American Indians Tribal Police and Civilian Police Multicultural Issues - Research Proposal Example

American Indians tribal police and civilian police multicultural issues The indigenous communities in North American andAustralia need to be empowered through functional and legal policy frameworks. These frameworks touch on tribal and civilian policing. The federal governments are focusing on partnerships and coordination with these indigenous communities. The American Indians have suffered the highest poverty rates for long in American history. The proposed changes are being done through enhancing knowledge, involving these communities and offering technical support. The purpose of the federal government acknowledges that these communities need political sovereignty within the US federal system. At the same time, the variations within these tribes call for well thought-out systems when it comes to dealing with local jurisdictions and policing. The jurisdiction powers of the Indian Nations are parallel to those in the US states. The tribes have been given extensive power to self-govern themselves. These ethnic governments have tribal police officers who are acquainted to the multicultural setups of these societies. Although the tribes have their own laws, they are subject to the federal law. The tribes expect government to government relations as opposed to dependence on the federal government. Introduction Tribal governments and American Indian police tend to be more aware of the needs and the expectations of their citizens than the federal government. These governments should be given the primary role when it comes to meeting the needs of the communities. Under the federal government policies in the United States, 564 American Indian groupings are recognized. Arguably, the only way for Indian reservations to advance is through ethnic governments. The health, policing and social welfare issues are addressed by the tribal governments. These governments are accountable and responsive to their members. The governments are expected to reduce their dependence on the federal government funds. This term paper expounds on the multicultural issues facing the American Indian tribal police and civilian police. The American administration pledges support to the ethnic government and American Indian police by reducing the federal impediments to ethnic self government and development of resources (Cornell & Kalt, 2010). Each tribe has the right to determine the best way to meet the needs of the members of the tribe. This includes running programs that meet the needs of the members of the society. The early commitment to the Indian self-determination Act demands that the federal administration moves way from the surrogate which undermines the idea of self government. The Indian tribes are perceived to be legal eligible entities and should receive direct funding if there is need. This is done by the Department of Health and Human Services. The Indian tribes have limited chances to invest in their own economies. This is occasioned by the fact that there lacks established resource base for community development. Natural resources like fishing and timber offer avenues for development of the tribes. The tribal governments and American Indian police have the obligation to determine and enforce how the natural resources are used and distributed. The federal government should never be seen as an impediment when it comes to the usage of these resources (Nielsen & Silverman, 2009). Rather, the federal government should assist the ethnic government and American Indian police and the members to take advantage of the natural resources. The Indian tribes and the federal government stand to benefit from professional management of the oil, gas and uranium located in the Indian lands. Many tribes agree that these natural resources can reduce the countries dependence on imported oil (Cornell & Kalt, 2010). The federal government has the obligation to ensure that the production of oil and these sources of energy (Western Australia Police Service, 2002). The economies of American Indian reservations have been depressed with unemployment (Reagan, 1983). The growing economies provide the hope for self sufficiency, provision of jobs and growing economies. In the past, the attempts to stimulate have been both ineffective and fragmented (Evans, 2011). The tribal government and American Indian police suffer from poorly developed physical infrastructure that includes utilities and public services. They have none or weak regulatory and adjudicatory mechanisms which are vital in the private sector interactions and economic development. The Canadian constitution recognizes the rights of the Aboriginal or indigenous people of Canada. The Aboriginal people of Canada include Métis, Inuit and Indian peoples of Canada. Canada has 614 Indian bands with have been recognized by the federal government. The unemployment rates of the Indian tribes in Canada are three times higher than the non-aboriginal rate. The homicide rates among the Indian tribes are seven times higher than the Canadian average. Initially, the federal government was entirely responsible for overseeing the Indian bands. However, the demand for First Nations police services seemed to have growing exponentially (Evans, 2011). By august 2007, the provincial and federal government funds 162 tripartite agreements in the entire Canada. These agreements are related to policing. The First Nations self-administered policing pact is an agreement between province, Canada and the First Nation community. Under these agreement, the Indian communities and other First Nations are allowed to manage and administer their own police services while operation within the provincial legislation. The First Nation is policed by dedicated contingent of Aboriginal RCMP officers. In the United States, there exist 561 federally recognized tribes. The tribes are also referred to as nations. About a 100 of there have substantial land holdings Multicultural issues These communities believe that their interests are best protected when they are in the hands of the ethic leaders. The federal governments in most of these cases identify ethnicity as an important factor in the governing the Indian tribes or the First Nations. In a multicultural setup, provisions are made to ensure that each community feels adequately represented. Perception within most of these jurisdictions is an important resource when it comes to fighting crime