Native American tribes in the Northwest are calling on Washington lawmakers to do more to help incarcerated Indigenous people who have been dying in local jails.
Citing a handful of Native Americans who have died behind bars recently, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians say jails run by counties and cities need to do a better job treating incarcerated people dealing with drug use, withdrawal symptoms and suicide.
They want to see lawmakers set new jail policies and institute better training for corrections deputies. The consortium’s membership fluctuates, but officials say they currently represent roughly 50 tribes across Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, northern California and western Montana.
Native American tribes in the Northwest are calling on Washington lawmakers to do more to help incarcerated Indigenous people who have been dying in local jails.
Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network
“It’s important that corrections personnel and leadership have a good understanding of these challenges that American Indians face when they are incarcerated,” said Leonard Forsman, the consortium’s president.
The tribes made their demands in an official resolution. The tribes met for their annual conference earlier this month.
At least seven Indigenous people have died by suicide in local jails in the last five years. That includes Ivan Howtopat, whose family in January filed a $20 million tort claim against Klickitat County. His family alleges jail staff made multiple missteps and ignored his withdrawal symptoms, leading to his suicide.
Fourteen Indigenous people died in local jails in Oregon and Washington between 2008 and 2018, according to a 2019 investigation by OPB, KUOW and the Northwest News Network. That amounted to 4.5% of jail deaths in that period, despite the Indigenous populace comprising less than 2% of the states’ populations.
In Washington state, standards for the day-to-day operations of a jail are very broad. Each local government is required to adopt its own standards that at least comply with state and federal constitutions.
Jails are charged with not only incarcerating a person but also managing their overall health. They are often the biggest piece of a county sheriff’s budget, accounting for dozens of staff and a variety of equipment and medical services.
In addition to the state’s standards, several organizations offer accreditation for jails for following policies from operations to correctional health care.
The tribes want lawmakers to add to corrections deputies’ training when they enter the state academy. They said corrections deputies should be trained on substance use withdrawal management, when to refer a person to a medical provider and how to recognize the increased risk of suicide in a person.
Deputies should be trained on “Tribal or Indigenous cultural competency,” as well, the tribes said.
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians is one of the most active consortiums of Native American affairs in the country, Forsman said. The group works closely with the National Congress of American Indians when advocating on national issues.