SEARCH has initiated a multi-year technical assistance effort to improve information sharing between Indian Country, state criminal history record repositories and various national databases.
The Tribal Violence Prevention Technology Assistance Program, funded by the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS),
U.S. Department of Justice, will help Tribal jurisdictions respond to the
Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 and the
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
Both create opportunities and responsibilities for Tribal jurisdictions regarding-
- entry and retrieval of Tribal information from federal criminal databases;
- Tribal sex offender registries and connection to a national sex offender website;
- Tribal protection order registries;
- non-duplication of statutory functions; and
- cooperation between jurisdictions.
The program will assist Tribal jurisdictions and state repositories in identifying and resolving both policy and technical issues that impede the sharing of justice information between jurisdictions.
For more information or to apply for technical assistance under the Tribal Violence Prevention Technology Assistance Program, please contact Mr. Kevin Romero, Research Analyst, at 916/392-2550 X-214 (email kevin@search.org).
The Tribal assistance program is modeled after SEARCH's existing technical assistance effort to help states and territories meet the program goals of the
National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).
The Tribal Violence Prevention Technology Assistance Program has five components:
- Establishments of a program advisory group.
- On-site and in-house technical assistance.
- Workshops.
- Publications.
- On-line resources.
Although funded under the BJS-administered
Tribal Criminal History Record Improvement Program, it is anticipated that SEARCH's efforts will also include coordination with the
Office on Violence Against Women and the
Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Office.
Links
Jurisdiction and Law Enforcement in Indian Country,
National Conference of State Legislatures
Sharing Criminal Record Information Among New Mexico Tribes and State
(545kb)
U.S. Department of Justice Tribal Justice and Safety in Indian Country site