Larry Roberts, the acting head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, speaks at the National Congress of American Indians executive council winter session in Washington, D.C., on February 22, 2016. Photo by Indianz.Com

The Bureau of Indian Affairs released a draft of a new Model Indian Juvenile Code on Monday, the first update to the document since 1988.

The model code provides guidance to tribes to help protect the rights of Indian juveniles and their parents, guardians or custodians. Tribes will be able to tailor the document to fit their needs.

"The 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code improves decades-old guidance to aid tribes in developing their own codes that will serve and protect those who end up in the juvenile justice system," Larry Roberts, the acting head of the BIA, said in a press release.

The BIA will hold four teleconference sessions and one in-person consultation to discuss the code. Written comments can also be submitted until May 27.

The BIA plans to finalize the document this year. It's one of several initiatives that are receiving a final push before the end of the Obama administration.

"We are trying to move quickly to implement as much common sense approaches as we can," Roberts said last week at the National Congress of American Indians 2016 executive council winter session in Washington, D.C.

Federal Register Notice:
Model Indian Juvenile Code (February 29, 2016)

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