Criminals fall through the cracks in Indian Country

Tuesday, June 12, 2007  

The Wall Street Journal runs a front-page story about inadequate law enforcement in Indian Country.

The first major point is the lack of criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians. Chane Coomes, a non-Indian on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, was able to deal methamphetamine and traffic stolen goods without being punished. He was only sent to jail after he committed a crime off the reservation.

The second major point is the limited ability of tribes to punish offenders. Under the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, criminal sentences are limited to one year and a $5,000 fine. On the Eastern Cherokee Reservation in Norht Carolina, Jon Nathaniel Crowe was repeatedly jailed for the same crime -- violence against women.

The federal government can act in certain cases but the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians found out that 10 kilograms seized from a marijuana dealer wasn't enough. U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert told the Journal that "we'd need 50 kilograms in a typical federal case" to bring charges. Shappert is now the chair of the Native American Issues Subcommittee at the Department of Justice.

Get the Story:
On U.S. Indian Reservations, Criminals Slip Through Gaps (The Wall Street Journal 6/12)