Santa Clara Pueblo RezRIDERS Project

The Department of Justice developed a comprehensive and coordinated approach for tribal governments to apply for funding to reduce and prevent crime and victimization. Through this process, the Department's existing tribal government-specific programs are included in, and available through, a single Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS). Through this solicitation, only one application was accepted from each federally recognized tribe to encourage comprehensive assessments of need and planning. Each tribe could apply for funding under up to nine purpose areas, which included funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS), Office of Justice Programs (including BJA, Office for Victims of Crime and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) and Office on Violence Against Women. The tribe had the flexibility to select the purpose areas whose funding addressed the needs of the tribe as outlined in its tribal and community profile. There were nine purpose areas in total, and purpose area 3 was dedicated to Justice Systems, and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention.

The FY 2016 Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program (IASAP) provides funding and technical assistance to federally recognized tribal governments to plan, implement, or enhance tribal justice strategies that address crime issues related to alcohol and substance abuse. The purpose of the IASAP is to: prevent and reduce alcohol- and substance abuse-related crimes; identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who illegally transport, distribute, and abuse alcohol and controlled substances in Tribal communities; increase coordination with relevant non-Tribal agencies and organizations and among all levels of the Tribe; implement Tribal justice system interventions for substance abusing offenders, including drug courts or co-occurring drug and mental health courts, the provision of substance abuse and other treatment in correctional facilities, and the provision of treatment, aftercare, and other reentry supportive services to offenders reentering communities from correctional facilities; integrate Tribal, federal, state, and local services and culturally appropriate treatment for offenders and their families; increase the capacity to collect and share justice system data on drug- and alcohol-related offenses; and protect children from alcohol and drug use and/or production. The grant recipient will use the funds to implement an IASAP project.

The grantee seeks to reduce alcohol and substance abuse in high-risk American Indian youth and young adults through an Extreme Sport-Experiential Education intervention for positive youth development. The program and approach, known as RezRIDERS, is currently being tested for feasibility and effectiveness with another New Mexico Pueblo through the National Institutes for Health/National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA). In an Extreme Sport setting, RezRIDERS utilizes innovative American Indian cultural adaptation and youth community involvement paired with public health strategies to expand a culturally connected American Indian facilitator and mentor network.
CA/NCF