Sen. Kyl: Tribes face public safety and health crisis

Politics

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

"Native Americans are facing a public safety and health crisis because of a lack of federal funding. A 2004 report by the Interior Department Inspector General stated that “some [Indian detention] facilities we visited were egregiously unsafe, unsanitary, and a hazard to both inmates and staff alike. [Bureau of Indian Affairs’s] detention program is riddled with problems . . . and is a national disgrace.” A 2008 Interior report confirms that tribal jails are still grossly insufficient, stating that: “[o]nly half of the offenders are being incarcerated who should be incarcerated, the remaining are released through a variety of informal practices due to severe overcrowding in existing detention facilities.”

In the Navajo Nation, a number of detention facilities have been closed for health and safety reasons. In 2007, it only had bed space for 59 inmates to serve a total of 50,947 inmates booked into its facilities. The overcrowding that has resulted has caused the majority of tribal court judges to defer or reduce sentences, and often they must release and return serious offenders to their community within hours.

Federal funding is also needed to meet critical water needs. According to the Indian Health Service, about 11 percent of Native Americans lack adequate water supply and waste disposal facilities in their homes. In Arizona, almost a third of households on the Navajo Nation do not have a public water system and are forced to haul water long distances to provide drinking water to their families.

Specifically, my amendment will direct up to $1 billion toward law enforcement and health projects. That amount will go towards, for example, detention facility construction, rehabilitation, and replacement, as well as safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. The measure also provides up to $1 billion for Indian water supply projects approved by Congress; this funding could be very helpful in implementing Indian water settlements in Arizona."

Get the Story:
Jon Kyl: Helping Native Americans (The National Ledger 7/22)

Get the Bill:
S.2731: Global Health Bill