About

The Native American Network was created by JMI, under funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) and renamed to the Wičhóyaŋke Network. Wičhóyaŋke [wičhá-oyáŋke] is a Lakota word that means “strengthening community.”

The Wičhóyaŋke Network is a convening of Indigenous leaders from both the community and the criminal justice system, who have lived experience of implementing strategies to assist Indigenous communities to overcome the traumas and effects of racial disparities within the criminal justice system. 

The network is designed for community leaders and justice professionals with an interest in eliminiating racial disparities and combating the intergenerational impact of oppression within local criminal justice systems.

Mission

The network’s mission is to identify Indigenous community-led solutions and strategies that have successfully helped in lowering or eliminating racial disparities in community criminal justice systems related to the incarceration of Indigenous people. The ultimate goal is to disseminate that information for Indigenous communities nation-wide to assist in Indigenous-led efforts to eliminate racial disparities. 

Membership

The network utilizes peer-to-peer community-building to identify drivers causing racial overrepresentation of Native American and Indigenous People in the justice system. The leadership committee members share efforts undertaken, both justice-system based and community-based, within each member’s community that have decreased disparity and share any obstacles that have occurred when solutions are implemented. Additionally, members explore solutions through discussion, learning workshops, and assistance from subject matter experts.