Feb 04, 2012 | Sign In

By The Associated Press

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, New Mexico (AP) — A U.S. federal official for Indian affairs says making more arrests and throwing more offenders behind bars will not bring an end to the crimes against children and other violence that is plaguing many of the nation's American Indian communities.

Larry Echo Hawk, the U.S. Interior Department's assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, said Tuesday, "We need to create healthy families that will raise children that will not be diverted into avenues of crime."

The former prosecutor, state attorney general and law professor gave the keynote address at the start of a three-day national symposium focused on the protection of children in Indian country. Organizers say the symposium is the first of its kind.

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