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Series explores justice in Indian Country
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Filed Under: Law | Politics


The Denver Post is running a series on justice in Indian Country called "Lawless Lands."

According to the paper, the Department of Justice declines to prosecute the majority of crimes on reservations. Statistics showed that 58 percent of serious assaults, 76 percent of sex crimes involving adults and 72 percent of sex crimes involving children went unpunished from fiscal year 2004 through the first nine months of fiscal year 2007.

Overall, U.S. Attorneys declined 62 percent of cases, according to the data. High declination rates were seen in Eastern Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon and Western Wisconsin.

During the Bush administration, a handful of U.S. Attorneys sought to make Indian Country crime a priority. But nearly all of them were fired last December and one was put on a list to be fired for spending "too much time" on Indian issues.

Get the Story:
Principles, politics collide (The Denver Post 11/13)
Justice: Inaction's fatal price (The Denver Post 11/12)
Promises, justice broken (The Denver Post 11/11)
1885 law at root of jurisdictional jumblebroken (The Denver Post 11/11)
Justice Dept. Chief Faces a Test in Minnesota (The New York Times 11/13)
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