2014 National Survey of Tribal Court Systems: Alaska Tribal Courts

Status: Original and derived artifacts are available for this document.

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Form NSTCS-14AK

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX: Approval expires XX/XX/XXXX

U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Statistics

RETURN TO

Kauffman and Associates
PO Box 15179
Washington, DC 20003 - 9998

2014 National Survey of Tribal Court Systems:
Alaska Tribal Courts

INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY
TRIBAL COURT NAME
NAME
TELEPHONE

TITLE
Area Code

Number

Extension

FAX

Area Code

Number

EMAIL ADDRESS
OFFICIAL TRIBE NAME FOR REPORTED DATA

The information collected in this survey is vitally important for understanding the administrative and operational
needs of your tribal court individually, but also helps in the planning for tribal justice systems across Alaska.

DIRECTIONS
• Please review this survey in its entirety before completion, as several sections will require gathering
administrative information from various components within the tribal justice system.
• Please consult with justice system, law enforcement, and finance department representatives as necessary to
obtain information to complete the survey in its entirety.
• INTERTRIBAL COURTS PLEASE NOTE: Fill out a separate survey for each tribe that participates in the intertribal
court or ensure that each participating tribe fills out its own survey.
• Your tribe’s responses will not identify you individually. We ask for your name and contact information above in
case any of the survey items need clarification.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE SURVEY
You may complete and submit your survey using any one of the following three options:
• Mail: NSTCS, c/o Kauffman & Associates, Inc, PO Box 15179, Washington, DC 20003-9998
• Fax: 301-588-6801
• Email: [email protected]
If you have questions or need assistance, you may call toll free and leave a message at 1-877-528-4025 or send an
email message to [email protected]. A member of our survey administration team will respond promptly.
Thank you for your cooperation in this important data collection effort. Your responses are critically important to
the success of this survey.
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (42 USC 3732), authorizes this information collection. This request for
information is in accordance with the clearance requirement of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1908, as amended (44 USC 3507). The burden
of this data collection is estimated to average 2 hours per response, including time to review instructions, gather the information needed, and
enter and review the information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspect of this data collection, including suggestions on how to reduce this burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20531. Do NOT
send your completed survey to this address.

†† e. Village Public Safety Officers

Section A: Tribal Justice Systems

†† f. City: (Provide name of agency or agencies)

This section gathers information on the various
components of your tribal justice system, including law
enforcement, the court, and corrections. Complete this
section even if your tribe does not operate its own tribal
court or does not participate in a consortium.

A.4 How many miles away is the nearest State of Alaska
courthouse? (If the nearest State of Alaska courthouse
is located in the community, enter “0”)

A.1 What was the total number of your enrolled tribal
members during 2014 (including members living both
in and away from the community with official tribal
membership)?

†† Check here if this is an estimate.
A.5 Which type(s) of tribal court system operates in your
tribal jurisdiction? (Select all that apply.)

 Check here if this is an estimate.
A.2 What was the total resident population (including
members, nonmember Indians1 and non-Indians) on
your reservation, tribal land, or village during 2014?

†† a. The tribe does not operate a tribal court
†† b. Indigenous or traditional court (for example:
peacemaking, elder panel, circle sentencing)
†† c. Formal tribal court (a hearing presided over by a
judge or magistrate)

 Check here if this is an estimate.
A.3 Which law enforcement agencies provide a policing
or criminal investigative function on your reservation,
tribal land, tribal community, or village? (Select all that
apply.)

†† d. Tribal council serving as the judiciary
†† e. Intertribal court system: (Provide the name of all
the individual tribes included in this system)

†† a. Tribal: (Provide name of agency or agencies)

†† f. Joint jurisdiction court (tribal-state court):
(Provide name of court)

†† b. B
 ureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): (Provide name of
agency or agencies)

†† g. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)/Court of Federal
Regulation or Court of Indian Offenses (CFR)

†† c. F ederal Law Enforcement other than BIA: (Provide
name of agency or agencies)

†† h. Other: (Please describe)

†† d. S tate/County (including County Sheriff or State
Troopers): (Provide name of agency or agencies)

NOTE: If your tribe does not operate a tribal court, does not
have a Tribal Council that operates as a judicial forum or a
judicial dispute resolution forum, or does not participate in
an intertribal court system STOP HERE. DO NOT complete
the rest of the survey. Follow the directions on the cover
page to return completed portions of the survey. Thank
you for your participation.

