The project focuses on integrating health and social services and helping the Menominee Nation and other tribal organizations institutionalize this integration process. Service providers will be trained to design, implement, and evaluate delinquency prevention programs for tribal youth. The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch in Window Rock, AZ, is conducting the first comprehensive assessment of gang activity by a tribal government. The study is using a mixed research design of quantitative and qualitative assessments, with close community involvement at all stages. Official court data, followup surveys, and gang member interview protocols have been reviewed for an initial assessment and community members are helping researchers understand the nature, extent, and causes of Navajo Nation gang violence.
Researchers hope to discover approaches to dealing with gangs that can be adapted by other tribes.
The project will produce an inventory of policies and practices used at the sites to prevent and intervene with youth gangs and will examine recommendations made by community members to improve present procedures. The tribal youth field-initiated research and evaluation program supports projects that focus on and address alcohol and substance abuse, child abuse or neglect, and indigenous approaches to juvenile justice. This component is assessing the prevalence, composition, and activities of youth gangs in federally recognized tribes that are not traditionally included in the national survey. Preliminary results are expected at the end of 2001. This study will enhance understanding of risk and protective factors that influence delinquency and resiliency within the cultural and historical context of tribal youth.