Tunica-Bilox Tribal Police Department/Tribal Court Facility Renovation

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 eight purpose areas, which included funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing, Office of Justice Programs (including the Bureau of Justice Assistance, 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 eight purpose areas in total. Purpose area 4 was dedicated to the Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program (TJSIP).

Funding through the Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program will support efforts to renovate or expand buildings to enhance conditions or to change the use of a building to any of the following purposes: police departments, courts, detention centers, multipurpose justice centers (including police departments, courts, and/or corrections), transitional living facilities (halfway houses), correctional alternative or treatment facilities, and domestic violence shelters/safe homes/transitional living facilities/advocacy programs. Funding will also support the building of prefabricated or permanent modular facilities where there are no existing permanent structures available or sufficient to address the tribe’s justice system infrastructure needs.

The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana is seeking funding to renovate and expand the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Police Headquarters and Tribal Court Building to increase criminal justice capacity by adding a Tribal law/court library, meeting room space for cases involving Tribal youth, and administrative offices for police department officers and Tribal court staff. The renovation of the facility will remove public health risks caused by mold and water damage due to roof problems. The addition of criminal justice administrative capacity will allow for the Tribe to implement an adult healing to wellness court, increase the number of civil and criminal cases the Tribal court processes, provide officers with administrative space to access up-to-date information on criminal activity/search criminal databases, and store criminal evidence until cases are resolved.

CA/NCF