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Senate Indian Affairs Committee sets hearing on juvenile justice

Monday, July 13, 2015

An interior shot of the Juvenile Services Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. Photo by Richie Richards / Native Sun News

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on juvenile justice on Wednesday.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), the chairman of the committee, promised to focus on juvenile justice issues when he delivered the Congressional response to the State of Indian Nations earlier this year. He cited the final report of the Indian Law and Order Commission, which he said uncovered "alarming" issues facing some of the youngest Native Americans.

"According to this report, Indian juveniles are held in detention at higher rates and for longer periods of time than any other juvenile population in the United States," Barrasso said during his remarks. "Too often, these young people are not provided the educational or rehabilitative services needed to help them turn their lives around."

The hearing will take place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows:

The Honorable Robert L. Listenbee
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Darren Cruzan
Director, Office of Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Ms. Addie C. Rolnick
Associate Professor, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

Ms. Carla Knapp
National Director of Native Services, Boys & Girls Club of America, Fort Myers, FL

Committee Notice:
Oversight Hearing on "Juvenile Justice in Indian Country: Challenges and Promising Strategies" (July 15, 2015)

Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on American Indian/Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence Report:
Ending Violence so Children Can Thrive (November 2014)

Indian Law and Order Commission Report:
A Roadmap For Making Native America Safer (November 2013)