Federal report: Indian Country criminal prosecutions plateau

By MARY HUDETZ
30 minutes ago

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department’s track record for prosecuting Indian Country crimes has not significantly changed in recent years, even amid programs and attempts to boost both public safety and prosecutions on tribal lands, according to federal figures released Wednesday.

In an annual report prepared for Congress, the department’s statistics showed U.S. attorneys’ offices declined to prosecute 37 percent of Indian Country cases they deemed resolved in 2017, usually citing insufficient evidence. The percentage of cases dropped by prosecutors or sent to other courts was up three points from 2016.

The report on prosecution rates marks the first since a government watchdog report from the Office of Inspector General last year issued a critical analysis of U.S. attorneys’ prosecution of Indian Country cases. It cited data that must be collected under a 2010 law for the annual reports on investigations and prosecutions.

The report also comes amid heightened concerns in Congress and tribal communities over crimes against Native American women , who are disproportionately victimized by sexual assault and domestic assault.

More than half of Native American women have encountered sexual and domestic violence at some point during their lives, according to a National Institute of Justice survey published in 2016.

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