Tribal Justice Systems Resources

The Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) in collaboration with the the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has developed a list of annotated subject matter resource lists for Tribal Justice Systems, specifically for CTAS Purpose Area 3 Tribal Justice System grantees.

For additional information on our webinars, please visit: WalkingOnCommonGround.org/resources/webinars/

Resource List: Case flow Management and Backlog

Resource List: Case flow Management and Backlog (PDF)

Resource List: Court Safety and Security

Resource List: Court Safety and Security (PDF)

Resource List: Peacemaking and Restorative Justice

Resource List: Peacemaking and Restorative Justice (PDF)

  • Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (ltbbodawa-nsn.gov):
    • Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Mnodaawin Peacemaking Program Orientation Manual (2007): This manual was prepared as resource for everyone involved with the Mnodaawin program of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians: the referral sources, juveniles and their families, volunteer Facilitators, members of the Mnodaawin Advisory Committee, Circle Participants, program staff, the Judiciary, and others. The manual brings together in one binder most of the information needed to acquire a basic understanding of the program, as well as take part in it.
  • Marquette Law School Andrew Center for Restorative Justice (law.marquette.edu):
    • Morning Session: 2023 Restorative Justice in Indian Country The Andrew Center for Restorative Justice at Marquette University Law School hosted a one-day conference: Restorative Justice in Indian Country: Speaking the Truth, Instilling Accountability, and Working Toward Healing. This is a virtual recording of their morning session which includes their opening and welcome ceremony, key note speakers, and a panel session. In 2021, Marquette University Law School established the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice. The Andrew Center is intended to continue into the future the work of the Hon. Janine P. Geske, former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, who led the Law School in establishing its former Restorative Justice Initiative in 2004.
  • National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ)(nacrj.org):
    • Policy & Legislation – NACRJ: The NACRJ Policy and Legislation page contains current and historical information relating to national and state legislation impacting, or specific to, community and restorative justice.
  • National Center on Restorative Justice (NCORJ) (ncorj.org):
    • Intro to Restorative Justice Webinar Series: In 2022, the NCORJ Training Division partnered with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) to deliver an “Intro to Restorative Justice” training to the Prince William County legal professionals. This is two-part webinar series webinars that address what restorative justice is and what it is not. It also addresses the difference between the traditional legal approach and a restorative approach to justice.
    • Restorative Justice for Judges: This webinar was intended for justice system actors and others looking to learn about restorative justice principles and their relevant applications for judges. Current and former seated judges shared their experiences implementing restorative justice practices in their role and the effectiveness within the criminal legal system. Panelists also shared challenges and recommendations for system implementation.
    • Restorative Justice for Police : This webinar introduced viewers to the key principles of restorative justice and ways of implementation for police officers. The panelists shared experiences and recommendations for police officers working in the criminal legal system that encourages self-reflection, engagement with the community members they serve, and strategies relevant to their direct role in the legal system.
    • Restorative Justice in the Criminal Legal System: This webinar is on restorative justice in the criminal legal system. The webinar was intended for justice system actors and others looking to learn more about restorative justice approaches and how to incorporate them into the justice system.
    • Restorative Justice for Prosecutors: This webinar is intended for justice system actors and others looking to learn about restorative justice practices and their relevant applications for prosecutors. Current and former prosecutors will share their experiences diverting legal cases from the traditional system and collaborating with community-led programs and partners.
    • Restorative Justice for Reintegration & Reentry :This webinar introduced participants to restorative justice strategies to support reintegration following incarceration. The panelists discussed what specifically characterizes a restorative approach to reintegration support and the possibilities and challenges in expanding these models.
  • The Center for Court Innovation (innovationjustice.org):
    • Inspired by Peacemaking: Creating Community-Based Restorative Programs in State Courts an Implementation Guide:  Some of the programs discussed in this guide have been inspired by Native peacemaking and employ traditional Native peacemakers in their training and implementation. In no way are these programs considered replications of Native peacemaking. Rather, they represent sincere attempts to learn from Native American traditions to improve the resolution of controversies in state court systems. In using this guide, it is important to be mindful of the history, traditions and culture that underlie these concepts and their significance to their home communities. This guide is a way to continue to build bridges across communities and promote wellness and healing in communities.
  • The Resource Basket (resourcebasket.org):
    • Circle Keeper Training: The goal of this training is to provide a three-day interactive and informational presentation on Circle Peacemaking. The training will familiarize participants with the role of Circle Keeper – the facilitation of Talking Circles with the purpose of creating an environment and the opportunity to discuss important and sometimes difficult things in a good way. Participants will learn and share the intentions, philosophies, and styles of different approaches to using a Circle for restorative practices in two tracks: tribal courts and tribal youth programs. 
  • ScholarWorks at University of Alaska Fairbanks (scholarworks.alaska.edu):
    • Circle Peacemaking in Kake, Alaska: A Case Study of Indigenous Planning and Dispute Systems Design: This study adds to the growing field of Indigenous Dispute Systems Design derived from the principles and steps used in the practice of Indigenous Planning (IP) and Dispute Systems Design (DSD). DSD is a discipline practiced by attorneys and mediators when designing dispute resolution systems, such as mediation and arbitration, within organizations and communities. This study explores the resurgence of traditional knowledge and practice as a foundation for community wellness in Kake.
  • Tanana Chiefs Conference (tananachiefs.org):
    • Tribal Court and Governance: The TCC assists tribes in strengthening their governments and exercising their sovereign rights via training and technical assistance on constitution, code, and written policy development, elections, tribal land management, tribal-state relations, tribal court development and facilitation, circle peacemaking, and tribal enrollment.
  • Tribal Access to Justice Innovation (tribaljustice.org):
    • A Guidebook on Innovative and Promising Practices in Indian Country: This guidebook focuses on 10 areas of justice system practice where tribal justice practitioners have responded to community problems using both innovative and traditional strategies. After describing each of the 10 topic areas and providing information about how to implement these strategies, the guidebook offers examples of programs and practices that tribes are currently using. For more detailed information about these programs, and for additional examples of similar work, please visit www.tribaljustice.org.


