In March of 2018, NCAI released a Five-Year Report on VAWA 2013's Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction.

This report summarizes the implementation of VAWA 2013’s landmark provision and analyzes its impacts in the 5 years since it was enacted. This examination of the tribes’ early exercise of SDVCJ suggests that VAWA 2013 has been a success. As Congress intended, the law has equipped tribes with the much-needed authority to combat the high rates of domestic violence against Native women, while at the same time protecting non-Indians’ rights in impartial, tribal forums.

Section I contains a brief overview of the need for the tribal provisions in VAWA 2013 and context behind passage of the law. Section II contains an overview of nationwide SDVCJ prosecution statistics and analyzes tribal experiences exercising SDVCJ over the past five years, making four key findings Section III provides an overview of the law and the specific requirements that tribes must comply with. Section IV includes profiles of the 18 implementing tribes, including individual prosecution statistics.  Finally, Section V examines the diversity in how tribes have chosen to meet the statutory requirements of VAWA 2013 and illustrates how the statute has allowed tribes to implement SDVCJ differently depending on the needs and values of their communities. The report also includes an appendix with resources on implementation of SDVCJ and other materials that may be of interest.

To read the Five Year Report, click here.