Page 4 GAO-12-658R Tribal Law and Order Act
Indian tribes, members of federally recognized Indian tribes, or tribal justice systems pursuant to
the federal poverty guidelines.”
8
However, 6 of the 9 tribes or tribal entities that applied for
TCCLA in fiscal year 2011 were ineligible—because they were not 501(c)(3) non-profit
entities—yet DOJ did not explain to the tribes that they were ineligible for funding because they
were not such entities. As a result, these tribes used resources to prepare applications
explaining their intended use of the funding—which, for 4 of the 6 tribes, was to meet
requirements necessary for exercising the new sentencing authority—when they were not
eligible for the funding. DOJ officials agreed that they could update the letter used to inform
applicants that they were not selected for funding to make it clearer that only 501(c)(3) nonprofit
entities are eligible. Further, internal control standards state that agency management should
ensure that there are adequate means of communicating with external stakeholders that may
have a significant impact on the agency achieving its goals.
9
By taking actions to better clarify
that applicants must be 501(c)(3) non-profit entities to be eligible for TCCLA, both during the
application process and when applicants are notified of their ineligibility, DOJ could better
ensure that the tribes and DOJ will not use resources to prepare, review, and deny applications
for grants for which tribes or certain tribal entities are not eligible. Moreover, tribes would also be
better positioned to make informed decisions about the available funds to pursue.
We are recommending that DOJ take actions—both during the application process and when
applicants are notified of their ineligibility—to better clarify the circumstances under which
applicants, including tribes or tribal entities, are eligible or ineligible for TCCLA funds. DOJ
concurred with the recommendation.
Background
Whether or not tribes have jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes that occur in Indian
country depends on various factors, including the nature of the crime, whether or not the alleged
offender or victim is Indian, and whether jurisdiction has been conferred on a particular entity by,
for example, federal treaty or statue.
10
As a general principle, the federal government
recognizes Indian tribes as “distinct, independent political communities” that “remain a separate
people, with the power of regulating their internal and social relations,” which includes enacting
substantive law over internal matters and enforcing that law in their own forums.
11
The federal
government, however, has authority to regulate or modify the power of self-government that
tribes otherwise possess, and has exercised this authority to establish an intricate web of
jurisdiction over crime in Indian country.
12
8
TCCLA provides funding and technical assistance to assist tribal jurisdictions in improving their justice systems. See
e.g. 25 U.S.C. § 3663 (authorizing tribal criminal assistance grants).
For example, tribal and federal jurisdiction is generally
9
See GAO, Internal Control: Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1
(Washington, D.C.: November 1999).
10
For example, the Major Crimes Act, as amended, provides the federal government with criminal jurisdiction over
Indians charged with felony-level offenses enumerated in the statute. See 18 U.S.C. § 1153. Such felony-level
offenses include murder; manslaughter; maiming; felony provisions of the Sexual Abuse Act of 1986, as amended,
incest; assault with intent to commit murder; burglary; and robbery, among others.
11
See, e.g., Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U.S. 49, 55-56 (1978) (citing United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313
(1978)). See also 25 U.S.C. § 1301(2) (defining an Indian tribe’s power of self-government).
12
See United States, v. Lara, 541 U.S. 193, 200-01 (2004) (referencing the Indian Commerce Clause, U.S. CONST.,
art. I, § 8, cl. 3, and the Treaty Clause, U.S. CONST. art II, § 2, cl. 2, as authority for the federal regulation of Indian
affairs). The General Crimes Act, the Major Crimes Act, and Public Law 280 are the three federal laws central to the
exercise of criminal jurisdiction in Indian country. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 1152 (codifying the General Crimes Act, as
amended), 1153 (codifying the Major Crimes Act, as amended), and 1162 (codifying Public Law 280, as amended).