Tribal Justice

#TribalJusticePBS
PBS Premiere: Aug. 21, 2017Check the broadcast schedule »

Take Action

  • In the film, graduates of the Yurok Tribal Wellness Court are given acorns "to help them visualize and to hold on to what they have done, and to see what they can grow into." Create your own symbol of accomplishment and vision for people in your group or community who have successfully struggled to overcome obstacles. Present the symbol at an existing or new ritual.
  • Find out what is being done in your community to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and attend an informational meeting.
  • Speak to teachers and school administrators to find out what is taught about Native Americans in history classes at your school. Does the curriculum challenge stereotypes? What is being taught about the forced assimilation of Native Americans? Are texts written by Native Americans included in the syllabus?
  • Host a workshop on restorative justice practices. Invite political representatives and staff, justice system professionals (such as lawyers, judges, probation officers, police officers, corrections officers and administrators, educators and social workers). Discuss how restorative practices might be instituted in your local juvenile or criminal justice systems and the benefits of instituting them.
  • Convene a panel to discuss competing approaches to crime reduction and working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Invite members of tribal communities, representatives of tribal governments, tribal court judges, advocates for alternatives to incarceration, former inmates, law enforcement professionals, ethics specialists and other stakeholders. End the event by developing a list of action steps that could be taken locally and invite audience members to form implementation task forces for the ideas that work for their community.