The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina is taking advantage of the Tribal Law and Order Act.

The law authorizes tribes to issue sentences longer than one year. It also allows tribes to house inmates in federal detention centers.

Both provisions are helping the Eastern Band address law and order issues on the reservation. The tribe's court recently sentenced Russell McKinley Wolfe, 35, to four years in connection with a domestic violence offense.

Wolfe will serve his sentence in a federal facility, easing the costs of detention for the tribe. The federal facility also offers rehabilitation programs that wouldn't have been available on the reservation.

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Tribal Court issues four year sentence on heels of Tribal Law and Order Act (The Cherokee One Feather 4/18)