The Oglala Sioux Tribe has received a 3-year, $450,000 federal grant to hire an additional tribal prosecutor to pursue domestic violence and sexual abuse cases in tribal and federal court.
The position is part of a new federal program created to help combat the growing problem of violence against women on the nation’s reservations. The Oglala Sioux is one of only 5 tribes to receive a grant this year.
U-S Attorney for South Dakota Ron Parsons says the new Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) will allow his office and that of OST Attorney General Scott James to work together more closely.
Parsons says “working closely with the Oglala Sioux Tribe to protect victims and prosecute violent offenders for crimes committed on tribal land is a top priority” for him and he’s looking forward to partnering with James in “this critically important initiative.”
Parsons says the Tribal SAUSA will increase the collaborative efforts of the two offices to hold violent offenders accountable and bring justice to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse living on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
He also says it will help the tribe take an even more robust approach to safeguarding domestic and sexual abuse victims and their families on the reservation