With a population of 17,519 tribal members, comanche nation is a federally recognized tribe located in comanche county, oklahoma

The Comanche Nation was awarded $899,989 under the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance Tribal Justice Systems Formula Grant program (CFDA 16.608) to establish a Healing to Wellness Court (HTWC). The HTWC will provide court diversion, legal assistance, and counseling services to address substance abuse issues among tribal members in Comanche County, Oklahoma. Specifically, the HTWC will partner with tribal behavioral health stakeholders to deliver therapeutic services and case management for program participants and their families. The HTWC aims to help individuals struggling with drugs and alcohol while also improving community wellbeing. By allowing offenders to receive support while remaining in their community, the HTWC seeks to facilitate family reunification, which Comanche cultural values emphasize, and allow participants to continue working and caring for loved ones. The five-year award period runs from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2026.

With this funding, a healing to wellness court will be established to provide court diversion, legal assistance, and counseling services which would benefit the comanche nation, both by helping individuals in their personal struggles with drugs and alcohol as well as improving community wellbeing in the nation as a whole. To address three identified primary gaps: (1) a specialty diversion court dedicated to serving tribal members struggling with substance abuse, (2) therapeutic counseling and support services for defendants and their families, and (3) legal advice and consultation for defendants and their families, we describe in our narrative a three-pronged approach to address the identified problems-one of which includes the development of a healing to wellness court. Htwc will partner with tribal behavioral health stakeholders to provide therapeutic services and case management to htwc clients and their families as they proceed through the program. Comanche cultural values make family reunification a high priority, and the alternatives available once a htwc is established will allow offenders to remain in the community where they can continue to work, care for loved ones, and contribute to society.