Judge Abby Abinanti Is Fighting for Her Tribe—and for a Better Justice System

Once considered illegitimate, Native American peacemaking courts offer a model for criminal-justice reform.

Judge Abby Abinanti is one of a growing number of tribal judges nationwide
incorporating traditional culture into their courtrooms, with the dual
aim of rehabilitating individuals and providing justice to people often
failed by the regular criminal-justice system. Abinanti, whose court was
recently described in a federal assessment as “extremely fair and
balanced in its rulings,” is more likely to ask defendants to devise
their own ways to atone for a crime or settle a dispute than to slap
them with fines or incarceration. As Abinanti explains, “I’m looking at:
How did we resolve things before our cultural interruption, when
invasion occurred? We were village people, and we sat around and had
discussions. My purpose is to help you think up how to make it right if
you made a mistake…. For me, jail is banishment. It’s the last resort.”



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