Making the Cherokee Nation Safer

On Monday, the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council approved the Cherokee Nation Law and Order Act - an act meant to deter Native Americans from committing crime on tribal land by imposing stiffer fines and jail time.

Cherokees convicted of serious crimes such as manufacturing methamphetamines or child abuse now face up to three years in jail and up to a $15,000 fine in Cherokee Nation District Court. Prior to the act, the law allowed just a one-year maximum sentence and up to $5,000 fine for all crimes.

Stalking, newly added to the code, now carries up to a $5,000 fine or one-year sentence, as does domestic abuse. 

We have a responsibility to protect our people and make the Cherokee Nation as safe as possible. The passage of this new act shows how serious we are about crime prevention and prosecuting those offenders who violate the law within the Cherokee Nation’s jurisdictional boundaries. New penalties to deter crime and reduce victimization will only improve Cherokee Nation’s public safety mission.


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