By Tom Robertson
Minnesota Public Radio
WHITE EARTH INDIAN RESERVATION, Minn. — In a purification ritual, eight men in a garage huddle around a drum, as a haze of burnt sage hangs in the air. The drummers, all of whom have done time in prison, sing a song that honors the pipe and tobacco used in traditional ceremonies.
The group is part of Red Road Home, a pilot program based in Bemidji that aims to help former inmates from the White Earth, Red Lake and Leech Lake reservations stay out of prison.
American Indians make up less than 2 percent of Minnesota’s total population, but they account for more than 8 percent of adult offenders in the state’s prison system. In January, 789 of 9,429 state inmates were American Indians. Indians are also more likely to reoffend and get sent back to prison.
Full Story: Minn. program uses American Indian culture to target prison recidivism