Indian Country Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science

In addition to University Requirements:

• At least 42 units of major requirements

• Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements

• Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units

Please note that students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Purpose Statement

Criminal justice in Indian Country is a unique, complex, and specialized field that is presently not taught at any university in the United States. To be proficient, a professional working in this field must know and understand how to analyze essential facets and challenges of the field, such as: 1) the parameters of Indian Country; 2) the process to determine who is an American Indian; 3) the distinction between an American Indian person’s “political status” and “racial status” and within the context of enrolled membership; 4) whether federal law, American Indian nation law, state law, or a combination of the laws of two jurisdictions applies; 5) whether the criminal procedure rights of the U.S. Constitution, the Indian Civil Rights Act, or the American Indian nation’s Bill of Rights apply; and 6) which court – federal, American Indian nation, or state – would have jurisdiction over the matter. Throughout the program, these analyses are undertaken based upon the fundamental principle that American Indian nations are self-governing sovereigns and that current federal Indian policy promotes self-determination, self-government, and nation-building. The major in Indian Country Criminal Justice educates students with accurate, current knowledge about criminal justice and culturally-appropriate justice services on Indigenous lands, and helps students develop the unique skills they need to pursue criminal justice careers on and around Indigenous lands, with Indigenous peoples, in Indigenous communities, and with justice institutions of self-governing Indigenous nations.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Describe the foundational doctrines, principles, and rules that underlie the sovereign status of American Indian nations and their self-governing powers, including the laws and court decisions that define the term Indian Country and the unique government to government relationship that American Indian nations have with other governments;
• Describe the laws and policies that regulate the Indian Country work of criminal justice organizations, and that protect the rights of all persons who are affected by criminal laws in Indian country;
• Develop cultural competency in the cultures, religions, norms and values of Indigenous peoples that criminal justice professionals must respect in order to serve Indigenous communities;
• Analyze and describe the impact of colonial processes on crime, victimization, and justice service delivery in Indian Country;
• Summarize and differentiate between the major and the social science perspectives about crime, criminalization, and victimization in Indian Country and apply them to critically analyze contemporary injustices in Indian Country.