Seven District Councils were created in 1984 as an extension of the Juvenile Justice Commission to advocate for effective juvenile justice at the local level. Council membership is made up of representatives from the community, elected officials, contract providers, juvenile probation officers, and others. In 2006, a Council was formed to serve the Native American Tribes in Idaho. The Council network is an integral part of the Commission.

While the role of a Council is one of facilitation and support for community efforts, they also provide the opportunity to educate local stakeholders about services needed for targeted populations and build capacity by supporting training for Best Practice approaches through their Council funds.

Each Council develops a triennial Action Plan to assess risks, needs, and resources in their communities based on the Balanced Approach framework. Due to unique political, historic, economic and social characteristics of each local community, as well as its proximity to issues affecting children and youth, each community is best suited to prioritize their problems.

The Idaho Juvenile Justice Tribal Council was formed to advise and make recommendations to the Idaho Juvenile Justice Commission on problems, policies, and programs relating to Idaho’s Native American youth who come into conflict with the law; to provide an advocacy in matters pertaining to Tribal youth; and to provide guidance with development and implementation of policies.

The tribal council has two representatives from each of the following Tribes: Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Kootenai Tribe, Nez Perce Tribe, Northwest Band of Shoshone Nation, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes.