Bureau of Justice Assistance
Fiscal Year 1998 Program Plan
From the Director
This document is a summary of programs the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) will support in Fiscal Year (FY) 1998, but it represents more than a compilation of program titles and grantee names. It is a reflection of, among other things, the power of the concept of community justice.
Community justice has become a powerful agent of change in our nation because it recognizes that the components of the criminal justice system are most effective when they work in partnership with each other and with those they serve. Throughout this Program Plan, you will find initiatives that put the best ideas of community justice into practice by using innovative partnerships to engage communities in restoring safety to our nation's streets, workplaces, and schools.
The $1.7 billion appropriated for BJA activities in FY 1998 will support collaborative efforts in every area of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, crime prevention, corrections, courts, prosecution, probation, indigent defense, pretrial services, technology (with a special emphasis on systems integration), evaluation, and training and technical assistance. To build on the success of Open Solicitation '97, BJA will continue to seek input from state, local, and tribal practitioners on how public-private partnerships can make the criminal justice system more effective and how BJA can support communities in developing comprehensive strategies to prevent and control drug abuse.
It is our hope that Open Solicitation '98 and all BJA-funded FY 1998 programs will continue to stimulate the extraordinary efforts of dedicated public servants across America who are looking at criminal justice in new ways. Community justice has opened the criminal justice system at every level to unprecedented opportunities for collaboration across a wide range of disciplines. BJA is committed to seeking out the best of these new approaches, demonstrating and documenting their effectiveness, and replicating them in other communities.
We welcome your comments and suggestions and encourage you to write to, call, or e-mail BJA at the addresses provided in this document. Working together, we can meet the enormous challenge of assuring peace and justice in all of the nation's communities.
Nancy E. Gist
Director
Bureau of Justice Assistance
About BJA
The mission of the Bureau of Justice Assistance is to provide leadership and assistance in support of local criminal justice strategies to achieve safe communities. BJA's overall goals are to: (1) reduce and prevent crime, violence, and drug abuse; and (2) improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. To achieve these goals, BJA programs emphasize enhanced coordination and cooperation of federal, state, and local efforts. BJA's objectives in support of these goals are to:
Encourage the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to reduce and prevent crime and violence.
Encourage the active participation of community organizations and citizens in efforts to prevent crime, drug abuse, and violence.
Provide training and technical assistance in support of efforts to prevent crime, drug abuse, and violence at local, state, and national levels.
Reduce the availability of illegal weapons and develop programs to address violence in our communities.
Enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to reduce crime.
Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of all aspects of the adjudication process.
Assist states in freeing prison space for serious and violent offenders through the design, development, and implementation of effective correctional options for nonviolent offenders.
Enhance the ability of state and local agencies, in conjunction with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, to apprehend and deport criminal aliens.
Encourage and support evaluation of the effectiveness of funded programs, disseminate program results, and enhance the ability of criminal justice agencies to use new information technologies.
FY 1998 BJA Funding Streams
Byrne Formula Funds
BJA is authorized by Congress under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program to make grants to states, for use by states and local units of government, to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, with emphasis on violent crimes and serious offenders, and to enforce state and local laws that establish offenses similar to those in the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Under the Formula Grant Program (Byrne), BJA determines each state's annual grant entitlement by applying a modified population-based formula to the total amount of the appropriation. A base amount (.25 percent of the total) is guaranteed to each state, with remaining funds distributed according to population. To receive Byrne funds, each state must develop a strategic, multiyear violence prevention and drug control strategy to demonstrate that funds will be used in accordance with the purposes of the law. There are 26 legislative purpose areas to which Byrne Formula funds can be applied. States must also "pass through" a share of the funds to local jurisdictions in proportion to local agencies' share of total state criminal justice expenditures.
Byrne Discretionary Funds
BJA is authorized by Congress to award grants to public and private agencies and organizations for national-scope demonstration, training, and technical assistance programs in support of state and local criminal justice systems. Each year Congress directs BJA to award a portion of the appropriated Byrne Program funds to specified programs and organizations. These "earmarked" funds are awarded to programs such as the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program. The remaining Byrne Discretionary funds are used to continue existing demonstration programs, establish new programs, or establish or continue technical assistance programs that address the needs of the states and local jurisdictions.
In FY 1998, BJA will continue the Open Solicitation, a competitive grant program designed to support and encourage innovations at the state and local level and provide information to other jurisdictions on efforts taking place in communities across the country. The Open Solicitation competition was introduced in FY 1997 with a simplified, user-friendly application process that encouraged the participation of nontraditional applicants.
