Hoeven: Indian Youth Deserve a Hopeful Future

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, issued the following statement after the Government and Accountability Office (GAO) issued its report today titled: NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH: Involvement in Justice Systems and Information on Grants to Help Address Juvenile Delinquency. This landmark report highlights the extent to which Native American youth come in contact with federal, state, and tribal justice systems and what resources are available to reduce delinquency.

Read the full GAO report here.

“This report is essentially the first of its kind to comprehensively evaluate Native youth involvement in juvenile justice systems. While this important report indicates that the number of Indian youth in the justice systems has declined somewhat, there is still much work to be done to address the risk factors which affect Indian youth and to help them turn their lives around,” Hoeven said. “I thank the GAO for their extensive review. I intend to conduct more oversight into these issues so that Indian youth can thrive and have a hopeful future.”

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