Establishing Victim Services in an American Indian Tribal Community: A Needs Assessment.

Abstract

American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) communities experience a disproportionate number of violent crimes compared with other populations. Tribal-based services for victims are lacking on smaller reservations. A needs assessment was conducted for a tribe in the Pacific Northwest addressing this issue. Utilizing a framework of community-based participatory research (CBPR), a survey study was conducted with tribal members and local service providers. Survey A was composed of questions constructed by a tribal working group and Survey B questions were from an existing survey. Tribal members (n = 5) indicated violence was experienced by all and witnessed by 80% of participants. Service providers (n = 17) perceived adequate but underutilization of resources. The presence of violence in the community was confirmed. Services were not routinely accessed by members. Service providers indicated knowledge gaps in the community and cultural barriers for AIAN people. The study raised awareness of violence in AIAN communities and need for additional research.