Department of Justice Provides Funding for New Tribal Prosecutors

WASHINGTON (AP) — American Indian tribes in a handful of states are getting federal assistance to prosecute cases of violence against women.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it will fund the salary and travel of four tribal prosecutors who will be trained to pursue the cases in federal courts.

The recipients are: Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, the Fort Belknap Tribe in Montana, the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota and South Dakota.

The Justice Department already had a program in which tribal prosecutors could serve as special U.S. attorneys. This time around, the department's Office on Violence Against Women will fund the positions for tribes.

The tribal prosecutors will serve as co-counsel to federal prosecutors on felony investigations and prosecution of reservation crime.