Three Southeast Alaska tribal governments will boost their justice programs under federal grants announced Wednesday. Fourteen others in Alaska will also get funding.
The Juneau-based Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska will receive $1 million from the Department of Justice.
Council President Richard Peterson says about half of the money will go to a tribal court program targeting at-risk Native teenagers.
“The primary goal really is to enhance Southeast Alaska’s juvenile justice system by providing early intervention and indigenous restorative justice offerings in a culturally appropriate forum for the at-risk youth,” he says.
The rest of the money will expand programs targeting child abuse, neglect and sexual abuse involving tribal members in the Juneau area.
Peterson says both grants are for three years.
The Justice Department also awarded about $350,000 to the Organized Village of Kake for alcohol and substance abuse programs. Another $170,000 is going to Metlakatla Indian Community public safety programs.
The grants are part of nearly $100 million to tribal governments and programs around the nation.