1 “Nonmember Indian” describes an individual who is a member of a tribe

other than the specific tribe completing this survey.

2

B.5 Does your tribal court currently exercise criminal
jurisdiction?

Section B: Tribal Court Administration

†† a. Yes

Hereafter the term “tribal court” or “tribal court system” is
used to denote or refer to the type of justice institution
operated by your tribe. The remaining sections of this
survey apply to your tribal court system.

†† b. No (GO TO ITEM B14)
B.6 Over what type(s) of defendant does your tribal court
exercise criminal jurisdiction? (Select all that apply.)

DIRECTIONS: For survey items requesting case count
information, please provide the total number of cases filed
by your tribal court during the calendar year 2014. Use the
following definition to determine case numbers:

†† a. Tribal members
†† b. Nonmember Indians
†† c. Non-Indians (defendant consenting to tribal
jurisdiction)

A filed case is a set of all charges against a single
defendant filed with the court on a single day. A case with
three defendants should be counted as three cases, but a
case with one defendant with multiple charges should be
counted as one case.

B.7 What was the total number of criminal cases filed in
your tribal court in calendar year 2014?

NOTE: If you are unable to provide the actual case count
number, please provide your best estimate.

†† Do not track these case numbers
B.8 How many of these criminal cases filed in your tribal
court in calendar year 2014 involved a non-Indian
defendant (defendant consenting to tribal
jurisdiction)?

If the case count is none, enter “0” as your answer.
If you do not track this information, please check the “Do
not track these case numbers” checkbox.

†† Do not track these case numbers

B.1 How long (in years) has your tribal court been
operational?

B.9 During 2014, excluding juveniles, what was the total
number of defendants sentenced to the following?
(Write “N/A” for your answer if this does not apply.)

Number of years:
B.2 Under what authority was your tribal justice system
created? (Select all that apply.)

a. Jail or prison terms
b. Probation without jail or
prison terms

†† a. Inherent sovereign authority
†† b. Specifically authorized in the tribal constitution

B.10 How many convictions DUI/DWI for offenses were
issued by your tribal court in calendar year 2014? (If
your justice system does handle DUI/DWI offenses,
(Write “N/A” for your answer.)

†† c. Created by tribal statute, resolution, or ordinance
†† d. Other: (Please describe)

DUI/DWI Offenses:
†† Do not track these numbers

B.3 Does your tribal court currently exercise civil
jurisdiction?

B.11 What are the available sanctions issued by the tribal
court for DUI/DWI convictions? (Select all that apply.)

†† a. Yes

†† a. Revoke driving privileges on the reservation
only

†† b. No (GO TO ITEM B6)
B.4 How many civil cases were filed in your tribal court in
calendar year 2014?

†† b. Suspension of driving privileges in the entire
state, including reservation

a. Traffic cases:

†† c. Counseling

†† Do not track these case numbers

†† d. Fines

b. Non-traffic cases:

†† e. Jails

†† Do not track these case numbers

†† f. Other: (Please describe)

B.12 Does your tribal court share DUI/DWI conviction
3

information with state administering agencies (for
example: the Motor Vehicle Authority, DMV, etc.)?

B.17 Does the State of Alaska court system offer circle
sentencing in your community?

†† a. Yes

†† a. Yes

†† b. No

†† b. No

B.13 Which of the following does your tribal court
recognize as acceptable evidence to determine Blood
Alcohol Content (BAC)? (Select all that apply)

B.18 D
 oes the state recognize your tribal court’s orders in
the following types of court cases?

†† a. Breathalyzer
†† b. Blood tests
Case type
a. Child protection
(ICWA)a
b. Child support
c. Domestic violence
d. Juvenile
delinquencyb
e. Juvenile
dependencyc
f. Private child custody
(parent v. parent)
g. Other:
(Please describe)

†† c. Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST)
†† d. Implied Consent
†† e. Other (Please describe)

B.14 What are the various mechanisms by which tribal laws
and codes are made available to the public? (Select all
that apply.)
†† a. Tribal laws and codes are not made available to
the public.
†† b. P
 aper copies are available in the tribal office,
library, or other location.

