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Tribal Jurisdiction Program Fact Sheet

Tribal Jurisdiction Program

OVW's Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program (Tribal Jurisdiction Program) supports Tribal governments in preparing to exercise or exercising Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) over non-Indians who commit covered crimes—domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, assault of Tribal justice personnel, child violence, obstruction of justice, sex trafficking, and protection order violations—within the Tribe's jurisdictional boundaries. 

Tribal Jurisdiction Program funding may be used to:

  • strengthen Tribal criminal justice systems to assist Tribes in exercising STCJ, including law enforcement; prosecution; trial and appellate courts; supervision systems; detention and corrections; treatment, rehabilitation, and reentry programs and services; culturally appropriate services and assistance for victims and their families; and criminal codes and rules of criminal procedure, appellate procedure, and evidence;
     
  • provide indigent criminal defendants with licensed defense counsel at no cost to the defendant in criminal proceedings in which a participating Tribe prosecutes covered crimes;
     
  • ensure that, in criminal proceedings in which a participating Tribe exercises STCJ, jurors are summoned, selected, and instructed in a manner consistent with all applicable requirements; and
     
  • accord victims of covered crimes rights that are similar to the rights of a crime victim described in 18 U.S.C §3771(a), consistent with Tribal law and custom.

Eligible Applicants

Governments of Indian Tribes that have jurisdiction over Indian country or occupy a village in Alaska* are eligible applicants, as are consortia of such governments. Tribes at any stage of exploring STCJ are eligible to apply.

*For information about preparing to seek Attorney General designation to exercise STCJ under the Alaska Pilot Program, visit the Department of Justice webpage on the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 Alaska Pilot Program.

Apply for Funding

Updated September 18, 2026