TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
TCCD Looks at Crime
by Diane Henkels
Greetings! We progress in revising the
Rules of Criminal Procedure and the
Criminal Code. Between that and the Public
Law 280 report, we are learning a lot about
crime in Indian country.
Here are some statistics from the U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice
Statistics, that may interest you:
❖ The average annual violent crime rate
among American Indians - 124 per
1,000 persons age 12 or older between
1992-1996 - is about 2 ° times the
national rate. The average annual
violent crime rate per 1,000 people age
12 or older during that period was 49
for whites and 61 for Blacks.
❖ The most common type of violent crime
experienced by American Indian victims
was simple assault (56 percent).
❖ The rural crime rate for American
Indians (89 per 1,000) is more than
double that found among rural whites
(37 per 1,000) or Blacks (33 per 1,000).
The urban crime rate for American
Indians is more than three times that
found among urban whites.
❖ American Indians with incomes under
$10,000 had the highest rate of violent
victimization, 182 per 1,000. Blacks with
incomes under $10,000 had the next
lowest rate, 71 per 1,000.
Elders, con’t from page 8
Notices
Monthly Shopping - Once a month
from each tribal office, we will provide
transportation to a shopping center that
offers grocery shopping, a variety store, and
hair salon. Please call the area office
nearest you to participate.
Transportation - If you need
transportation to appointments such as
energy assistance, housing, Social
Security, or others of this nature, call your
local area office for details.
Concert Tickets - These are available
at Chinook Winds for tribal elders. Call
1 -888-244-6665 and ask for the “box office.”
Tell the box office you are a tribal elder and
would like “comp tickets.” They will ask for
your name, phone number, concert you
wish to attend, and the time.
❖ 70 percent of jailed Indians convicted
of violent crime report they had been
drinking at the time of their offense.
❖ In other racial groups, the rate of violent
crime is higher for youth than for the rest
of the population. Among Indians,
however, the arrest rates for those under
age 18 did not vary from the overall rate.
❖ Among violence victims of all races,
about 11 percent of intimate victims and
5 percent of family victims report the
offender to have been of a different race.
Among American Indian victims of
violence, however, 75 percent of the
intimate victims and 25 percent of the
family victims involved an offender of a
different race.
❖ Alcohol and drug use was a factor in
55 percent of violent crimes against
Indians, as compared with 44 percent
or 35 percent.
As we continue our work on the Public
Law 280 report, we should be able to give
you more crime information specific to the
Siletz Tribe.
As you may recall from previous articles,
Public Law 280 gives the state of Oregon
jurisdiction to enforce Oregon criminal law
on the Siletz Reservation. The CTSI Tribal
Police may enforce state and Siletz Tribal
criminal code on the reservation. Currently,
You can get up to two tickets if they
are available. When you pick up your tickets,
you will need to sign for them. Remember,
the sooner you call, the better chance you
have of getting the tickets you want.
If you have any questions or need
additional information, please call Marci at
541 -444-8261 or 1 -800-922-1399, ext. 261.
Siletz Tribal
Court and
Code
Development
the state of Oregon enforces state criminal
law, including criminal procedures and
criminal offenses, on most Indian
reservations in the state.
The tribe has agreements for jail
services with Lincoln County, police
dispatch with the city of Toledo, and law
enforcement with the city of Siletz. But the
Siletz Tribal Court does not have the
necessary infrastructure to assert this
jurisdiction. Also, the tribe’s criminal laws
are based on Oregon law.
The ANA Court and Code project is
updating the tribe’s criminal laws to make
them better fit the tribe. Criminal law has
two parts: criminal procedure and criminal
offenses. The CTSI Rules of Criminal
Procedure lay out police and courtroom
procedures from the beginning of an arrest
to the conclusion of a trial or an appeal.
This includes the rights of the defendant,
juries, punishment of guilty parties,
probation, etc.
The Criminal Code identifies the
offenses that constitute crimes according
to CTSI. The list of offenses and
classifications are based on Oregon law.
Oregon law classifies crimes according to
severity: Class A, B, C, and D. Class A is
the most severe; Class D is the least. Even
if the tribe did enforce criminal law on CTSI
lands, the Indian Civil Rights Act limits Tribal
Court penalties to a maximum of one year
imprisonment and a fine of $5,000, or both.
We consider these things in revising the
tribe’s criminal law. Project staff also consult
tribal law enforcement, Tribal Court, the
Cultural Committee, and program and
department heads to find out what revisions
would improve the tribe’s criminal law.
In November, we will travel to area
offices to meet with staff and tribal members
to consider your input, present revisions,
and answer any questions you have. We
will be in Siletz on Nov. 2, Salem on Nov. 6,
Eugene on Nov. 8, and Portland on Nov. 9.
We look forward to visiting with you and
hope that you will have input for us.
Other project news: We welcome Margo
Hudson on board as a temporary assistant!