Yes, tribal
court
orders are
recognized

No, tribal
court
orders
are not
recognized

N/A, tribal
court does
not hear
this type
of case

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aThe Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 U.S.C. § 1902.

†† c. E lectronic versions are provided in a passwordprotected file.

bActs committed by a juvenile that would be considered a crimi-

nal offense if committed by an adult.
cFor example: Child in Need of Protection or Child in Need of Aid
cases

†† d. E lectronic copies can be downloaded from the
tribal website.
†† e. E lectronic copies can be downloaded from a host
site (for example: NARF, VERSUS, or the Tribal
Court Clearinghouse).

Section C: Appellate System
DIRECTIONS: For survey items requesting case count
information, please provide the total number of cases filed
by your tribal court during the calendar year 2014. Use the
following definition to determine case numbers:

†† f. Electronic copies are available on commercial
websites (for example: Westlaw).
†† g. Other: (Please describe)

A filed case is a set of all charges against a single
defendant filed with the court on a single day. A case with
three defendants should be counted as three cases, but a
case with one defendant with multiple charges should be
counted as one case.

B.15 Does your tribal court provide defendants the right to
a trial by jury?

NOTE: If you are unable to provide the actual case count
number, please provide your best estimate.

†† a. Yes
†† b. No

If the case count is none, enter “0” as your answer.

B.16 Does your jury pool for criminal proceedings include
non-Indians?

If you do not track this information, please check the “Do
not track these case numbers” checkbox.

†† a. Yes
†† b. No
†† c. Not applicable

4

C.1 Does your justice system have a court of appeals,
participate in an intertribal appellate court, or
otherwise have an appellate process?
†† a. Yes (Please provide the official name of the court
of appeals. For example: Alaska Native Court of
Appeals)

i. State funding
j. Private foundations
k. Fines and other court costs
l. Other grant funding: (Please describe)


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


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m. Other: (Please describe)





†† b. No (GO TO SECTION D)
C.2 How many appellate cases were filed in your tribal
court in the calendar year 2014?

D.4 Were any of the following positions and services
funded totally or in part by your tribal court’s
operating budget in 2014?

a. Criminal:
†† Do not track these case numbers

Core court positions and services
a. Judges (law school graduate)
b. Judges (non-law school graduate)
c. Prosecution/prosecutor (law school
graduate)
d. Prosecution/prosecutor (non-law
school graduate)
e. Indigent defense services/public
defender (law school graduate)
f. Indigent defense services/public
defender (non-law school graduate)
g. Administration/court clerks
h. Bailiffs
i. Probation/parole
j. Law clerks
k. Court staff attorney
l. ICWA worker (child welfare)*
m. Juvenile services
n. Mental health treatment
o. Alcohol and drug treatment

b. Civil:
†† Do not track these case numbers

Section D: Tribal Court System Operations
D.1 Please indicate whether your tribal court budget is on
a fiscal or calendar year cycle.
†† a. Tribal fiscal year. (Please enter the start and end
dates of the 2014 fiscal year.)
to
		 mm

dd

yyyy

mm dd

yyyy

†† b. Calendar year
D.2 During 2014, what was the operational budget of
your tribal court for adjudication functions, excluding
capital outlays for construction?2 (If you are unable to
provide the actual number please provide your best
estimate.)

p. Electronic monitoring program
q. Victim services/victim assistance
services
r. Alternative to incarceration
programming and/or staff

$
D.3 Did any of the following sources provided funding for
your tribal court operations during 2014?
Source
Yes
a. Tribal appropriations

b. Self-Governing Compact

c. Public Law 93-638 Contract

d. Other BIA funding

e. Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS)
funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) 
f. DOJ grants, other than CTAS funding

g. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA)

h. Other federal funding


No
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


*The Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 U.S.C. § 1902.

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2 Operating expenditures or budgets are defined as all recurring fixed and

variable costs associated with the management and administration of
your system. It does not include nonrecurring fixed capital costs such as
building construction and major equipment purchases.

