DOJ PRESS RELEASE

Justice Department Awards Nearly $444 Million to Support Violence Intervention Efforts

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced nearly $444 million in grant awards to support a wide range of violence reduction efforts, including community-based violence intervention and prevention strategies, youth and school violence prevention programs and evidence-based police and prosecution practices.  Funding will also support research on civil disturbances, school safety and violence against women.

“No two communities are the same, and the Justice Department is committed to supporting efforts that build on local expertise to confront violence,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.  “These grants will help experts embedded in communities across the nation do the vital work of reducing violence and ensuring access to justice.”

In April, the Biden-Harris Administration identified a number of federal investments that would be leveraged to address the rise in gun violence and other violent crime in communities across America.  President Biden’s Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety, announced in June, outlined steps the federal government would take to curb the rise in violent crime in cities across America, deploying a range of resources from prevention and intervention activities to reentry programs.  The programs listed below will be a key part of the White House’s strategy.

“The safety of our communities depends not on enforcement alone, but on evidence-based interventions that address the root causes of crime and that bring together stakeholders from every sector to tackle our most pressing challenges,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP.  “These investments reflect a commitment that extends across this administration to revitalize our neighborhoods, building bonds of civic trust and ending the cycle of trauma and violence that destroys too many lives and keep far too many Americans from realizing their potential.”

Funding is made available through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

• More than $84.9 million is being awarded under BJA’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program-Local Solicitation. The JAG Program is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to units of local government.  This program supports efforts to prevent and reduce violent crime and strength the criminal justice system.
• More than $187 million is being awarded under BJA’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program-State Solicitation.  Funds awarded to a state under this program may be used to hire additional personnel and/or purchase equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance and information systems for criminal justice purposes.  These awards were announced previously.
• BJA is awarding $73.7 million under the Preventing School Violence:  BJA’s STOP School Violence Program, which is designed to improve K-12 school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to and help prevent acts of violence and ensure a positive school climate.  These awards were announced previously.
• Another $6.4 million is being awarded under BJA’s Smart Policing Initiative, which enables law enforcement agencies to effectively use evidence-based practices, data and technology.
• BJA is awarding over $2.8 million under its Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative for Law Enforcement Agencies.  This program provides competitive grants and technical assistance to small law enforcement agencies in rural locations to address the unique challenges these departments face in combating violent crime.
• Another $3.6 is being awarded under BJA’s Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Training and Technical Assistance Provider.  This initiative is intended to improve communication and collaboration between state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to address the unique criminal justice challenges in rural areas.
• More than $4 million will be awarded under BJA’s Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative.  This program assists state, local and Tribal law enforcement with enhancing their investigative and prosecutorial resources to improve their ability to hold violent gun offenders accountable and reduce violent crime.
• BJA is awarding more than $17.5 million under its Project Safe Neighborhoods.  This program, led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices, is designed to create and foster safer communities through a sustained collaboration and identifying and addressing the most significant drivers of violence in their districts.  These awards were announced previously.
• Another $2 million is being awarded under BJA’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Training and Technical Assistance Program.  This opportunity will establish a cooperative agreement with one training and technical assistance provider to further develop the Project Safe Neighborhoods National Training and Technical Assistance Program, which will support and deliver training and technical assistance to criminal justice professionals and research partners.
• BJA is awarding $18.8 million under its Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program, which will fund a strategic approach to crime reduction in local jurisdictions that leverages community knowledge and expertise to build public trust with law enforcement and make neighborhoods safer.
• Another $750,000 is being awarded under BJA’s Smart Suite Training and Technical Assistance Program, which supports building partnerships between researchers and practitioners to improve local outcomes and programs.
• BJA is also awarding $7.1 million under its Smart Prosecution – Innovative Prosecution Solutions program, which provides state, local and Tribal prosecutors with funding to secure resources that will help reduce crime and increase public safety.
• OJJDP is awarding another $14.9 million under its Comprehensive Youth Violence Prevention and Reduction Program.  Funding for this program is to prevent and reduce youth violence, including gang violence.
• OJJDP is awarding $7 million under its Strategies to Support Children Exposed to Violence program to develop or enhance support services for children exposed to violence and to implement community violence intervention strategies.  Funding also supports training and technical assistance to program sites.
• Supplemental funding of nearly $925,000 supports the continued operation of the National Gang Center.  The center provides leadership, information and training and technical assistance on comprehensive, community-based anti-gang initiatives, including gang prevention, intervention, enforcement and reentry.
• NIJ is awarding nearly $2 million on Research and Evaluation on Policing Strategies for Civil Disturbances, which will fund research projects addressing police strategies and tactics to respond to violence and maintain order.  Funded research will also address the role of extremists in fomenting violence at protests and demonstrations.
• NIJ is awarding another $2.4 million on Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women, which will fund rigorous research and evaluation projects to support the development of objective and independent knowledge and validated tools to reduce violence against women, promote justice for victims of crime and enhance criminal justice responses.  This amount includes funding for research on issues around violence against Indian women.
• NIJ is awarding over $1.4 million on Research and Evaluation on School Safety, which will fund rigorous research and evaluation projects to study the root causes of school violence to include the impact and effectiveness of grants made under the STOP School Violence Act.

Once the awards are made, information about the grantees selected under each solicitation can be found online at the OJP Grant Awards page.

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law.  More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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Press Release Number:  21-1300

OFFICE:  bja.ojp.gov
CONTACT:  Tannyr Watkins at 202-532-3923 or [email protected]

OFFICE:  nij.ojp.gov
CONTACT:  Sheila Jerusalem at 202-598-0793 or [email protected]

OFFICE:  ojjd.ojp.gov
CONTACT:  Lauren Lambert at 202-598-9799 or [email protected]