FY24 Quapaw Courts Equipment Project

The purpose of the project is to increase the capacity of the Quapaw Tribal Courts to reduce juvenile drug use and truancy in the Quapaw and Commerce school districts by purchasing necessary equipment and supplies to adequately and effectively implement the new programs. The grant-funded equipment includes one vehicle to transport area youth to counseling and other services, and office supplies and equipment for the Juvenile Affairs office. The funding will help to address the numerous problems encountered within the community and will help meet the goals and objectives of the OJJDP Tribal Youth Program's Cultivating Change Implementation Grant. The Quapaw Nation’s primary jurisdictional area serves the cities of Quapaw, Miami, Peoria, Commerce, Cardin, and Picher in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. This area also has headquarters for seven other federally recognized Indian Tribes: Miami, Peoria, Ottawa, Eastern Shawnee, Modoc, Wyandotte, and Seneca-Cayuga. The Quapaw Nation will purchase and commission vehicles and equipment. The Juvenile Affairs office will then implement a three-tiered system they designed for youth referred to them for drug-related cases. The vehicles and other equipment will be utilized during and after the end of the project by the Juvenile Affairs Officer recently hired by the Quapaw Courts Department due to the impact from the Lawhorn Decision in October 2021.