Background

Since 1983, the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) has worked to improve the quality of life in tribal communities and the administration of justice in Indian Country.NIJC is a 100% Native governed, non-profit corporation with principle offices in Santa Rosa, California.NIJC was established through the collective efforts of the National American Indian Court Judges Association, the American Indian Lawyer Training Program, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in order to establish an independent national resource for Native communities and tribal governments.

Since its inception, NIJC has designed and conducted effective education programs for tribal governments and their courts, law enforcement, social services, medical personnel, victim assistance, transportation and other programs. We serve tribes, tribal organizations, government agencies and other interests throughout Indian country.NIJC's expertise encompasses a variety of subjects including but not limited to alcohol and substance abuse, alternative methods of dispute resolution, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, Indian youth and family law, juvenile justice, and federal Indian law. NIJC tailors its programs to the needs of the communities it serves. For 33 years, we have provided research, technical assistance, tailored training sessions, on-site consultations, distance-learning courses, tribal justice system evaluations and publications to tribal communities in the U.S. and internationally.

About The TCT Toolkit Project

The Tribal Consultation Steps: From Receiving Agency Notice to Developing and Applying Tribal Consultation Protocols project will to provide tribes with general and practical tools that can be used locally to respond to agency notices and requests for consultation, such as downloadable and modifiable templates for sample consultation protocols, organizational charts and prioritization/decision matrices.

The TCT Toolkit Project intends to empower California tribal communities to participate in inter-jurisdictional environmental planning and decision-making as governmental partners.

Project Goals:

To increase tribal participation in environmental pre-project inter-jurisdictional Consultation
To reduce negative environmental and health impacts on tribal communities.