For Open Solicitation '98, BJA will solicit concept papers under one or more of the following topic areas. The topic areas were identified by practitioners working at the state and local levels and reflect major areas of interest and concern in criminal justice. BJA hopes to guide resources toward innovative approaches that address these important issues:
Community Justice
Hate Crimes
Juveniles in Adult Systems
Victimization of the Elderly
Criminal Justice Challenges for Rural and Tribal Communities
Obstacles to Justice
Indigent Defense
Integrated Information Systems
Application deadlines for Open Solicitation submissions will be announced during FY 1998.
Local Law Enforcement Block Grants
Pursuant to the provisions of the FY 1998 Appropriations Act, BJA will continue implementation of the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants (LLEBG) Program initiated in FY 1996. This program provides units of local government with funds to underwrite projects designed to reduce crime and improve public safety. Under the statutory provisions of the LLEBG Program, BJA sets aside funds to be awarded directly to units of local government within a state. The amounts are proportionate to the state's average annual number of Part 1 violent crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation compared to the average for all other states for the three most recent calendar years. However, each state receives a minimum award of .25 percent of the total amount available for formula distribution. By law, projects under this program must be funded in accordance with the following purpose areas: supporting law enforcement, enhancing security measures in and around schools, establishing or supporting drug courts, enhancing the adjudication of violent offenders, establishing multijurisdictional law enforcement task forces, enhancing crime prevention programs, and defraying the costs of indemnification insurance.
Other Programs
BJA administers several programs that are not funded through the funding streams described in this introduction. Each fiscal year, Congress places line items in BJA's appropriation for other special initiatives. These line items include funding for the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program, the National White-Collar Crime Center, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), the Watch Your Car Program, and the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program. In addition, BJA has partnered with other federal agencies to administer grant programs on their behalf. For example, BJA receives funds from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to award grants under the State Identification Systems Grants Program.
How This Program Plan Is Organized
This program plan describes programs administered by BJA in the broad categories of law enforcement, crime prevention, adjudication, corrections, comprehensive and specialized initiatives, technology and systems improvement, and evaluation. The plan emphasizes Byrne Discretionary Program funds because BJA directly controls their distribution. A separate chapter, Accessing Funds for New Programs, describes programs to be announced in FY 1998 that will be available to general or specific audiences on a competitive basis.
Chapters 1 through 8 describe BJA's overall program plan. If you are primarily interested in
accessing BJA funds, refer to Chapter 9. All other programs described in this plan are either
continuation grants to existing grantees or awards for specific grantees.
Chapter 1: Partnerships
By building on productive relationships of the past while exploring new partnerships, BJA is able to pool resources, support, and funds and apply them to current topics and gaps in the criminal justice system. Coordination with federal, state, and local partners has enabled BJA to offer new strategies, new alternatives, and new directions to performance-oriented planning. The following are just a few examples of the many new partnerships BJA has developed with federal, state, and local agencies for FY 1998.
Strategic Planning Partnerships
Strategies such as the Comprehensive Communities Program, Tribal Strategies Against Violence, and other community-based initiatives demonstrate that local strategic planning works when it is comprehensive and coordinated with state and federal resources. However, while states have a significant role in supporting local crime prevention and control strategies, local efforts often take place independently of state planning and decisionmaking. Furthermore, states and localities are assuming ever greater roles in criminal justice planning and implementation, but sometimes their efforts are not coordinated, resulting in both duplication of activities and unnecessary gaps in crime programs. Through partnerships with the Byrne State Administrative Agencies, BJA will promote model processes and planning structures that integrate state and local criminal justice strategies emphasizing collaboration, resources sharing, and balanced delivery of criminal justice services. The initiative will include an assessment of how states integrate local crime prevention and control planing into their strategic plans and the degree to which states take an active role in facilitating local planning and implementing comprehensive community-based programs. In addition, BJA will establish an institute to promote individual and team skills in developing strategic plans for comprehensive criminal justice responses in our communities.
Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation
BJA, in partnership with the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), and with input from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will launch an innovative new Web site called the Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation. The interactive site will provide step-by-step instruction for planning, designing, and conducting evaluations of state and local criminal justice programs and feature evaluation models, bibliographies, resource guides, glossaries, and examples of evaluations conducted by state and local practitioners. The Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation, which will also be available on CD-ROM, represents the most significant step in recent history in BJA's effort to build an evaluation component into all criminal justice programs and to answer the question, "What works?"
