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DOJ report shows hotspots for criminal cases in Indian Country

Monday, June 3, 2013

The Department of Justice is taking on and prosecuting more Indian Country crime cases, according to a new report, with certain areas ranking high in investigations,

In 2012, federal prosecutors resolved 1,231 cases in Arizona, the largest of any district in the U.S. Arizona's U.S. Attorney handles crime on the Arizona portion of Navajo Nation and 21 other reservations.

The New Mexico side of the reservation saw a lot of activity too. The U.S. Attorney there resolved 202 cases, the third highest.

"They are taking on more cases," Daryl Junes, a senior prosecutor for the tribe, told The Farmington Daily Times of the renewed focus by federal authorities. "It all just boils down to coordinating and communicating."

Michigan's Eastern District

Get the Story:
Local federal court ranks sixth in charges in Indian Country (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 6/3)
More cases from Indian country, and the Navajo Nation in particular, are being prosecuted by federal prosecutors (The Farmington Daily Times 6/2)
U.S. Says It Pursues More Prosecutions on Indian Lands (The New York Times 6/1)
New report details federal prosecutions of violent crime in Indian Country (Wyoming Public Media 5/31)

Department of Justice Report:
u.s. Department of Justice Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions 2011-2012 (May 2013)

Government Accountability Office Report "U.S. Department of Justice Declinations of Indian Country Criminal Matters":
Summary | Full Report