ashkééjí ahat'á ahaneʹ...BINI’ANIT’Ą Ą TSOH ashkééjí ahat'á 2018 ahaneʹ Staff from the To’hajiilee/Alamo Judicial District took the opportunity to take the Judicial

B INI’ANIT’ Ą́Ą́TSOH

2018 Hashkééjí Nahat'á

Bahaneʹ

Staff from the To’hajiilee/Alamo Judicial District took

the opportunity to take the Judicial Branch’s veterans

justice outreach initiative to Operation Veterans Well-

ness on July 28, 2018.

Staff assisted with registration and collected data

through a veterans wellness survey that veterans volun-

tarily filled out at the event.

Hundreds attended Operation Veterans Wellness,

which took place at the Rio West Mall with various ser-

vice providers, including the Vet Center, Judicial

Branch, Navajo Nation Department of Behavioral and

Mental Health Services, VA Healthcare and New Mexi-

co Department of Veterans Services.

Activities included a benefits, job and health fair, a

three-on-three basketball tournament, lunch and a gourd

dance.

The Veterans Outreach project was funded through a

Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation grant from

the U.S. Department of Justice to develop future treat-

ment courts and to strengthen access points for veterans

who have benefits at Veterans Affairs and Indian Health

Services. The grant will be coming to an end in Septem-

ber 2018.

HISTORY

In 2011, the Navajo Nation Judicial Branch was award-

ed a federal grant from US Department of Justice to cre-

ate and implement a Healing to Wellness Court in Ala-

mo and To'Hajiilee as well as fund the Community

Court for Aneth District. In these distant communities,

there is a disparity with other judicial districts. They do

not have the complete law enforcement, detention, and

health systems to fully address the needs of the commu-

nities even though the alcohol-related crime and death

rates are high.

The "Total Community Approach" idea is to include the

local community, health community, education commu-

nity and justice community to collaborate and coordi-

nate services for justice involved defendants who desire

a change to get well. Our "community" not only in-

cludes the courts and police, but the Detention depart-

ment and off-reservation partners including local sher-

Outreach program focuses on veterans

Summer student workers

at Window Rock 3

Chinle Juvenile Healing to

Wellness Court 5

Navajo Word of the Day 6

Branch employees en-

hance customer service 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

Dorothy Waisenan, veterans outreach coordinator at the To’hajiilee/Alamo Judicial District, helps with the luncheon for the participants of Operations Veterans Wellness.

Cont’d on page 2

B INI’ANIT’ Ą́Ą́TSOH ́ 018 P AGE 2

iffs. "Community" is not defined by geographic area, but

by the "community" of law enforcement, health, education

and local people.

A Healing to Wellness Court is commonly known as a

"drug court". It utilizes 10 key components that the Na-

tional Association for Drug Professionals has endorsed as

an evidence-based program that effectively works to re-

duce the number of times the same individual comes be-

fore the court with drug related offenses. It is a collabora-

tive process where the Judge is involved on a weekly basis

with a "treatment team" made up of a care coordinator,

probation officer, peacemaking traditional specialist, and

local behavioral health counselor. This process is different

than just referring that individual to probation services af-

ter judgment is entered, because it involves the Judge as

the key team leader. Research has supported that if courts

use these 10 key components, there is greater restoration

of these individuals to the community through treatment

and rehabilitation. The Judge as a naataani is able to coun-

sel and guide not only the treatment team but the individu-

al. This is restorative justice. The utilization of the Peace-

making program to provide traditional teachings on clan-

ship and sense of belonging, responsibilities to self and

community have proven to be effective not only with the

Alamo-To'Hajiilee Wellness Court but with Bernalillo

County's Native American Healing to Wellness Court with

the assistance of Judge Maria Dominguez.

Although off reservation courts already have their own

"specialty courts" particularly in Albuquerque, Metro

Court, for Native Americans and other tribes have started

their efforts to develop specialty courts,

the Veterans Justice Project for the Ala-

mo-To'Hajiilee Wellness Court project is

unique.

One of the challenges to developing

treatment courts is the navigation of the

Veterans Affairs programs and services.

Many of our veterans have not signed up

for their services. We have 110 Chapter

veterans' organizations that are ready to

help returning veterans who are justice

involved to get the services they need but

there is a lack of a strong referral system,

entry point navigation into a health, or

behavioral health "system of care" to sup-

port the rehabilitation and treatment for

Navajo veterans. In Indian Country, is it

difficult and confusing to navigate feder-

al services for health for veterans who are

"service connected." In order to create an

effective Veterans Treatment court, we

also have to develop a peer support sys-

tem. Most Veterans Treatment courts have found effective-

ness in utilizing veterans as "peers" during the hearings to

assist these veterans that have come back from combat,

who suffer from PTSD and as a result abuse alcohol or

other drugs and end up in jail, even though they may be

highly decorated combat veterans. Peers, or other veterans

are important to treatment courts because these veterans

have gone through the same trauma and are able to help

these combat veterans with their challenges.

Our project has been working on this peer project during

the life of the grant with one care coordinator, a Veterans

Justice Outreach Coordinator with the Alamo-To'Hajiilee

Wellness courts. The care coordinator Dottie Waisanen,

has made great strides in this project to implement these

goals and objectives that were funded by USDOJ. It is a

total community approach.

However, the grant is ending at the end of September,

2018 and the project will be losing the care coordinator.

However, the project will continue to work with the local

veterans and all partners and move into phase 2 of the

project. Regina Roanhorse, Court Administrator for the

district, wrote another USDOJ grant for FY 19 to fund the

peer support Veterans effort as well as to continue the

work with the specialty courts at that district.

The project has made great strides to help our communities

in the 12 Judicial Districts despite the huge challenges

both in the health and justice communites. The restorative

justice model for the specialty courts relies on fundamental

law and the actual implementation of fundamental law,

some of which is written in the Diné (Navajo) language. ●

Regina Begay-Roanhorse, court administrator at To’hajiilee-Alamo Judicial District, speaks to a veteran at the Operation Veterans Wellness event.

Cont’d from page 1

Outreach program focuses on veterans

HASHKÉÉJÍ NAHAT 'Á BAHANE ʹ P AGE 3

Student workers

Autumn, Brawnson and Tristan helped out the Window Rock Judicial District during their summer break

through the Navajo Nation Department of Workforce Development.

Autumn is from St. Michaels and attends University of Arizona where she is majoring in biology. Autumn

admitted she had no interest in legal work before gaining some work experience at the court., but she had to

learn quickly to work with the public to help the people “I enjoyed doing new stuff,” she said. “I had to learn

to work with the clerks because they’re really busy. From outside, it doesn’t seem that bad for them but

they’re pretty busy.”

Brawnson also attends University of Arizona and is majoring in engineering management. He is from Win-

dow Rock. He did everything from manual labor to assisting the judges during his temporary employment.

“Most of the time I was learning about the judicial process,” he said. “I enjoyed working with the staff be-

cause they’re funning and really nice.”

Tristan will be in 10th grade at Window Rock High School. She assisted the court clerks with filing and

organizing. “I learned there’s different types of sections when it comes to clerks,” she said. Her goals are to

go to college at Ohio State and major in physics or pre-dentistry.

The young students were at the court when it had to relocate services to the Administrative Office of the

Courts and assisted the court. ●

Window Rock court hosts summer student workers


August 14, 2018—Brendolyn Natan, probation officer at Ramah Judicial District, and her daughter prepare for the Navajo Nation Code Talkers Day Parade in Window Rock.

August 22, 2018—Staff attorney Glen Renner and traditional program specialist Stanley Nez present to Two Grey Hills/Toadlena chapter on pro se probate and quiet title actions in Navajo Courts to grazing permittees.


Healing to Wellness

The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch received an award

from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention to plan, develop and implement a Tribal Ju-

venile Healing to Wellness Court at

the Chinle Judicial District. The

project is working with the Save

Our Students (SOS) community

action group as its community advi-

sory committee. The SOS has been

meeting monthly since April 2018

and is comprised of local resources

who come together to collaborative-

ly come up with solutions to the

needs of the community. For the Chinle Juvenile Heal-

ing to Wellness Court (JHTWC), the group will serve as

referral sources and referral points for eligible school-

aged children who are experiencing or are at-risk of ex-

periencing truancy and delinquency issues.

SOS partners include, but are not limited to, local

youth and community members, the

Chinle Unified School District, Chinle

Division of Social Services, Chinle

Prosecutors Office, Chinle Law En-

forcement, Chinle Department of Cor-

rections, ADABI, Inc., Navajo Peace-

making Program, Navajo Probation &

Parole Services, Navajo Nation Youth

Advisory Council, Chinle Outpatient

Treatment Center and Chinle Counsel-

ing Services. The Chinle JHTWC services will begin in

Fall 2018 under the judicial leadership of Judge Cynthia

Thompson. ●

The mission of the Save Our Students – Chinle JHTWC project is, “To

empower and restore our youth through k’e, cultural

values and respect.”

Partners with Save Our Students/Chinle Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court meet at the Chinle Judicial District Court to strategize implementation of the project.

Navajo Word of the Day

Safeguard: Protect, guard against hurt, security.

Take Home Pay

Ultimate: At last, finally. Or at the end’ arrived at as

the last result; final.

