The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in Arizona is part of a growing trend in Indian Country to treat drug offenders instead of imprisoning them.

The tribe's Wellness Court graduated its first three participants. "Being sober, being educated, being successful is part of who we are now," L Winnemucca, the court's case manager, told The Arizona Republic.

The tribe has fewer than 1,000 members. But it makes nearly 100 drug- and alcohol-related arrests every six months, Winnemucca said.

Nationwide, tribes have created 61 wellness courts. Dozens more are in the works.

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Substance options aid tribes (The Arizona Republic 8/23)

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