This study examines satisfaction with Native American Indian tribal criminal justice services and perceptions of crime seriousness.
This study uses data collected during the Southern Ute Indian Community Safety Survey to test measures of perceptions about the police, court and crime victim services in order to understand if and how closely they are associated with beliefs regarding crime. Most study respondents had negative sentiments about the tribal criminal justice services while they also held severe views toward violent and alcohol-related crimes. This finding suggests that while people in this study held strong views against crime, they probably did not feel that their concerns about such were being adequately addressed by the local tribal government. Little work examines perceptions of criminal justice services provided by Native American Indian tribal governments to their citizens and the relationship these attitudes might have with communal views of crime seriousness.