Sec. 901. Findings and purpose

670 words·~3 min read·/bill/116/s/2843/is/section-901

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds that— American Indians and Alaska Natives are— 2.5 times more likely to experience a violent crime; and at least 2 times more likely to experience a rape or sexual assault crime; 84.3 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetimes; according to the report of the Indian Law and Order Commission under section 15(f) of the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act ( 25 U.S.C. 2812(f) ), Alaska Native women are overrepresented in the domestic violence victim population by 250 percent; the vast majority of American Indian and Alaska Native victims, 96 percent of female victims and 89 percent of male victims, report being victimized by a non-Indian;

Indian Tribes exercising special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians restored in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 ( Public Law 113–4 ; 127 Stat. 54) have reported significant successes holding violent offenders accountable for crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, and civil protection order violations; Tribal prosecutors for Indian Tribes exercising special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction report that the majority of domestic violence cases involve children as either witnesses or victims; the Department of Justice reports that American Indian and Alaska Native children suffer exposure to violence at 1 of the highest rates in the United States; childhood exposure to violence has immediate and long-term effects, including— increased rates of altered neurological development; poor physical and mental health; poor school performance; substance abuse; and overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, homicide is— the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women between the ages of 10 and 24; and the fifth leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women between the ages of 25 and 34; on some reservations, Indian women are murdered at rates of more than 10 times the national average; according to the 2017 report by the Department of Justice entitled Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions , 66 percent of criminal prosecutions for crimes in Indian country that United States attorneys declined to prosecute involved assault, murder, and sexual assault; investigation into cases of missing and murdered Indian women is made difficult for Tribal law enforcement agencies due to a lack of resources, such as— necessary training, equipment, or funding; interjurisdictional and interagency cooperation; and appropriate laws in effect; domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous calls that law enforcement receives; the complicated jurisdictional scheme that exists in Indian country— requires a high degree of commitment and cooperation among Tribal, Federal, and State law enforcement officials; impacts public safety in Indian communities; and according to Tribal justice officials, has been increasingly exploited by criminals; restoring and enhancing local and Tribal capacity to address violence against women provides for greater local control, safety, accountability, and transparency; and Indian Tribes with restrictive settlement Acts and Indian Tribes located in States with authority under the amendments made by the Act of August 15, 1953 (67 Stat. 590, chapter 506), such as Indian Tribes located in the States of Maine and Alaska, face unique public safety challenges.

The purposes of this title are— to clarify the responsibilities of Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments with respect to responding to cases of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, trafficking, sexual violence, crimes against children, and assault against Tribal law enforcement officers; to increase coordination and communication among Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies; to empower Indian Tribes and Native communities, including urban Indian communities, with the resources and information necessary to effectively respond to cases of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sex trafficking, sexual violence, and missing and murdered Indians; and to increase— the collection of law enforcement data, especially data relating to missing Indians and murdered Indians; and the sharing of information among Federal, State, and Tribal officials responsible for responding to, and investigating, crimes impacting Indian tribes and Native communities, including urban Indian communities, especially crimes relating to cases of missing and murdered Indians.

Connectionstraces to 2

Traces to 2 documents

U.S. Code