Nábináhaazláago Initiative - Services to Juveniles in Detention Centers

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) solicits applications for initiatives which assist law enforcement in rural states and rural areas. The program helps rural states and rural areas to prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs.

The Assistance to Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs Program, administered by BJA, helps rural states and rural areas prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs. In addition, priority consideration will be given to local law enforcement agencies in rural areas where the unit of local government is not eligible to receive a direct allocation from the Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program or received a direct allocation that was $50,000 or less. Applicants were invited to submit a proposal under any one of the following categories to: (1) combat rural crime; (2) improve rural law enforcement investigations; (3) enhance rural detention and jail operations; (4) facilitate rural justice information sharing; or (5) develop a national training and technical assistance program.

Under Category 1, the Navajo Nation Judicial Branch, on behalf of the Office of the Chief Justice of Probation Services, will use its award to form the Navajo Nation Nábináhaazláago Initiative to provide comprehensive services to adolescents in Navaho juvenile detention centers and to emphasize fairness, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. The Judicial Branch will partner with the Department of Corrections, Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Office of the Public Defender, Division of Social Services, and the Department of Behavioral Health.

Adolescents housed in Navajo juvenile detention centers lack access to risk and needs assessments, treatment, educational services, and positive modern or traditional Navajo programming because of lack of resources. The centers are also unable to provide re-entry services or aftercare for adolescents who are released from the detention centers. Although actual recidivism data does not exist, anecdotal evidence says that there are high rates of recidivism among Navajo juvenile offenders. With funds through this grant, the initiative will ensure that adolescents in Navajo juvenile detention receive necessary assessment, services, and treatment. Funding will allow the initiative to pay the salary and fringe benefits for 11 new hires. Those hires include individuals who will gather research and information to develop functional, collaborative plans for detention, probation, aftercare, and monitoring programs, as well as individuals who can collect and distribute information among collaborating agencies. The grant will also provide funds to hire probation case managers and case management officers to provide services to detained adolescents at the three Navajo Nation juvenile detention centers, as well as hire officetTechnicians to provide support to the officers and the program.

The grant will also be used to fund supplies and training for the new employees, including travel for two staff to two Department of Justice meetings.

CA/CF