Strengthening Indigenous Communities to Eliminate Disparities in the Criminal Justice System Infographic 2024

This infographic details statistics on the overrepresentation of Native and Indigenous communities in the criminal legal system, noting in particular that the incarceration rate of American Indian/Alaska Native communities increased 60 percent from 1990 to 2020. It cautions that current data collection practices on Native and Indigenous communities are often incomplete and inaccurate due to misclassifications, highlighting limitations in the data. In addition, this infographic provides a chronological summary of the historical trauma and its enduring effects on Native and Indigenous communities, starting with the arrival of colonial settlers in the early 1800s to the forced assimilation that continues today. Lastly, this infographic offers a sampling of various Native-led programs that focus on holistic wellbeing, balance, and harmony as examples of alternatives to carceral systems. Though this resource focuses on the criminal legal system, it provides important historical and cultural context to defend Native and Indigenous youth in juvenile court.