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Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts Publications
As part of TLPI's Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Training and Technical Assistance Project, the following publication series features resources on the fundamentals of, as well as innovations within the Healing to Wellness Court/Drug Court model.
Formalizing Healing to Wellness Courts in Tribal Law (2022) tracks the ways in which Tribes have drafted Wellness Courts into tribal law. Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts are restorative justice components of the Tribal Court. To the extent they operate a docket, adjudicate cases, and most critically, heal and restore members and the community, some Tribes have noted their existence in the Tribal code. Because each Tribe is structurally and culturally unique, there is no one correct way to promulgate a Wellness Court into Tribal law, or if that exercise is even necessary. This publication identifies the considerations for code drafting, identifies variations, and pushes Tribes to contemplate how the Wellness Court operates in relation to other parts of the Tribal judiciary and Tribal law.
Intergovernmental Collaboration is intended to assist Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts interested in building intergovernmental collaborations, including tribal-state collaborations. Whether a Wellness Court has been operational for decades or is still in the planning process, collaboration is essential. This resource frames the subject by providing a brief history of Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, discusses some common traits found in existing collaborations, and then uses those common traits to discuss actual collaborations that are operating in the Tribal Wellness Court context. (2021)
The Key Components discusses the foundational elements of the Healing to Wellness Court model—detailing the 10 key components and recommended practices for tribal justice systems to consider as they design, develop, and implement a Tribal Healing to Wellness Court. (2nd ed. 2014)
The Treatment Guidelines provides tribal communities with an overview of Western substance abuse treatment strategies. This guideline draws upon drug court standards and best practices, and the experiences of hundreds of tribal and state adult and juvenile drug courts. (2nd ed. 2017)
The Judicial Bench Book overviews the role of the Healing to Wellness Court judge which differs dramatically from the adversarial trial court judge, both in mechanics and in philosophy. In Wellness Court, the judge serves as the captain or the coach of the team, focused on healing and collaboration. This publication orients and serves the Wellness Court judge while on the bench and includes Bench Cards intended to serve as tools that package relevant information in an abbreviated format. (2016)
Case Management provides Wellness Courts and their staff a guide to effective case management and the case manager role. This resource discusses the drug court case management standards, the functions of case management within a Wellness Court, the models and ethics of case management, data and evaluation, and the role of case management can be functionally and ethically shared by other members of the Wellness Court team. (2018)
The Policies and Procedures Guide overviews the key considerations for what should be included in an adult Wellness Court Policies and Procedures manual, including team members’ roles, phase systems, and drug testing. This publication provides excerpts from fifteen operational manuals. (2015)
Overview of Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts provides a brief overview of Healing to Wellness Courts,
exploring some of the unique opportunities and challenges faced in implementation and operation. (2nd. ed. 2014)
This Program Development Guide provides step-by-step recommendations for the design, development, and implementation of Tribal Healing to Wellness Court programs from a practical standpoint. (Draft 2002)
Perceptions of Methamphetamine Use details the perceptions of professionals from three Western Tribal communities who were asked to complete a survey about meth use and implications for child abuse in the communities in which they worked. (2007)