5

Yes


No
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D.5 Which qualifications are required in order to serve as a
trial or appellate court judge? (Select all that apply.)

a. Tribal member
b. Age minimum or maximum
c. Proficiency in native language
d. No felony conviction
e. Residency requirement
f. Accredited law school graduate
g. Member of state bar/
licensed to practice law by
state
h. M
 ember of tribal bar/
licensed to practice law by
tribe
i. Admitted to practice in federal
court
j. No requirements for position

Trial
judges







Appellate court
judges (including
supreme court
judges)







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m. Tribal elder/peacemaker/
other traditional forum
staff
n. Support staff
o. Other: (Please describe)

p. TOTAL NUMBER OF
EMPLOYEES
*Part-time refers to any employee or consultant who works fewer
than 40 hours per week and includes job sharing.

D.7 How are the following justice system personnel
selected for these positions? (Select all that apply.)

Staff position
a. Trial judge
b. Appellate court
judge
c. Court
administrator
d. Clerk of the
court

D.6 How many of the following types of personnel served
your tribal court system in 2014?
NOTE: “Part-time” refers to any employee who works
fewer than 40 hours per week and includes job sharing.
If you are unable to provide the actual number, provide
your best estimate. If none, enter “0.” If a particular
position does not exist in your court, enter “N/A.”

Staff position
a. Trial judge (law school
graduate)
b. Trial judge (non-law school
graduate)
c. Appellate court judge
(law school graduate)
d. Appellate court judge
(non-law school graduate)
e. Parole or probation officer
f. Pretrial services staff
g. Community resources
specialist
h. Court administrator
i. Court clerk
j. Court reporter
k. Staff attorney (does not
include prosecutor or
public defender)
l. Law clerk

Hired
Hired as
under
a tribal
Appointed Elected contract employee

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D.8 Does your tribal court currently have any victim
service programs?
†† a. Yes
†† b. No (GO TO ITEM D10)

Number of court
employees or consultants
Volunteer/
Full-time Part-time unpaid
paid
paid*
appointee

D.9 During 2014, did your tribal court receive federal
and/or state funding for victim services or programs?
(Select all that apply.)
†† a. Federal
†† b. State
†† c. No outside funding was received.
D.10 Does your tribal court rely on county or local
government social service agencies for court-ordered
treatment in juvenile and/or family cases?
†† a. Yes
†† b. No

Section E: Tribal Prosecution and Indigent
Defense
E.1 Does your tribal court currently have a tribal
prosecutor or prosecutor’s office?
†† a. Yes
†† b. No (GO TO ITEM E4)

6

E.2 How are the following prosecutor’s office personnel
selected for these positions? (Select all that apply.)
Hired
under
Appointed Elected contract
a. Chief
prosecutor
b. Assistant
prosecutor

E.7 How are the following public defense office personnel
selected for these positions? (Select all that apply.)

Hired
as tribal
employee

















a. Chief
public
defender
b. Assistant
public
defender

E.3 How many prosecutors were employed in your tribal
court in calendar year 2014?

Hired as
a tribal
employee

Elected

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E.8 To whom does your tribe provide free criminal defense
services for offenses involving tribal members? (Select
all that apply.)

NOTE: “Part-time” refers to any employee who works
fewer than 40 hours per week and includes job sharing.
If you are unable to provide the actual number, provide
your best estimate. If none, enter “0.” If a particular
position does not exist in your court, enter “N/A.”

Full-time

Appointed

Hired
under
contract

†† a. Tribe does not provide free criminal defense
services. (GO TO SECTION F)
†† b. Tribal members

Volunteer/
unpaid
Part-time appointee

†† c. Nonmember Indians
†† d. Non-Indians

a. Prosecutors (law school
graduate)
b. Prosecutors (non-law
school graduate)
c. TOTAL NUMBER OF
PROSECUTORS

†† e. Other: (Please describe)

E.9 Are free criminal defense services based on income
scale and ability to pay?

E.4 Does your tribe have a contract with a local or private
attorney to provide prosecution services?

†† a. Yes

†† a. Yes

†† b. No

†† b. No

E.10 Who delivers your tribe’s free criminal defense
services? (Select all that apply.)

E.5 Does your tribal system currently have a tribal public
defender or defense office?

†† a. Tribal public defender program (fixed staff )

†† a. Yes

†† b. A ssigned defender (appointed from a list of
private bar members who accept cases on a
judge-by-judge basis, court-by-court basis, or
case-by-case basis)

†† b. No (GO TO SECTION F)
E.6 How many public defenders were employed in your
tribal court in calendar year 2014?
NOTE: “Part-time” refers to any employee who works
fewer than 40 hours per week and includes job sharing.
If you are unable to provide the actual number, provide
your best estimate. If none, enter “0.” If a particular
position does not exist in your court, enter “N/A.”

