No Justice Out Here

An investigation by The Denver Post reveals that many Native Americans living on reservations are subject to a "systemic failure" of the very justice system that is supposed to protect them.

Friday, November 14, 2008:
This week on Exposé: a new episode online and on Bill Moyers Journal (check local listings). Justice for all? Not throughout many of the nation's Indian reservations.  Because of a strange tangle of laws, the Justice Department is responsible for investigating and prosecuting major crimes on most reservations.  Mike Riley from The Denver Post found a "dangerously dysfunctional" system where terrible crimes are committed, investigations bungled, and prosecutions rare. The result: Indian reservations -- already some of the poorest and most crime-plagued communities in America -- have become what one Navajo official calls "lawless lands."

Meet RJ Sangosti, the photographer who went to several reservations and chronicled the lives of people directly affected by this broken system. Learn about the obstacles law enforcement faces on the reservation. Hear from the producers about the difficulties of filming on the reservation. On the Bill Moyers Journal site: Ask the reporter about his investigation by submitting questions to the Blog. Navigate the history and the ongoing legislative back and forth between Washington and Indian Country.