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Tribal Crime and Justice

Data suggest that crime rates are much higher for Native Americans compared to the national average. For example, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), American Indians experience almost twice as much violence as the U.S. resident population.

Among American Indians ages 25-34, the rate of violent crime victimization is more than twice the rate for all persons in the same age category. Much of this crime appears to be alcohol related — approximately 62 percent of American Indian victims report that the violence they experienced was perpetrated by an offender who was under the influence of alcohol. In comparison, alcohol is involved in 42 percent of assaults nationwide.

Increased youth gang activity in the past few years has also increased the violent crime rate in Indian Country. However, the violent crime arrest rate of American Indians declined 26 percent between the years 1992 to 2001. [1]

These NCVS findings from 1992–2002 have not been replicated. To date, evaluations on victimization, crime and crime prevention have been program and tribal specific and consequently cannot be generalized across tribal nations as a whole.