DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES OVER $1 MILLION IN AWARDS TO ENFORCE UNDERAGE DRINKING LAWS

        WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced awards of more than $1 million to Arizona, California, Hawaii and Montana to enforce state and local underage drinking laws. The awards are made through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Discretionary Program, "Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking," and focuses on preventing alcohol consumption by underage military personnel.

        "Law enforcement must work together with communities to stop the effects of underage drinking," said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. "These discretionary awards will enable the communities and military installations affected to end the tragic and unintended consequences of alcohol related deaths, injuries and property damage."

        Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) is the only federal initiative directed exclusively toward preventing underage drinking. The 2006 EUDL Discretionary Program focuses on reducing the availability and consumption of alcoholic beverages by underage service personnel on four U.S. Air Force (USAF) bases. Funding will be used to support the development and implementation of comprehensive plans to change base and community policies that support high risk drinking to develop alternative social activities and to involve all affected community groups on and off the base in a collaborative effort to reduce youth access to alcohol.

        The 2006 EUDL Discretionary Program is a partnership between OJP's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the USAF, and the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which will independently evaluate this initiative. The states and USAF installations receiving the funding are:

        Arizona–Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Luke Air Force Base             $221,884
        California–Beale Air Force Base                                          $350,000
        Hawaii–Hickam Air Force Base                                             $350,000
        Montana–Malmstrom Air Force Base                                                 $350,000

        The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises five component bureaus and an office: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at www.ojp.usdoj.gov.

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