Tribal Response and Court Enhancement Strategies Project (TRACES)

The Institute for Native Justice (INJ) of the American Indian Resource Center will use these funds for the Tribal Response and Court Enhancement Strategies (TRACES) Project that will provide training and technical assistance services and support for Tribal Court Assistance Program (TCAP) grantees and tribal courts to improve capacity, enhance the response of the tribal court to victims, and offer access to useful technology programs. These services will focus on improving the capacity of emerging and established tribal courts to collaborate with state and local courts, improve data collection and communications with technology, and improve outcomes for American Indian/Alaska Native victims of crime. The project will increase the knowledge of tribal justice practitioners, focusing on victim's issues, tribal core-value strategies and improving technology and capacity; increase the ability of tribal court and law enforcement agencies' ability to solve problems and/or modify policies and/or practices to incorporate tribal culture, tradition and values; and evaluate the impact of the project to improve the capacity of tribal courts and respective partners in the local justice community.

This project will provide training and technical assistance through INJ's web-based E-Training Center, combined with on-site workshops and webinars by staff/consultants with expertise working with tribes and tribal entities, and by offering distance learning available on CD/DVD for communities without adequate connectivity. A primary activity will be to document needs, gaps, and effective strategies, improve data collection, and create evidence-based strategic plans for tribal criminal justice communities. This will be accomplished by implementing a capacity self-assessment tool available on the Institute's website and by in-person distribution at training conferences attended by BJA and TCAP grantees.

NCA/NCF