Most respondents for the most serious law-and-order problems question provided lists
with multiple issues or crimes, and often indicated the interrelatedness of several crimes. Thus,
crimes seem to come in related bundles. Drug and alcohol offenses were seen by many
respondents as root causes of other related crimes and law-and-order issues. If we consider each
respondent’s response as a bundle of related issues or crimes, rather than independent issues,
then another way of observing and analyzing the most serious law-and-order problems data is
possible. For example, a respondent might say that the most serious law-and-order problems are
drug use, alcohol use, domestic violence, and violence. Each respondent gave a list of most
serious law-and-order problems.
By counting the number of responses that include drug
offenses, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence, a measure of the three most frequent law-andorder problems is achieved. Those respondents who do not mention alcohol, drug abuse, or
domestic violence, then are counter cases and are suggesting alternative interpretations for the
Percentage of
respondents
citing drug
offenses, alcohol
abuse, or
domestic violence
Reservation
Residents
Law Enforcement
Personnel
Criminal Justice
Personnel
Public Law 280
Non-Public Law
280
78.6%
N=154
n=121
92.6%
N=27
n=25
76%
N=50
n=38
80%
N=65
n=52
87.5%
N=16
n=14
93.1%
N=29
n=27
Figure 10.11
most serious law-and-order problems. Instead of considering each issue or crime in isolation,
301
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
respondent lists are counted as interrelated bundles of crime or law-and-order issues. As shown
in Figure 10.11,
our sample in a 2X3X2 log-linear analysis yields no statistically significant
results for jurisdiction, group, or interaction effects. Public Law 280 and non-Public Law 280
respondents agree that drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence and related crimes
and issues are the most serious law-and-order problems (G square = .08, df = 1, p=.78, NS).
Reservation residents, law enforcement personnel, and criminal justice personnel agree that drug
offenses, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and related crimes and issues are the most serious
law-and-order problems for reservations (G square = 2, df = 2, p=.37, NS). The interaction
effect is not significant (G square = 8.1, df = 7, p = .32, NS).
Respondents say that the most serious law-and-order problems are drug offenses, alcohol
abuse, and domestic violence. All groups in both jurisdictions agree that drug offenses, alcohol
abuse, domestic violence, and related crimes and issues are the most serious law-and-order
problems confronting reservation communities.
Some comments about drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence as the most
serious problems for law and order include:
Drugs. Without a doubt. Drugs. And alcohol … methamphetamines? I think that
is probably the worse one, yeah.
Like every reservation, the bulk of the crime is transient children, child sexual
assaults.
It’s got to be your most prevalent crime anywhere on a reservation.
Narcotics. (On the reservation), they have got some narcotics issues up there.
And then the small crimes would be thefts and domestic violence.
I think drugs is one of them. I know there is a lot of drugs going on up there. …
There has been a number of murders because of drinking and getting beat up.
Gang fights.
Our most serious problems are chemical and drug use. Definitely. We do have a
large concern with, because of human services, we have a lot of concern with
domestic child-protection issues. Actually, criminal activities are farther down the
list than chemical dependency issues, the drug use, child protection issues, like
that.
Theft and drugs. And drugs among young people. 12-, 13-, 14-year-olds, that I
know adults are providing for them, and how come we are not catching them? If
we know, everybody seems to know who is who, but nobody will tell us.
Sexual abuse of children and women, adult women ... the violence.
302
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Domestic violence ... I think domestic violence and chemical dependence … I
don’t think we [have] ever had a domestic violence where there wasn’t alcohol
involved.
Drugs, alcohol, and domestic abuse.
Assaults, domestic assaults, stealing of cars, intoxication.
I would say just
violence in general.
I think the drug use is a large problem here. There is a lot of crack,
methamphetamine use, and joblessness creates that problem. On this reservation,
we have a high population and a small land base, and there are no jobs. ... There is
a homelessness here. … If homelessness is at 581 (families) now, it will be over
1,000 in 10 years.
(T)here are limited jobs, and with unemployment comes a lot of problems that
come hand-and-hand with unemployment. And there tends to be high alcoholism
rates with higher unemployment rates, and domestic violence issues are higher.
So, I would say that drugs and alcohol and domestic violence would be pretty
serious problems, not only on the reservation here but in the surrounding
communities, as well.
Probably DUI. We are having a lot of people being beaten up and just left to die.
That is serious beating up … they use all kinds of weapons now. And most times
they are violent, either on drugs or under the influence of alcohol, and they are
really violent. We are finding that a lot of older people drink, they get out or lose
control, and the kids take advantage of that opportunity and beat them up. ... Now
we are getting into drugs. Meth ... it’s a major epidemic here, and it’s not good.