The Archaeological Resources Protection Act - Twenty Five Years Later

In 1979, Congress passed the Archaeological Resources Protection Act ( ARPA ) to protect archaeological resources and sites found on Indian and public lands and to promote the study and evaluation of these resources through increased cooperation between governmental authorities, the professional archaeological community, and private individuals. Now twenty-five years old, ARPA has been one of the principal federal laws used to protect archaeological resources. The article examines the few reported decisions which have interpreted some of the key criminal and civil penalty provisions under ARPA, as well as the application of the Sentencing Guidelines to criminal violations under the Act