*******PUBLICATION ADVISORY*******

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RELEASES REPORT ON PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGIES
FOR MORTGAGE FRAUD AND FORECLOSURE CRISIS

WASHINGTON - With foreclosures, housing vacancies, and mortgage fraud at all-time highs, the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced a new report outlining strategies for government and law enforcement officials in responding to these challenges. The report provides an overview of law enforcement and government responses to mortgage fraud, foreclosure, and abandoned property, drawing on focus groups which included representatives from Indio, Calif., Dallas, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Miami, as well as researchers, policymakers, and advocates from financial, housing, and law enforcement organizations. The report is a detailed snapshot of mortgage fraud and foreclosures, their causes, their impacts on neighborhood safety, and jurisdictions' responses.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has seven components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at https://ojp.gov.

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