Department of Justice and Oglala Sioux Tribe announce new partnership to combat domestic violence
WASHINGTON – United States Attorney Ron Parsons and Oglala Sioux Tribe Attorney General Scott James are pleased to announce that the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), part of the U.S. Department of Justice, has awarded a three-year grant to the Oglala Sioux Tribe to combat domestic violence and other serious crimes. The Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Initiative, financed through a partnership between OVW and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, funds and trains cross-deputized tribal prosecutors in federal law and procedure and investigative strategies so they can pursue domestic or sexual violence cases in tribal court, federal court, or both.
Under this initiative, the Oglala Sioux Tribe will receive funding to hire an additional tribal prosecutor, who will also be appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of South Dakota, to prosecute domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking cases in both tribal and federal court. This new position will enable the U.S. Attorney’s Office and OST Attorney General’s Office to increase their collaborative efforts to hold violent offenders accountable and bring justice to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse living within the Pine Ridge Reservation.
“Working closely with the Oglala Sioux Tribe to protect victims and prosecute violent offenders for crimes committed on tribal land is a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “This new position will help the Oglala Sioux Tribe take an even more robust approach to safeguarding domestic and sexual abuse victims and their families. We look forward to partnering with Attorney General James and his team in this critically important initiative.”
“These additional resources to combat domestic violence crimes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were desperately needed,” said Attorney General James. “We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for helping the tribe to acquire this grant. The Tribal Attorney General’s Office looks forward to working with this new Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to hold offenders accountable and to bring justice to victims of domestic violence crimes.”
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October 1, 2020