of the Native American synthesis because it reflects the resocialization of marginal individuals. The two types of programs designed to achieve the goal of survival are the development of correctional institutions exclusively for American Indian clients and the establishment of prison survival schools for American Indians who are incarcerated within larger inmate populations. The Cheyenne River Swift Bird Project, which established an American Indian rehabilitation facility, evolved as a result of a Nebraska lawsuit which resulted in court-ordered changes in the treatment of American Indian prisoners. The goal of prison survival schools is to develop a sense of Indian self-worth along with the basic skills necessary to cope with both the American Indian and white worlds. This education is designed to be a two-way process between the dominant culture and the American Indian culture. Thirty references are listed.