Task force: Tribes need more authority, dollars to protect kids

Sarah Deer
The justice system is also at the heart of William Mitchell College of Law professor Sarah Deer's work as a legal scholar and advocate for Native American women living on reservations. Deer is among the 21 winners of this year's MacArthur Foundation "genius grants."
Courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Washington lawmakers need to give American Indian tribes more authority and more money to effectively protect children from violence. A federal task force delivered that message to Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday.

Holder and federal lawmakers will now assess which of the task force's recommendations can be implemented.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Sarah Deer, a professor at William Mitchell College of Law and a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. She worked closely with the task force in developing its recommendations.

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