Resource List: Self-Help for Pro Se Defendants

Resource List: Self-Help for Pro Se Defendants (PDF)

  • Alaska Native Justice Center (anjc.org):
    • Clinics for Family Justice | Alaska Native Justice Center: This is for the Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC)’s pro se legal clinics. Their virtual and in-person clinics place knowledge in the hands of participants and supports them in effectively advocating on their own behalf. ANJC offers pro se legal clinics to Alaska Native and non-Native people needing assistance in the state of Alaska. The virtual clinics for Winter/Spring 2024 are: Divorce/Divorce with Custody, Child Custody for Unmarries Couples, Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVPO) Clinic, and Stalking.
  • Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (asucollegeoflaw.com):
    • Indian Legal Clinic Archives – Indian Legal Program: This site provides information about the Legal Clinic Program at Arizona State University. The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, renamed for the retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice in 2006, is pursuing a bold and transformative model for public legal education and is dedicated to making the law school a valuable resource for addressing major regional, national, and international problems of law and public policy. The Indian Legal Program trains students to effectively engage the representation of Native peoples and seeks to promote an understanding of the differences between the legal systems of Indian Nations and those of the state and federal governments.
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (bja.ojp.gov):
    • Tribal Civil and Criminal Legal Assistance (TCCLA) Program : This is a link to The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) site for funding opportunities. The TCCLA program provides legal aid and indigent defense to low-income individuals and Indian tribes and provides training and technical assistance to grantees and interested Indian tribes to support the goals above.
  • Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes (fptc.org):
  • National American Indian Court Judges Association (naicja.wildapricot.org):
  • National Center for State Courts (ncsc.org):
  • Pine Tree Legal Assistance (ptla.org):
  • Safety and Justice Challenge (safetyandjusticechallenge.org):
    • Over-Incarceration of Native Americans: Roots, Inequities, And Solutions (2022): This report was created with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, which seeks to reduce overincarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. Core to the Challenge is a competition designed to support efforts to improve local criminal justice systems across the country that are working to safely reduce over-reliance on jails, with a particular focus on addressing disproportionate impact on low-income individuals and communities of color.
Resource List: Tribal Appellate Court

Resource List: Tribal Appellate Court (PDF)

Resource List: Tribal Code Development

Resource List: Tribal Code Development (PDF)

Resource List: Tribal Court Clerks, Court Administrators, and Judges

Resource List: Tribal Court Clerks, Court Administrators, and Judges (PDF)

Resource List: Tribal–State Intergovernmental Collaborations

Resource List: Tribal–State Intergovernmental Collaborations (PDF)

