Tribe: Tulalip Tribes of Washington
The Tribes devised a system that focuses on the mental, physical, and spiritual health of offenders, while incorporating cultural values. The Alternative Sentencing Program offers the Healing to Wellness Court (also known as the drug court) when other services are not successful in correcting behaviors. The focus is on correcting behavior, not penalizing citizens. The Alternative Sentencing Program has made great gains against crime on the reservation. In only 3 years since the Program’s implementation, 25% of the participants in the Program do not re-offend, as compared to only 7-9% in the county. The nation’s strategies for implementing Tulalip law now better reflect the sentiments of one of its traditional sayings, ‘To pull that canoe, you have to pull together.’ By making the reservation safer, and by focusing on recovery and healing rather than punishment, the Alternative Sentencing Program has improved Tulalip Tribes citizens’ lives and the environment they live in. By focusing on restorative justice, interagency cooperation, and offenders’ recovery and well being, the tribal justice system can become a key actor in improving community health.
Read Full Text of Tulalip Tribal Court Alternative Sentencing Program