Most Indigenous Tribes reject the death penalty for their community

most of the indigenous tribes have chosen not to use the death penalty to punish citizens who've committed federal crimes on their land. a tribe's decision to opt out of the death penalty is not made on a case-by-case basis; it's an overarching policy.

"congress expanded the list of death penalty eligible crimes in the mid-1990's, allowing tribes to decide if they wanted their citizens subject to the death penalty," said russell contreras and felicia fonseca, reporters for the associate press.

since 1994, only one tribe, the sac and fox nation of oklahoma, uses the death penalty. tribes have opted out for cultural and religious views, lack of fairness in the justice system and past treatment of indigenous people. tribal council speaker lorenzo bates says, "navajos see life as precious, good or bad, and so we don't pick or choose...all life is precious." 

16 tribal folks have been executed since 1976 for crimes committed off tribal land, or in states where the federal government does not have jurisdiction over major crimes committed on reservations. also, tribes cannot opt out of the death penalty for some federal crimes, including carjacking, kidnapping resulting in death, or killing a federal officer on reservation land.