Developing the Interface Between the Navajo Nation Police and Navajo Nation Peacemaking

Source: (2003) Police Practice and Research: An International Journal. 4(4): 429-443.

Recent changes to the Navajo Nation Criminal Code have led to a greater need for interface between the Navajo Nation Police and Navajo Nation peacemaking. The new Code has provided an opportunity for restorative justice to become the paradigm of choice for the Navajo Nation criminal justice system. After providing background on the Navajo Nation Police and peacemakers, two issues are discussed that affect the interface between the two: police identity conflicts and the implications of the revised Code. Strategies for developing the potential interface are discussed including: training and education for justice system members, ways of dealing with the revised Code, involvement of the Navajo Common Law Project, decreased political interference, and increased resources. Using the new Code, the police and the peacemakers have the opportunity to work more closely together to develop a system of justice that best suits the Navajo people. (author’s abstract)