Arizona Tribal Nations Gathering

Presenters: Kristina Pacheco, Wellness Court Specialist, Tribal Law and Policy Institute; Angie Juárez-Monger, Wellness Court Specialist, Tribal Law and Policy Institute; Jacob Metoxen, Wellness Court Legal Specialist, Tribal Law and Policy Institute

Location: 

Description: The Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) has historically planned for Tribes and Tribal representatives to gather during Tribal, state, and national conferences. The gatherings are an opportunity to highlight the latest practices, emerging trends, and topics that relate to common interests amongst Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts.

This interactive session will include Tribal Healing to Wellness Court professionals sharing common experiences and providing insight into court operations which will encourage peer-to-peer learning. Specifically, a Tribal Healing to Wellness Court will present on its efforts to establish its court and connect participants with treatment services.

In addition, TLPI closely aligns with the Tribal 10 Key Components and expects that the updated 2025 version will be available prior to the AATCP Tribal Nations Gathering. The Tribal 10 Key Components update will provide an opportunity for TLPI to discuss the advancements in Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts as far as expectations and how those expectations align with the Best Practice Standards. TLPI expects focused conversations on the procedural aspects of welcoming new participants as discussed in Key Component #3, “Screening and Eligibility” – including where referrals originate from, the intake process, and screening tools. TLPI also intends on gearing the conversation towards Key Component #7, “Intensive Supervision” due to Tribal Healing to Wellness Court staff expressing the need for technical assistance regarding drug testing – specifically staffing and location issues. In addition, based on feedback from Tribal communities, TLPI also intends on focusing the discussion on Tribal Key Component #8, “Monitoring and Evaluation,” due to the number of communities expressing the need for technical assistances regarding incentives, sanctions, and terminations.

Learning objectives:

1. Tribal Nations and representatives attending the AATCP Conference will have an opportunity to gather and share insights.

2. Tribal Nations and representatives will discuss current Tribal-specific topics including trends, challenges, and promising practices tailored to a peer-to-peer sharing format.

3. Tribal Nations and representatives will learn about technical assistance and new programming available to Tribes from TLPI.