  • Alaska Tribal Justice Resource Center (atjrc.org):
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance (bja.ojp.gov):
    • Improving the Administration of Justice in Tribal Communities through Information Sharing and Resource Sharing: This publication discusses challenges identified by three jurisdictional teams of justice personnel (tribal, state and federal) in establishing mechanisms for information and resource sharing, and will also attempt to identify successful collaborative strategies and determine additional ways in which more effective working partnerships can be encouraged and developed as a means to offer needed services to tribal offenders and to help local, state and federal pretrial, probation and parole officers perform their duties more effectively and efficiently.
  • California Tribal-State Court Forum (courts.ca.gov):
    • California Tribal-State Court Forum E-Updates (Monthly). Beginning in 2012, the California Tribal-State Court Forum has produced monthly “E-Updates.” These newsletters consist of both regional and national information on news, announcements, online resources, events and grant opportunities.
  • Michigan Tribal-State-Federal Judicial Forum (courts.michigan.gov):
    • Michigan’s Judiciary Success Stories: How Tribal, State and Federal Courts are Collaborating to Benefit Michigan Families (2017). This publication highlights the success stories of the Michigan Tribal State Federal Judicial Forum, which was created in 2014 to provide an ongoing venue for judges from all three jurisdictions to convene jointly so that we can improve working relations and communication. This publication spotlights the importance of judicial leadership and collaboration between courts, as well as the positive and lasting impact of these relationships on communities, families, and children across the state.
  • National American Indian Court Judges Association (naicja.org):
  • National Center for State Courts (ncsc.org):
  • National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) (ncsl.org):
  • National Congress of American Indians (ncai.org):
  • National Criminal Justice Association (ncja.org):
    • State-Tribal Collaboration | NCJA: Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and jointly hosted by the NCJA Center for Justice Planning (NCJP) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), this webinar series aims to enhance state and tribal collaboration and highlight the benefits of intergovernmental coordination. Each webinar in this series focuses on a different aspect of state and tribal collaboration. 
  • National Criminal Justice Training Center (ncjtc.fvtc.edu):
  • The Center for Evidence-Based Policy (centerforevidencebasedpolicy.org):
    • Joint Jurisdiction Courts: A Manual for Developing Tribal, Local, State & Federal Justice Collaborations, 2nd ed. (June 2018), Jennifer Fahey, JD, MPH, Hon. Korey Wahwassuck, Alison Leof, PhD, Hon. John Smith, Project T.E.A.M., Center for Evidence-Based Policy, Oregon Health & Science University. This manual is a roadmap for tribal and community leaders who want to develop joint jurisdiction courts or initiatives in their own communities. It is intended to be a guide, articulating the process developed in one Minnesota community and adopted by other jurisdictions, as well as providing information on creating new joint jurisdiction initiatives. This manual includes references to supplementary materials which may assist tribes and their partners in establishing and managing joint jurisdiction courts.
  • Tribal Law and Policy Institute (WalkingOnCommonGround.org):
    • Promising Strategies: Tribal-State Intergovernmental Collaborations (2024): On July 26, 2021, the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, in collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, held the “Promising Strategies in Tribal-State-Local-Federal Intergovernmental Collaboration Virtual Meeting.” The panelists highlighted intergovernmental collaborations in child welfare, bail reform, family wellness courts and community wellness courts from Alaska, California, New York, and Maine. The meeting was well attended by invited stakeholders from various disciplines, including Tribal and State courts and law enforcement. TLPI drafted a short publication based on these and other promising intergovernmental collaborations that build resiliency and provide a new way forward in the process. This publication showcases six intergovernmental collaborations with resulting variations in reimagining justice.
    • Intergovernmental Collaborations to Heal, Protect, and Find Solutions: Joint Jurisdiction 101 (2023): This publication provides general guidance to assist Tribes in making an informed decision concerning the possibility of developing a Joint Jurisdiction Court. The publication discusses what a Joint Jurisdictional Court is, the different models and approaches that exists, how a community can assess their readiness to implement a Joint Jurisdictional model, and will provide recommendations for design, development, and implementation of Joint Jurisdictional Courts from a practical standpoint.  The publication also includes resources and tools used by active joint jurisdictional court practitioners.
    • Joint Jurisdiction Courts: Needs Assessment Findings and Summary Findings (2022): In September 2019, the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, in collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, disseminated a needs assessment survey to the joint jurisdiction courts known to be operational. The needs assessment survey responses showed that joint jurisdiction courts share similar characteristics and face similar challenges. The full report provides details on the findings of the needs assessment survey, including an overview of the lessons learned, the effectiveness of joint jurisdiction courts, and the funding needed to support their implementation, sustainability, and growth. The shorter report summarizes key take-aways.
    • State/Tribal Joint Jurisdictional Courts Improve Outcomes in Civil and Criminal Cases (2021): This webinar on state/tribal joint jurisdictional courts discusses how this model of collaboration can improve outcomes in civil and criminal cases.
    • Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts: Intergovernmental Collaboration (2021): This publication is intended to assist Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts interested in building intergovernmental collaborations, including tribal-state collaborations. Whether a Wellness Court has been operational for decades or is still in the planning process, collaboration is essential. This resource frames the subject by providing a brief history of Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, discusses some common traits found in existing collaborations, and then uses those common traits to discuss actual collaborations that are operating in the Tribal Wellness Court context.
    • Tribal-State Court Forums Policy Brief  (2020): This brief provides a summary overview of Tribal-State Court Forums and includes a chart that provides an overview of key features of forums, such as membership attributes, information about authorizing documents and key accomplishments.
    • Tribal-State Court Forums: An Annotated Directory (2020): This directory includes a detailed listing of the 13 currently operational Tribal -State Court forums around the nation. These forums provide unique collaboration opportunities across jurisdictions and have led to such positive outcomes as:  agreements on the transfer of jurisdiction, Indian Child Welfare Act education, tribal court directories, legislation on the enforcement of tribal court orders, judicial relationship building, and many more. Information on each forum includes: membership; funding; structure; organization; key accomplishments and authorizing documentation.
    • Crossing the Bridge: Tribal-State-Local Collaboration (2019): One of the biggest barriers to successful tribal-state collaboration is taking the first steps toward relationship building.  The historical animosities between tribes and local counties/surrounding states can run deep. Strained relations going back many generations and contentious issues such as land, public safety, etc. can make for what may seem like insurmountable problems.  This can leave those who see collaboration as a possible solution with little hope. This publication gives practical steps toward initiating discussions across jurisdictions.  This publication provides details on “crossing the bridge” to meet jurisdictional peers and begin the relationship building necessary for collaborative endeavors that work toward common goals.
    • Emerging Strategies in Tribal-State Collaboration: Barriers and Solutions to Enforcing Tribal Protection Orders Meeting Report (2019): Tribally issued protection orders are a crucial means of providing safety and justice in Indian country, particularly given the extremely high rates of violence against Native women. However, for protection orders to be an effective means of providing safety, cross-jurisdictional enforcement is necessary, which can be a challenge. On December 6, 2017, the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, in collaboration with BJA, hosted a day-long meeting to explore the barriers and highlight promising strategies around the enforcement of tribal protection orders. This report details those discussions and summarizes the successful efforts.
    • National Convening of Tribal State Court Forums Report (2017). This report summarizes the National Convening of Tribal and State Court Forums on June 2–3, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. The impetus for this meeting was a tribal-state collaboration working-group meeting convened by TLPI and held in 2012, wherein the tribal-state courts forums expressed a strong interest in an in-person meeting to engage in peer-to-peer training and networking. This report provides an overview of the meeting, specifically comments on the focus of TA and the needs of forums.
    • Promising Strategies: Tribal State Court Relations (2013): Tribal courts and state courts interact across an array of issues, including child welfare, cross jurisdictional enforcement of domestic violence orders of protection, and civil commitments. Since the early 1990s, initiatives by judges’ organizations within both judicial systems have focused on an agenda of greater mutual understanding and cooperative action. This publication spotlights some of the most successful strategies within these initiatives.
    • Promising Strategies: Public Law 280 (2013): In PL 280 jurisdictions, the concurrent jurisdiction of state and tribal courts over criminal prosecutions and civil actions arising in Indian Country creates many interactions and complications. Tribal and state authorities encounter one another across an array of issues, including government-to-government recognition, concurrent jurisdiction, cross-jurisdictional enforcement of domestic violence orders of protection, cross-deputization, and civil commitments. Tensions and misunderstandings have been common features of tribal and state policing relations in the past, sometimes erupting in jurisdictional conflicts. This publication highlights unique ways in which tribal and state jurisdictions have entered into collaborations to overcome barriers to effective justice provision.
    • Tribal-State Court Collaborations Working Group Report (2013). The Tribal Law and Policy Institute hosted a working group session in December of 2012 to discuss tribal-state court collaborations and the successes and challenges that these partnerships currently face. TLPI drafted a report to the Bureau of Justice Assistance with findings and recommendations. The recommendations extend beyond simply the T/TA needed and provide insights into strategies that could be utilized by governments, agencies, and organizations to support tribal and state court collaborations and the resolutions of challenges faced.
    • Tribal Court Clearinghouse Tribal-State Relations: This page provides links to information and resources addressing efforts to improve tribal – state relations.
    • COVID -19 Resources | Courts, Court Staff & Legal Resources: TLPI launched an Indian Country COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resources Page with links to information and resources concerning relevant tribal, federal, and state issues, initiatives, and resources for effectively addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This subpage serves as a clearinghouse of relevant court and legal resources.
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