Hopi Tribe ponders site for juvenile detention facility

Tawaovi, Winslow and a site near high school possible locations

POLACCA -- The Hopi Tribe is considering placing a juvenile detention facility either in Winslow or on the Hopi Reservation, but the planning is in the early stages and the funding has yet to be approved.

Ben Nuvamsa, a consultant for the Hopi Tribe, informed the Hopi Jr/Sr High School Governing Board of the proposal during the board's regularly monthly meeting Sept. 12 in the school's conference room.

Nuvamsa brought the proposal before the school board as an informational item so they could participate in upcoming public meetings on the issue.

"We want all the stakeholders including the schools involved," he said.

The Hopi Tribe closed its juvenile detention center Nov. 4 by order of the U.S. Inspector General because it was in disrepair. Many tribal juvenile detention centers throughout America have closed during the last two years because of either overcrowding or disrepair.

The closing of the Hopi Juvenile Detention Center has hit the community particularly hard because arrested youth are transferred to Towaoc, Colo., where they are a long way from family members.

The Hopi Tribal Council approved $1 million for the planning and design of the proposed juvenile detention center, but a site has not yet been selected.

Anita Bahnimptewa, president of the Hopi Jr/Sr Governing Board and vice chairwoman of the tribe's steering committee for the juvenile detention center, said three sites are being considered. It could be placed near the campus of Hopi Jr/Sr High School or in Tawaovi, both on the Hopi Reservation, or in Winslow.

Bahnimptewa said the community has become concerned about the situation because the Colorado facility only accepts those committing the most serious crimes. This means that many youth violators are cited and released.

She said some youth are "detoxed" in police vehicles when they get out of control.

Nuvamasa, an expert on the Indian Self-Determination Act, said obtaining the land site for a juvenile detention center could be a long drawn out process. He stressed that the intent of a juvenile detention center on the Hopi Reservation wouldn't be just to incarcerate, but to rehabilitate so the individuals could become better people so they could contribute to their families and society when they are released. Nuvamsa pointed out jails are one of the top issues for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He added that the Hopi Tribal Council wants to partner with the BIA, Office of Indian Education Programs, Office of Law Enforcement and other federal agencies in the planning and design of the juvenile facility to make sure that the building meets standards and to assure that construction and operational costs are secured in a timely manner.

(Stan Bindell, former Observer editor, is journalism and radio teacher at Hopi High School.)