and getting solutions to local problems. This creates extremely strong links with community networks and groups think (Reagan, 1983). In the United States, the tribal policing have been developed out of the dire need for a law enforcement endeavor which can deal with crime related social problems (Reagan, 1983). This has caused a decentralized model of the policing that addressed prejudices and multiculturalism. The governments of United States and Australia acknowledge that there have been areas of inequality and prejudices in dealing with the tribes or the aboriginal people. According to the policy statement, the police service acknowledges that the aboriginal people have suffered historical alienation. The police services acknowledge the great diversity and multiculturalism that exists among the aboriginal people. In the United States, the federal government has taken measures to acknowledge the uniqueness of the American Indian tribes (Nielsen & Silverman, 2009). This has led the government to make special arrangements which are customized to accommodate the needs to these tribes. The federal government pledges to respect the local cultural traditions as long as these practices are within the law (Lithopoulos, 2007). The cultural laws must not put expose of others to dangers. In Australia, the police are intentionally engaging with aboriginal people in the delivery of these undertakings. This is meant to take the communities towards sustainable development. In Australia, all communities must be protected through the rule of law. The relationship with the aboriginal people must be based on trust, respect and free from multicultural prejudices. The police can be counted to deliver impartial and compassionate service to individuals (Nielsen & Silverman, 2009). The communities in the remote communities like the American Indians, aboriginal communities and the First Nations in Australia. In Western Australia, the diversity of communities demands a police force that responds with sensitivity to these ethnicities. This is supposed to address the issues of marginalization, dispossession and the influence of cultural laws that matter to the community. Research and facts The research by Harvard Project on the economic development of the American Indians points to the changes in the federal policy towards Indian nations. The micro-administration of federal government and uniform and insensitive policies have been blamed on the stagnation of these marginalized communities. The devolution of power and local decision making has led to 4 percent economic growth between 1990 and 2000. Over the same period, the household income on reservations without gaming and with gaming grew by 33 percent and 24 percent respectively. The Indian nations were perceived to be better in running local governments. The American Indian nations represent an extremely diverse group of communities. The social and economic systems of these communities varied prior to European contact in North America. In North America, there were hundreds of distinct tribal groups. Statistics show that the levels of poverty among these communities varied. The statics released in 2000 indicated that half of five of these communities lead with more than 18 percentage of poverty. The per capita income of American Indians on reservations has been growing rapidly. The social conditions of these communities are rising marginally. The growth can be seen in housing, education and health measures like infant mortality rates and infectious diseases (Timpson, 2009). According to 2001 census, the indigenous communities in Australia have been on the rise. These groups represent 3 percent of the entire population, which is equivalent to 58, 711 people. The switch from federal to tribal administration has been manifested through investments in the long-term infrastructure with has been neglected for long. These long-neglected infrastructures include water systems, health clinics and schools. According to the United States commission on civil rights 2003 data, the federal spending on Indians and Indian affairs has been decreasing from the year 2003. Therefore, the rapid growth the American Indians has not been occasioned by financial support from outside governments or federal government. The economic, political and social transformation being experienced by the American Indian communities is not a result of cultural change or assimilations into the non-Indian communities (Evans, 2011). Under the self-governance of the Indian nations, 86 percent of the programs of health recorded an improvement in waiting time. The assumption of ethnic government and American Indian police service has led to a reduction in unemployment levels from 70 percent over the last decade and improved security. Businesses that yield up to $100 million annually in revenues have been formed. A telling example in the Winnebago of Nebraska Tribe’s Ho-Chunk Inc. the federal government has promoted ethnic government and American Indian policing under formal policies. These policies are referred to as self-determination. The marginalized communities have suffered under many years of prejudices and neglect from the federal government. The policies of self-determination failed to address the needs of the marginalized communities. Funding has been characterized by ineffective policing on tribal land. This has been occasioned by chronic understaffing in issues that affect the indigenous communities. A compelling example is the statistics by executive committee for Indian country Law enforcement in 1997. They indicated that for every 1000 people, there are 2.3 officers in non-Indian communities. The tribal land has ratio of 1.3 officers for every 1000 residents. Besides, the indigenous communities suffer from policy services, poor road and remoteness. Tribal policing suffers from high attrition rates and poor employee morale among police morale. This has resulted to deficiency in experienced and qualified tribal police officers. The police services from the tribal perspective tend to emphasize on traditional methods of controlling crime (Evans, 2011). The services suffer from flawed management structures making it hard for the supervision from ordinary police officers. Tribal land residents suffer from poor investigative practices and poor services by the police In Australia, the main indigenous ethic groups are the aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. This makes up to 300 indigenous people on