This 93,469 sq. ft. facility houses all judicial and law enforcement functions for the Oglala Sioux Tribe in a single structure. Functional areas include four court rooms, offices for the Attorney General and Public Defender, 64 adult and 18 juvenile holding cells, and all Public Safety administrative offices including 911 dispatch and a crime lab.
Funded by a grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Justice Center serves as a model for other BIA tribal projects. The facility incorporates a number of important tribal and cultural elements, including an outdoor ceremonial circular courtyard and restorative justice courtroom. In Lakota spirituality, the circle represents wholeness – the Sacred Hoop of Life – and the circular design of the Justice Center represents the Lakota circle of life.
The project is LEED Silver certified thanks to features including geothermal heating/cooling, high-efficiency mechanical systems, enhanced commissioning, construction phase recycling, natural daylighting in the courtrooms and use of sustainable materials and practices.