Importance of culture in measuring tribal crime seriousness: scoping review of crime seriousness indices

Abstract

Understanding crime trends provides policymakers with needed information to effectively use scarce resources to keep communities safe. Native nations in the US, who retain criminal and civil jurisdiction on their lands, rely on national data collected by the federal government with little tribal input. These data may not accurately reflect the community’s situation or the values they hold. Developing a tribal crime seriousness index may provide an elegant way to bridge this gap. This paper catalogs and identifies the methods for developing crime seriousness indices and provides a critical discussion of the role culture plays in the conceptualization of crime.

Keywords:

• crime index
• crime trends
• cultural relevance
• indigenous

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon request from the correesponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Justice under grant number 2019-75-CX-0013.

Notes on contributors

Lorinda Riley

Lorinda Riley is an Assistant Professor in the Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health program at the University of Hawaiʻi. She holds a SJD in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona.

Cassandra Park

Cassandra Park is a MPH student in the Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health Specialization at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi Mānoa with an interest in Indigenous evaluation.