New Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction Pilot Project Report
Synopsis: The Pilot Project period (February, 2014 through March 6, 2015), authorized by VAWA 2013, enabled Indian tribes who received prior approval from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to exercise special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ) on an accelerated basis. All five of the approved pilot project tribes participated along with 40 other tribes in an Inter-Tribal Technical- Assistance Working Group on SDVCJ Intertribal Working Group (ITWG), which is composed of tribes who expressed preliminary interest in exploring implementation of SDVCJ to DOJ and agreed to work peer-to-peer to answer questions about implementation of SDVCJ and develop best practices. This report briefs on the activities of ITWG tribes during the Pilot Project period and shares recommendations for next steps.
