Federal Government Awards $1 Million To Four Oklahoma Tribes

The US Justice Department has awarded $1 million dollars in criminal justice grants to four Oklahoma tribes, specifically to handle domestic violence cases.

The grants, of $250,000 each, is regular grant funding initiated by a 2013 decision to give tribes jurisdiction in domestic violence cases involving non-Indian defendants.

The Justice Department grants were awarded to the Seminole, Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Cherokee Nations. The Justice Department awarded grants to 11 tribes in the current round of funding.

Clint Johnson, the Acting US Attorney for the Northern District, said the tribes have discretion in using the money.

"What the grants allow them to do, they can hire defense counsel for indigent defendants, and cover incarceration costs for people convicted under this."