The Cayuga Nation has taken another step in establishing its own judicial system, as federal representative Clint Halftown and his council have signed a contract with a Pennsylvania prison to house inmates arrested by the nation’s police force.
Late last week, Cambria County commissioners approved a three-year agreement between Cambria County Prison and the Cayuga Nation. Cambria County Prison Warden Christian Smith said the contract was effective immediately, meaning the nation can begin transferring Native American inmates to the facility, although the nation has yet to secure federal approval for its police department.
Smith said the agreement was modeled after a similar arrangement between the prison and the Oneida Nation, which has been in place since 2000. As such, Smith said, the Cayuga Nation will have to cover the cost associated with housing its inmates, approximately $85 per day.
Cayuga Nation Police Department Superintendent Mark Lincoln said this was the nation’s latest move in creating its own tribal justice system. Lincoln was named the nation’s first superintendent of police last month.
