Domestic Violence Courts

Jerry Gardner, Kelly Stoner and Chia Halpern assisted the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) with planning and facilitating the thirteenth in-person Intertribal Technical Assistance Working Group (ITWG) on VAWA Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction over non-Indians meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

NDCRC will disseminate surveys to Treatment Court Local Coordinators.These surveys address the structure (e.g., funding, personnel, partnerships), operation (e.g., services offered, eligibility, decision making), and successes and challenges (e.g., adherence to or deviance from best practices; racial, ethnic, and gender disparity or equity). The purpose of the ATCS is to develop a current portrait of treatment courts including their needs and emerging trends nationally, locally (state, region), and by location type (e.g., rural, urban).

NDCRC will disseminate surveys to Treatment Court Statewide Coordinators.These surveys address the structure (e.g., funding, personnel, partnerships), operation (e.g., services offered, eligibility, decision making), and successes and challenges (e.g., adherence to or deviance from best practices; racial, ethnic, and gender disparity or equity). The purpose of the ATCS is to develop a current portrait of treatment courts including their needs and emerging trends nationally, locally (state, region), and by location type (e.g., rural, urban).

After receiving The Arc's Pathways to Justice Training in January 2019 under this grant, the Rockland County District Attorney's Office requested additional assistance developing a standalone training for legal professionals - an effort to ensure that prosecutors in the region remained informed on I/DD issues long after the Pathways training. Although the training content wasn't finalized during the grant period, The Arc joined Vera for an assessment call to learn more about the office's second request for assistance.

Kelly Stoner to present a session on "No Easy Task: Drafting Enforceable Tribal Protection Orders." This includes a discussion of VAWA Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction and TLOA enhanced sentencing.

This session will explore how tribal courts can work effectively and respectfully with members of the LGBTQ2S community. The webinar will provide a basic overview of terminology and will discuss some of the challenges that the LGBTQ2S community faces. The webinar will also provide some practical tips that courts can use when working with the LGBTQ2S community.

Prior to the assessment, NCJFCJ staff conducted a Trauma-Informed Court Training for about six people, which included the judge, court staff, and social services staff. Over the course of the two-day assessment, site visit activities involved observation of court facilities, including building exterior and interior entrances, waiting areas, a n d courtroom. The assessment staff also observed Healing to Wellness case staffing, as well as hearings on both dependency and Healing to Wellness dockets.

This 1/2 day pre-conference institute was held at the Indian Nations Conference in Palm Springs as a pre conference institute on December 4, 2018. The morning session of this institute will provide a detailed examination of the issues tribes need to address if they are interested in exercising the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) 2013 Reauthorization provisions concerning Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction over Non-Indians (SDVCJ).

Mr. Hood made a Prosecutor-Led Diversion presentation at this training in Arkansas.

Become more mindful of the need to implement and sustain tribal sovereignty, unique to your nation, into all aspects of your tribal justice system. During the webinar series, you will learn more about tribal sovereignty, how it might be exercised or how it is exercised in your own community, and what to consider as you begin your tribal justice system planning process. You will also learn a process to take steps to identify opportunities for the inclusion of customs, traditions, and values into your tribal justice systems.