Tribal Justice Systems Access and Representation

The Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation will increase access to essential civil and criminal legal services for tribal and community members in both of its primary service areas, Cusick, Washington (approximately 50 miles north of Spokane) and Airway Heights, Washington (approximately 10 miles west of Spokane). Two-thirds of the tribe’s 484 enrolled members reside within these two geographic areas. The Kalispel Tribe will contract with licensed attorneys to ensure effective legal representation for Kalispel tribal members who are navigating criminal and civil matters in Kalispel tribal court and neighboring jurisdictions. The tribe will attempt to mitigate the access to justice gap that exists in rural communities, and the heightened barriers that rural Native Americans face when seeking legal assistance, through the continued operation of the Kalispel Legal Advice Clinic, a program that offers civil legal services in a local, convenient setting. Although services through this program will be prioritized for tribal members, civil legal services will also be made available to reservation residents and other community members regardless of enrollment status.