Wages: A compensation given to a hired person for his

or her services.

Ability: Quality or condition of being able, power to

perform or accomplish; capacity.

Bail Bond: A written statement of debt by an arrested

person and backed up by others. It promises that the

arrested person will show up in court or risk losing the

amount to the bond.


The following are phrases and words in the Navajo language that are used within the Navajo Nation justice system. These phrases are provided by the Peacemak-ing Program as part of an initiative of the Judicial Branch to educate the public and

preserve our Navajo language.


Judicial Branch employees had the chance to learn strategies to enhance customer service skills at the 2018 Navajo

Nation Human Resources Summit July 25-26, 2018.

Dr. Chenoah Bah Stilwill-Jensen was one of the keynote speakers on July 25. During her remarks, she encouraged

employees to receive training in peacemaking and to use peacemaking for conflict management in the workplace.

“We will be stronger as a Diné nation if we teach k’é,” Stilwell-Jensen said.

The same premise was reflected in remarks by keynote speaker Justin Jones the following day at the closing session

of the HR Summit. Jones noted that when you utilize k’é, you are dealing not just with customers but with relatives.

Incorporating k’é and Diné teachings was a central topic at the summit with presentations such as Improving Cus-

tomer Service Through Diné Language and Teachings by Andy Nez and Kinship Starts With You by T.J. Anderson,

Jr. Nez’s presentation utilized the Navajo wellness model or Shá bik’eh ‘as’ah ‘oodááł as the theoretical framework for

incorporating Diné language and teachings into the work place. One example he used is the hogan as a structure. As

children, we are taught not to run around inside a hogan, to sit still and to show respect. During his presentation, he

asked employees to come up with ideas how they can include Diné language and culture in their offices. Some sugges-

tions were as simple as answering the phone with, “Yá’ át’ ééh,” and putting up signage in the Diné language. In his

presentation, Anderson spoke about how each clan carries specific duties and that each person comes from a sacred

site. He said that in a Navajo basket, the center is where the Emergence story begins and the fibers represent the clans.

Another common subject at the summit was in caring for one’s self and family to improve customer service because

self-care is reflected in how employees treat customers. There were breakout sessions on Healthy Families, Navajo

Social and Professional Roles, Health and Wellness, and Stress Management that integrated this concept.

Other breakout sessions included Navajo Women in Leadership, Personality IQ, Ethics, and Navajo Preference in

Employment Act.

The overall theme of the summit was, “Enhancing Opportunities through Customer Service from Hire to Retire—

Diné bá neilnish.” The summit was sponsored by the Navajo Nation Division of Human Resources and was free for

Navajo Nation employees. ●

Judicial Branch employees enhance customer service skills

Dr. Chenoah Bah Stilwell-Jensen speaks to conference attendees on July 25.

www.navajocourts.org

September 5, 018

Pro Se Class. Kayenta Judicial District. 81 a.m.

Pro Se Class. Chinle Judicial District. 9 a.m.—

Name change, correction of record, declaration

of a name.

September 6, 018

Navajo Nation Fair Ashkii Happy Kids Day.

9:11 a.m. at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds,

Window Rock.

September 80, 018

Pro Se Class. Chinle Judicial District. 9:11

a.m.—Probate.

September 8 , 018


a.m.—Validation of common law marriage,;

recognition of traditional marriage; dissolution

of marriage; paternity, child support, custody

or visitation; modification of child support/,

custody, visitation; how to answer a petition.

September 06, 018


a.m.—Guardianship of a minor.

October 3, 018

Pro Se Class. Chinle Judicial District. Name

change, correction of record, declaration of a

name.

October 5, 018

Pro Se Class, Aneth Judicial District. 0:11 p.m.

to 4:11 p.m.

October 81, 018


a.m.—Probate.

October 87, 018


a.m.—Validation of common law marriage,;

recognition of traditional marriage; dissolution

of marriage; paternity, child support, custody

or visitation; modification of child support/,

custody, visitation; how to answer a petition.

October 89, 018


October 04, 018


a.m.—Guardianship of a minor.

November 0, 018


November 80, 018

VETERAN’S DAY (Observed) - Holiday. Judi-

cial Branch closed.

November 08-03, 018

Thanksgiving and Family Day - Holiday. Judi-

cial Branch closed.

December 04-05, 018

Christmas Eve and Day - Holiday. Judicial

Branch closed.

December 38, 018

New Year’s Eve - Holiday. Judicial Branch

closed.

Upcoming events

Documents

ashkééjí ahat'á ahaneʹ...BINI’ANIT’Ą Ą TSOH ashkééjí ahat'á 2018 ahaneʹ Staff from the To’hajiilee/Alamo Judicial District took the opportunity to take the Judicial