Juvenile Justice
Through comprehensive and coordinated efforts at the federal, state, and local levels, OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) contributes to the reduction of youth crime and violence. OJJDP continues to strengthen the nation’s juvenile justice system, and supports prevention and early intervention programs that are making a difference for young people and their communities. Other OJP components, including the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Community Capacity Development Office, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime, also provide programming and research support for outreach to juveniles and their families.
Funding Opportunities
Substance Abuse & Crime
In 2005, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports estimated that there were 1,846,400 state and local arrests for drug abuse in the United States. According to BJS statistics, in 2004, 17 percent of state prisoners and 18 percent of federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs. The link between drug use and crime has been well-documented in recent years. Many organizations and government offices, including OJP, are working to reduce substance abuse in communities across the country. In FY 2008, the federal government requested $12.9 billion to reduce drug use.
At OJP, all of the grant-making components are in some way involved in weakening the link between substance abuse and crime. They are involved in many collaborative efforts to address this problem, as it affects areas ranging from housing and work life to families and health. Examples of these collaborations can be found in the OJP programs listed below. In addition, because of the cross-cutting nature of the problem, other OJP programs such as Weed and Seed address substance abuse and crime, but are not included in this chapter because that is not the primary objective of the program.
Funding Opportunities
Law Enforcement
OJP partners with many law-enforcement agencies at the state and local levels to combat crime and promote safer neighborhoods. Through formula and discretionary grant programs, training, and technical assistance, OJP works with states, communities, and tribes to ensure they have the resources necessary to provide effective law enforcement and to ensure the safety of their citizens. OJP administers a wide array of programs and research to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement. OJP assistance to law enforcement emphasizes local decision-making and is rooted in the belief that federal dollars should support initiatives that work and that are backed by the communities they serve.
Funding Opportunities
Courts
Prosecutors, judges, and court personnel are faced with increasing challenges to find approaches that will help them not only clear cases and decrease dockets but also focus more on tailoring services to lower recidivism. In addition, they face these challenges with limited resources. Throughout the country, experts find that crimes involving gun violence, mentally ill and disabled populations, and drug users require special efforts. These efforts help ensure accountability on the part of the offenders while also ensuring that offenders return to the community with the services and supervision they need to help them stop their negative behavior. Although the methods chosen to meet these needs are unique to local court personnel, OJP is committed to providing the resources, tools, and support needed to help them test their ideas.
Several OJP bureaus provide programming and research support to address court-related issues. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers programming designed to assist prosecutors in several ways, including enhancing their ability to address gun crimes. BJA also provides assistance to adult drug courts and mental health courts across the country. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention contributes to the reduction of youth crime and violence through its support of juvenile and family drug courts.
Funding Opportunities
Drug Courts
Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program/Mental Health Courts Program
Research, Statistics & Evaluation
Research is critical to the development of sound criminal justice policy, as well as to the development of advanced technologies that support the work of law enforcement agencies. Sound evaluations of methods and existing OJP grant programs are necessary to ensure the wise expenditure of taxpayer dollars. As the research, development, and evaluation agency of the Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice is engaged in innovative research and development of 21st century technology that can enhance the work of law enforcement, assist in prosecutions, and serve the cause of justice for victims and offenders.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the primary statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. Impartial, timely, and accurate statistical data are essential to guide and inform federal, state, and local policymaking on crime and the administration of justice and to improve the quality of and access to information used for decision making. The BJS Web site provides every publication released by BJS since 1995, with downloadable datasets and spreadsheets, online analytic capabilities, and graphical presentations.
Funding Opportunities
