WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services will hold its first tribal court trial advocacy training session for tribal court personnel in 2014 on Jan. 27-30 in Albuquerque, N.M., which includes a case study on a sexual assault on an adult.
Because of a high level of interest, the Office of Justice Services is providing legal training it successfully held in 2012 and 2013 to new groups of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges to improve their trial advocacy skills. This year, the training seminars will focus on case studies involving the trafficking of illegal narcotics, domestic violence and sexual assault on adults and children. Each session also includes a roundtable discussion on the Violence Against Women Act.
This training is a component of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. It is being conducted under the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program – a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice that furthers the mandate of the Act to strengthen tribal sovereignty over criminal justice matters on federal Indian lands by sharpening the skills of those who practice within the tribal court system.
The program is the result of a collaborative effort by the OJS and the DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative to offer trial advocacy training with courses designed specifically for tribal courts and free training to the judges, public defenders and prosecutors who work in them. Training will be conducted by working law professionals using instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues. The program is unique for its public defenders training.
President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act on March 7, 2013. It includes important provisions for federally recognized tribes to combat violence against Native women such as homicide, rape, assault and battery in the home, workplace and on school campuses throughout Indian Country.
WHO: Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services.
WHAT: The first Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program session of 2014 to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges, as mandated under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which includes a case study on a sexual assault on an adult.
WHEN: Jan. 27-30, 2014 (MST)
- Monday, Jan. 27: 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, Jan. 28: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, Jan. 29: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Jan. 30: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, 2600 Louisiana Blvd., N.E., Albuquerque, N.M. Phone: 505-881-0000
CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to credentialed media representatives, who must display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event.
