ATNI Resolves to Protect American Indigenous Prisoners’ Religious Freedoms

May 17th, 2013

This week, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) resolved that it “denounces and opposes any inappropriate or illegal federal, state or local government restriction upon incarcerated American Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights to believe, express, and exercise traditional indigenous religion, including any such restriction that does not advance the shared penological goals of federal, state and American indigenous governments or that was not preceded by meaningful tribal consultation with affected ATNI tribes or other American indigenous governments.”

ATNI further resolved to denounce and oppose “the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s ’emergency’ amendments to Section 3190(b) of the California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Crime Prevention and Corrections, and related regulatory restrictions regarding American Indigenous Peoples’ religious properties and sweatlodge ceremonies, because those state regulations violate federal, state and international law, were promulgated without any consultation with American indigenous governments, and are contrary to the penological interest of rehabilitating incarcerated American Indigenous Peoples.”

To read ATNI Resolution #13-63, click here.