†† c. Contract counsel (nonsalaried private bar
members who contract with the tribal court to
provide court appointed representation in a
jurisdiction)

Volunteer/
unpaid
Full-time Part-time appointee

†† e. A non-profit legal services program, including
Indian Legal Services

†† d. A neighboring tribal-legal services program

†† f. A private law firm or office pro bono program

a. Public defenders (law
school graduate)
b. Public defenders (non-law
school graduate)
c. TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLIC
DEFENDERS

†† g. Other: (Please describe)

7

F.6 Who supervises individuals placed on community
supervision by the tribal court? (Select all that apply.)

Section F: Pretrial, Probation and Reentry
Programs and Services

†† a. A probation officer

F.1 Does your tribal court operate a pre-trial diversion
program?3

†† b. A member of the community (for example: an
elder)

†† a. Yes

†† c. A member of the probationer’s family

†† b. No (GO TO ITEM F3)

†† d. Tribal court judge

F.2 Does your tribal court provide a diversion program
alternative prior to formally charging the defendant
with a crime?

†† e. Prosecutor
†† f. Court administrator

†† a. Yes

†† g. Nobody; we have unsupervised probation.

†† b. No

†† h. Tribal police officer
†† i. Other: (Please describe)

F.3 Does your tribal court operate a pre-trial release
program?4
†† a. Yes
†† b. No (GO TO ITEM F5)

F.7 How is your tribal justice system’s probation
department funded? (Select all that apply.)

F.4 Which of the following options are provided by your
tribal court regarding the release of a defendant from
detention prior to trial? (Select all that apply.)

†† a. Federal grant program(s)
†† b. Non-federal grant program(s)

†† a. Release on your own recognizance (ROR)

†† c. Tribal budget

†† b. Bail

†† d. Other: (Please describe)

†† c. Held pending further hearing or trial
†† d. Other: (Please describe)

F.8 Who oversees the probation function in your
community?
Items F5–F12 pertain to your tribal justice system’s
probation program only.

†† a. Tribal court
†† b. Law enforcement

F.5 Does your tribal court have a probation program?
†† a. Yes

†† c. Probation is its own department within the tribal
justice system.

†† b. No (GO TO ITEM F13)

†† d. Other: (Please describe)

3 Pre-rial diversion (PTD) is an alternative to prosecution which seeks to

divert certain offenders from traditional criminal justice processing into a
program of supervision and services administered by the U.S. Probation
Service. In the majority of cases, offenders are diverted at the pre-charge
stage. Participants who successfully complete the program will not be
charged or, if charged, will have the charges against them dismissed;
unsuccessful participants are returned for prosecution.

F.9 How many probation officers does your tribal justice
system employ? (Include both full- and part-time.)
If no probation officers are employed, enter “0” as your
answer.

4 Pre-trial release (PTR) is the process of a defendant being released before

trial, with or without conditions. A defendant may be released on his or
her own recognizance or released on non-financial conditions that require
monitoring the defendant in the community. Non-financial conditions
may include regular contact with a pre-trial services program, drug
testing, curfew, or electronic monitoring.

8

F.10 With which nontribal jurisdiction(s) does your tribal
probation program work to supervise individuals who
are on community supervision from federal, state, or
local systems? (Select all that apply.)

F.15 Does your tribal justice system operate a formal
reentry program involved in assisting tribal members
planning to return to your community?
†† a. Yes

†† a. Federal probation

†† b. No

†† b. State probation

F.16 Does your community have transitional living facilities
to assist tribal members returning to the community?

†† c. Local/municipal probation
†† d. Private probation

†† a. Yes

†† e. Tribal probation program does not work with any
nontribal jurisdictions in this area.

†† b. No

Section G: Juvenile Cases

F.11 Does your probation program complete and submit
any of the following to the tribal court? (Select all that
apply.)

DIRECTIONS: For survey items requesting case count
information, please provide the total number of cases filed
by your tribal court during the calendar year 2014. Use the
following definition to determine case numbers:

†† a. Presentence investigation report
†† b. Presentence recommendations
†† c. Monthly or periodic case updates

A filed case is a set of all charges against a single
defendant filed with the court on a single day. A case with
three defendants should be counted as three cases, but a
case with one defendant with multiple charges should be
counted as one case.

