Tribal Judicial Institute
Download Tribal Judicial Institute brochure in pdf format.
The Tribal Judicial Training Institute at the University of North Dakota School of Law was founded in 1993 with a grant from the Bush Foundation to provide technical assistance and trainings to the tribal justice systems in the Northern Plains area. Since its inception, it has now expanded to become a source of support for Indian tribes nationwide as they create, implement, and enhance their justice systems. It has been the recipient of grants from: 1) the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime to provide trainings to federal and tribal judges on child sexual abuse in Indian country; 2) the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, to assist Indian tribes to develop Title IV-D appropriate child support enforcement codes; 3) the STOP Violence Against Women office to assist Tribes in combating domestic violence in their communities; and 4) from various tribal and non-profit organizations to assist in a variety of specialized objectives for Indian tribes. In addition to these projects the Institute has participated in a variety of tribal-state forums in the Dakotas and Minnesota and has served to facilitate the improved relations between federal and tribal courts nationwide.
Since 2002 the Tribal Judicial Institute has been the primary technical assistance provider for the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Tribal Court Assistance Program (TCAP) and has been involved as one of BJA's technical assistance providers since the inception of the TCAP in 1998. Since that time the Institute has worked with over 200 Indian tribes in the development or enhancement of tribal justice systems. Recently, with BJA funding, the Institute coordinated two national gatherings of tribal justice leaders, one in Anchorage, Alaska and one in Washington DC, where approximately 500 tribal and federal leaders came together to discuss tribal concerns. These gatherings led to a publication on tribal justice that is to be released in late 2005.
In addition to these accomplishments this past year, the Institute sponsored or co-sponsored over 50 training sessions for various Indian tribal courts on issues as varied as gang activity in Indian country to juvenile delinquency prosecutions. The Institute has also assisted the tribal court clerks in the Northern Plains in developing an association and has coordinated several of its meetings. The Institute has also been working with the Wakpa Sica Historical Foundation on the development of the Sioux Nation Tribal Resource Center and Cultural Center that includes a mediation project.
TJI employees can be contacted as follows:
BJ Jones - Director
Phone 701-777-6176, Fax 701-777-0178
Michelle Rivard Parks - Assistant Director
Phone 701-777-6192, Fax 701-777-0178
Melissa Johnson - Administrative Assistant
Phone 701-777-6306, Fax 701-777-0178