the lands. Unlike United States and Australia, Canada has highly centralized policing systems. However, Australia has embraced the idea of indigenous policing. Hiring indigenous police officers has been occasioned by wider discussions and mutual understanding between the criminal justice system and indigenous systems. The office of community oriented policing is known to have developed a series of programs to meet the growing the needs of Native American communities. These include tribal resource grant program, tribal hiring renewal program, tribal health program and tribal court pilot program. The programs are aimed at addressing the needs of the training, wellbeing, and equitable management of resources in the American society. Most of these communities suffer from extreme drug abuse and lack access to rehabilitations (Lithopoulos, 2007). This has resulted to high crime rates and a low life expectancy rate. These multicultural setups lead to complications in jurisdictional net. The indigenous policing initiatives lack nation-specific policies that are workable and institutionalized. The tribes, just like states, administer their own judicial systems and manage their taxes independently. Unfortunately, the American Indians register the highest poverty levels of 39 percent. This move is expected to change with the implementation of the tribal government and local management of resources. Recommendations The pro-minority policy must be supported by the federal govermment. The national government must view the tribal government as a form of devolution. This has lead to economic empowerment of the marginalized groups. This policy must get bipartisan support. In doing this, the federal government must offer initial financial support to promote self sufficiency on these local economies. The federal government must invest in training and laying a strong foundation for the operations of this government. This can be done through federal stimulus program. It is worth noting that this support should go to the needy tribal governments. The federal government must ensure that the devolution of power to tribal government leads to between accountability and management of national resources. Therefore, the ethnic government or economies must be competitive and responsive to the local and federal needs. The native societies must be empowered on the need to participation in both national and local politics and voting processes. The federal management of tribal affairs must increasingly be faced out. This can be replaced by a government to government relationship that’s built upon economic realities and social welfare. This might address the education, health and housing concerns of the Indian nations. The strategy reduces their dependency of federal funding which is good for the national economic growth. The government might need to address the economic inequalities among the indigenous communities. The ultimate aim of the federal government should be to improve the welfare of indigenous communities are opposed to allocate national wealth through groupings. This calls for adequate measures to prevent future contentions between intertribal sub governments over landmass or resources. This has had a negative effect on the union of states. The federal government must intentionally encourage nationalism. A telling example is the deliberate intentions being made by the Australian authorities to reach out to the aboriginal communities. The government is training police officers who are responsive to the specific needs of the indigenous communities. This entails living and working with these communities. The federal government must address the poor supervision while executing indigenous-specific programs. This can be tried to poor budgetary allocations and incompetent liaison officers. Proactive steps must be taken to promote knowledge. This knowledge should lead to profitable collaboration between the government and the indigenous people. Conclusion Community consultation must become the fundamental building block for equality and policing services that are tailored to accommodate the needs of these communities. These marginalized communities suffer from poor telecommunications social restrictions. The police must become responsive to the needs of the marginalized communities and not an impediment. The aboriginal people need the police to show cultural sensitivity and appreciation for traditions. This can help the service from causing unnecessary embarrassment of offense. The police service is taking practical steps to acknowledge the aboriginal cultures in Western Australia. The service appreciates the diversity of social customs. The officers need to be trained to appreciate and respect the differences in values and customs among the aboriginal people. The US federal government is committed to empowering community driven governments. This is likely to cause the American Indians to develop without having to drop their cultural values. The communities should lessen their dependence on the national governments. In future, the empowerment of these indigenous communities may prove to be the most effective method of curbing crime and improving social wellbeing of the alienated tribes. References Cornell, S., & Kalt, J. (2010). AMERICAN INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF A SUCCESSFUL POLICY. Political Economy of American Indian Self-Determination, 1(1), 1-27. Evans, L. E. (2011). Power from powerlessness: Tribal governments, institutional niches, and American federalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fixico, D. L. (2008). American Indians in a modern world. Lanham: AltaMira Press. Lithopoulos, S. (2007). Tribal policing. International Comparison of Indigenous Policing Models, 1(1), 1-29. Nielsen, M. O., & Silverman, R. A. (2009). Criminal justice in Native America. Tucson, Ariz: University of Arizona Press. NSW Police Force (2012). NSW Constitution. Aboriginal Strategic Direction, 1(1), 1-32. Reagan , R. (1983). President Reagan’s policy statement. AMERICAN INDIAN POLICY, 1(1), 1-4. Russell, D. (2000). A peoples dream: Aboriginal self-government in Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press. Timpson, A. M. (2009). First Nations, first thoughts: The impact of indigenous thought in Canada. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. Western Australia Police Service (2002). Strategic Policy on Police and Aboriginal People. Western Australia Police Service, 1(1), 1-13. Read More