†† d. Violation reports
†† e. Other: (Please describe)

NOTE: If you are unable to provide the actual case count
number, please provide your best estimate.

F.12 What was the total number of probation cases that
were active (both new and on-going) during 2014?

If the case count is none, enter “0” as your answer.
If you do not track this information, please check the “Do
not track these case numbers” checkbox.

 Do not track these case numbers

G.1 Which type(s) of juvenile law-violating cases does your
tribal court handle? (Select all that apply.)

Items F13–F16 pertain to your tribal justice system’s
reentry program only.

†† a. Tribal court does not handle juvenile lawviolating cases. (GO TO ITEM G7)

F.13 Does your community supervise individuals coming
out of placement in a secure facility? (For example:
state or federal prison.)

†† b. Juvenile delinquency5
†† c. Status offense6 (for example: underage drinking,
tobacco smoking, truancy, running away)

†† a. Yes
†† b. No (GO TO SECTION G)

†† d All juvenile law-violating cases are treated as
juvenile dependency7 or child in need of care
matters.

F.14 With which facilities does your community work on
reentry supervision? (Select all that apply.)
†† a. Federal facilities

†† e. Other: (Please describe)

†† b. State facilities
†† c. County/municipal facilities
†† d. Tribal facilities (within the tribe)

5 Acts committed by a juvenile that would be considered a criminal

†† e. Tribal facilities (outside of the tribe)

6 25 CFR § 11.900(m) – Status offense means an offense which, if

offense if committed by an adult.

committed by an adult, would not be designated a crime under this part
or under an ordinance of the tribe.

†† f. Other: (Please describe)

7 For example: Child in Need of Protection or Child in Need of Aid cases.

9

G.2 How many juvenile law-violating cases were filed in
calendar year 2014?

G.7 Does your tribe have or provide access to a reentry
program for tribal juveniles who have been
incarcerated?

a. Juvenile delinquency cases

†† a. Yes

†† Do not track these case numbers

†† b. No

b. Juvenile status offense cases (for example: underage
drinking, tobacco smoking, truancy, running away)

G.8 Which type(s) of Indian child welfare or dependency
matter(s)8 does your tribal court handle? (Select all that
apply.)

†† Do not track these case numbers

†† a. Tribal court does not handle Indian child welfare
or dependency matters. (GO TO SECTION H)

G.3 During 2014, what was the total number of juveniles
sentenced to the following? (Write “N/A” for your
answer if this does not apply.)

†† b. Child abuse or neglect

a. Incarceration

†† c. Foster care placements

b. Probation without incarceration

†† d. Termination of parental rights

G.4 Excluding incarceration, which of the following
sentencing options does your tribal court use in
sentencing juveniles for law-violations. (Select all that
apply.)

†† e. Pre-adoptive placements
†† f. Adoptive placements
†† g. Guardianship

†† a. No other sentencing options

†† h. Other: (Please describe)

†† b. Drug or alcohol rehabilitation; random drug
testing
†† c. Mental health assessment; counseling or therapy

G.9 How many child welfare or dependency cases were
filed in calendar year 2014?

†† d Community service (for example: litter removal
from highways, community testimonials about
underage drinking or drug abuse)

†† Do not track these case numbers

†† e. Fine; restitution
†† f. Victim-offender reconciliation (victim-offender
dialogue)

Section H: Domestic Violence and
Protection Orders

†† g E lectronic monitoring (for example: house
detention, alcohol monitoring bracelet)

DIRECTIONS: For survey items requesting case count
information, please provide the total number of cases filed
by your tribal court during the calendar year 2014. Use the
following definition to determine case numbers:

†† h. Cultural or traditional alternatives
†† i. Placement in a familial or foster home
†† j. Probation

A filed case is a set of all charges against a single
defendant filed in the court on a single day. A case with
three defendants should be counted as three cases, but a
case with one defendant with multiple charges should be
counted as one case.

†† k. Curfew
†† l. Other: (Please describe)
G.5 Does your tribal court ever handle juvenile lawviolating cases jointly with the state court (for example:
through a diversion program)?

NOTE: If you are unable to provide the actual case count
number, please provide your best estimate.

†† a. Yes

If the case count is none, enter “0” as your answer.

†† b. No

If you do not track this information, please check the “Do
not track these case numbers” checkbox.

G.6 Does your tribal court maintain a probation or parole
function for juveniles?

8 For example: Child in Need of Protection or Child in Need of Aid cases.

†† a. Yes
†† b. No
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H.1 Does your tribal court issue restraining orders and/or
protection orders to protect someone from another
person committing the following acts? (Select all that
apply.)

H.7 Did your tribal court receive any federal or state grants
and/or funding for domestic violence programming in
calendar year 2014?

†† a. Tribal court does not issue restraining orders or
protection orders. (GO TO ITEM H6)

a. Federal funding
b. State funding

Yes

No







†† b. Sexual violence
†† c. Violent or physical act

Section I: Information Systems Access and
Data Entry

†† d. Threatening act
†† e. Harassment

I.1 From what agencies/entities does your tribal court
access electronic data and to what agencies/entities
does your tribal court transmit electronic data? (Select
all that apply.)

†† f. Contact or communication with the victim
†† g. Physical proximity to another person
†† h. Stalking
H.2 How many restraining orders and/or protection orders
did your tribal court issue in calendar year 2014?

a. Local justice agency (county or city)
b. State justice agency
c. FBI Criminal Justice Information
Services (CJIS)
d. BIA Office of Justice Services
e. Other tribes
f. Other: (Please describe)

†† Do not track these numbers.
H.3 Does the state(s) in which your tribe is located
recognize restraining orders and/or protection orders
issued from the tribal court?
†† a. Yes

Court
transmits
electronic
data to



Court
accesses
electronic
data from



















†† b. No
†† c. Not sure/do not know

g. None of the above

H.4 Does the tribal court enforce violations of valid state or
other tribal court-issued protection orders occurring on
the reservation as if it were the tribal court’s own order?

I.2 What method(s) does your tribal court use to manage
cases? (Select all that apply.)

†† a. Yes

†† a. Paper files

†† b. No

†† b. Basic spreadsheets (for example: Excel, Access)

†† c. Not sure/do not know

†† c. Basic text files (for example: Word, WordPerfect)
†† d. An automated case management system

H.5 During 2014, how many criminal convictions for
violation of protection orders were issued by your
court?

†† e. Other: (Please describe)

†† Do not track these numbers
H.6 How many domestic violence cases were filed in your
tribal court in calendar year 2014?9

I.3 With which of the following is your tribal court
electronically networked for the purpose of
transmitting criminal justice information? (Select all that
apply.)

†† Do not track these case numbers
9 Domestic violence refers to violence between married or cohabiting

couples, as well as violence against other members of the offender’s
household, such as children, siblings, parents, elderly relatives, or other
family members of current or past intimate partners.

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a. Justice agencies within your tribe



b. Justice agencies within other tribes



c. Other justice agencies outside of your tribe
(federal, state, local)



I.4 Does your tribe maintain a sex offender registry?

I.6 Does your tribe operate its own victim notification
system?

†† a. Yes
†† b. No (GO TO ITEM I6)

†† a. Yes

I.5 How does your tribal court post registration information
to the sex offender registry? (Select all that apply.)

†† b. No
†† c. Not sure/do not know

†† a. Tribal court does not obtain or post sex offender
registry information.

I.7 Does your tribe have an agreement with the state to
participate in a state victim notification system?

†† b. Tribal court posts through the state sex offender
registry (connected to the National Sex Offender
Public Website).

†† a. Yes
†† b. No

†† c. Tribal court posts through a tribal sex offender
registry (connected to the National Sex Offender
Public Website).

†† c. Not sure/do not know
I.8 Does your tribal court maintain a restraining order and/
or protection order registry?

†† e. Tribal court posts through a tribal sex offender
registry (NOT connected to the National Sex
Offender Public Website).

†† a. Yes
†† b. No

†† e. Other: (Please describe)

†† c. Not sure/do not know
The survey is now complete. Thank you for taking part in
the 2014 National Survey of Tribal Court Systems: Alaska
Tribal Courts.
If you have questions or would like to speak with someone
about your experience, please call toll free and leave a
message at 1-877-528-4025 or send an email message
to [email protected]. A member of our survey
administration team will respond promptly.
Again, thank you for your cooperation in this important
data collection effort. Your responses are critically
important to the success of this survey.

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