Federal Partners in Local Planning--A Systemwide Training Initiative
Through a partnership with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), and BJA, several sites will host training workshops for teams of municipal and community leaders. The curriculum will focus on strengthening the link between state and local planning efforts, U.S. Attorneys, and the federal resources they represent. Local law enforcement coordinators and NCPC will sponsor the workshops to share success stories of selected jurisdictions, identify elements and qualities of successful programs, and provide problem solving techniques through interactive sessions.
Integrated Criminal Justice Information System
BJA will work with the other OJP bureaus and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Executive Technology Board to assist state and local jurisdictions in assessing their existing system capabilities and needs and provide a blueprint or methodologie(s) for integrating their information systems.
Drug Testing in the Criminal Justice System
BJA, in partnership with the Pretrial Services Resource Center, as well as with NIJ, the Drug Courts Program Office (DCPO), and the Violence Against Women Grants Office (VAWGO), will sponsor a series of regional training workshops for state and local officials on drug testing. The workshops will be open to a wide range of criminal justice practitioners and will cover topics such as legal safeguards, equipment, information management, appropriate systemic responses to positive drug tests, and the link between substance abuse and domestic violence. The Pretrial Services Resource Center will be available for additional technical assistance upon request by individual sites.
Crimes Against the Elderly
BJA, in collaboration with the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for OJP, the other OJP bureaus, and with appropriate public and private interest groups and agencies, will conduct a focus group consisting of representatives from agencies that administer Byrne Formula Grant funds in states with large elderly populations. In an effort to develop a comprehensive approach to confront the issue of crime against the elderly, the focus group will discuss issues, developments, strategies, and recommendations to prevent and combat victimization of the elderly.
Sustainment Strategies Series
Many grantees face the challenge of finding resources to sustain their programs once federal funding has ended. To help address this issue, BJA, in coordination with the Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS) and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), will sponsor a series of workshops to discuss public/private funding support, program effectiveness, media relations, and constructing partnerships. The dates and locations of the workshops will be announced.
BJA-NIJ National Evaluation Partnership
BJA currently is funding more than 16 national evaluation projects through NIJ. Planning for FY 1998 calls for the evaluation of four initiatives that have potential national impact:
Boston Safe Neighborhood Initiative
State and Local Drug Testing Initiatives
Statewide Implementation of Multijurisdictional Task Forces
National Study of Delinquency Prevention in SchoolsSecond Phase
The results of the evaluations will be published and disseminated nationally.
Federal Team Building Initiative
Under an interagency agreement with BJA, the State Justice Institute (SJI) will provide training and technical assistance to facilitate the establishment, maintenance, and institutionalization of partnerships among courts, criminal justice agencies, treatment providers, and other organizations to promote effective responses to particular types of cases or classes of offenders. These partnerships can take many forms, including drug courts, family violence coordinating councils, sex offender management teams, and intermediate sanctions working groups. The program will encourage and foster collaborative associations with various organizations to provide assistance and expertise to interested jurisdictions
Front-End Decisionmaking in the Criminal Justice System
BJA, in partnership with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), will host a focus group to address issues involved in front-end judicial decisionmaking in the criminal justice system. The focus group will examine how judges can best be provided accurate and timely information on the threat defendants pose to themselves and public safety when making decisions on releasing or holding individuals pending trial. Topics planned for intensive discussion include using technology to better inform decisionmaking by the judiciary and improving front-end decisions involving screening and supervision in specialty courts, such as drug courts, community courts, and domestic violence courts. The focus group will develop a series of recommendations for consideration by BJA, other OJP bureaus, and NIC.
Strategic Technical Assistance Resources Initiative
OJP offices often work together on complex and fast-moving projects. Meeting this challenge successfully requires a high level of coordination in sharing information. BJA, in partnership with the other OJP agencies, and with the assistance of Aspen Systems Corporation, has taken the lead in developing the capacity to gather and automatically store information on the availability of technical assistance resources across OJP. This capacity will allow OJP offices to more rapidly and effectively respond to requests for technical assistance and training.
Partnership Conferences
The National Criminal Justice Association will assist BJA in designing and developing regional and national partnership conferences to provide opportunities for criminal justice practitioners and administrators of federal criminal justice funds to discuss emerging issues in the criminal justice policy field.
Privatization of Detention Facilities and Services
BJA will collaborate with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), NIC, and the OJP Corrections Program Office (CPO) to examine issues and practices concerning the privatization of detention facilities and services. The initiative will include a survey, to be developed by BJA, BOP, NIC, and CPO, of corrections professionals on these issues. The results will be disseminated during the 1998 CPO Conference on Privatization for State Corrections Administrators. After the conference, followup surveys will be conducted with large, as well as rural jails. The information collected through this project will be used to identify gaps in corrections programming and to develop training materials and programs on privatization issues.
Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
Services for girls in the juvenile justice system are often limited. Court-involved girls share a host of unique physical, social, and psychological problems that require early intervention and supervision programs designed differently from those for boys. BJA will partner with OJJDP to address the needs of court-involved girls, especially those who are pregnant or have children.
IACP Summit on Hate Crimes
Hate crimes have become a serious problem in our nation. Stories of bias-motivated incidents
are prevalent throughout the news media. In response, BJA and the OJP offices and bureaus will
support the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Summit on Hate Crimes,
scheduled for spring 1998. This summit will bring together law enforcement officials and
experts on hate crimes to discuss and develop strategies for addressing these crimes.
Chapter 2: Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Purpose Areas
In FY 1998, BJA will award funds to support law enforcement programs in the following legislatively mandated purpose areas:
Task Force Operations
BJA funding will support programs that integrate federal, state, and local drug law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies for the purpose of coordinating intelligence, facilitating multijurisdictional investigations, and maximizing arrests, seizures, and prosecutions. Byrne Formula funds will support statewide task force operations and LLEBG Program funds will support projects to prevent and control crime in rural areas. Byrne Discretionary Grant Program funds will continue to support ongoing drug enforcement task force initiatives in Washington, D.C., firearms trafficking programs, homicide initiatives, and task force training programs for commanders and police executives.
Eradication of Drug Supply
Byrne Formula funds will support programs that work to eliminate marijuana plants, clandestine laboratories that produce illegal controlled substances such as methamphetamine and other drugs. Byrne Discretionary funds will be used to support the ongoing Clandestine Laboratory Strategy Training Program.
Property Crimes
Byrne Formula funds will support programs that disrupt illicit commerce in stolen goods and property, including motor vehicle theft and "chop shop" operations.
White-Collar Crime
BJA Formula funds will support initiatives directed at organized crime, public corruption crimes, drug corruption in police departments, and fraud against the government. Byrne Discretionary funds will support the National White-Collar Crime Center and health fraud initiatives with emphasis on the elderly.
Police Operations
Byrne Formula funds will be used to improve the operational effectiveness of law enforcement through the use of crime analysis techniques, street sales enforcement, schoolyard violator programs, gang-related and low-income housing control programs, drug-free school zones, integrated criminal apprehension programs, statewide violent offender apprehension programs, drug recognition training, K-9 units, and juvenile gang enforcement.
Under the LLEBG Program, funds will be available for the hiring and training of additional law enforcement officers and necessary support personnel, the payment of overtime to presently employed officers and support personnel, and the procurement of equipment, technology, and other material directly related to law enforcement functions. LLEBG funds will also be available to enhance security measures in and around schools and for other facilities considered to have special risks for incidents of crime.
Financial Investigations
Byrne Formula funds will support investigations that target the identification of money laundering operations and assets obtained through illegal drug trafficking, including the development of proposed model legislation, financial investigative training, financial information-sharing systems, asset forfeiture units, and model drug control legislation aimed at assets.
Drug Trafficking in Public Housing and Domestic Violence
Byrne Formula funds will address the problems of drug trafficking and the illegal manufacture of controlled substances in public housing. Byrne Formula funds also will be used to improve the criminal and juvenile justice systems' response to domestic and family violence, child abuse, and abuse of the elderly that occurs in public housing.
Street Sales, DUI, and Gang Control
Finally, Byrne Formula funds will support programs that strengthen urban enforcement and prosecution efforts targeted at street drug sales, enforce driving under the influence (DUI) laws, and reach out to gangs or to youth who are involved in or are at risk of becoming involved in gangs. Byrne Discretionary funds will continue to support the Gang Organized Crime Narcotics Violence Enforcement Program.
FY 1998 Discretionary Programs
Continuing Programs
Comprehensive Homicide Initiative
The Comprehensive Homicide Initiative (CHI) is designed to combat homicide and increase homicide clearance rates through the development and demonstration of a multifaceted approach that can be fully documented and ultimately replicated in other jurisdictions. The recommendations of the IACP Murder Summit Report, which identified 39 prevention, intervention, enforcement, and prosecution strategies for law enforcement, the juvenile justice system, and local entities, serves as the basis for this program. Each city participating in the initiative evaluates these strategies, selecting and tailoring those that are appropriate to its situation and needs. The FY 1998 program will build upon the success of Richmond, California, a previous demonstration site.
Under Phase I of 1998 CHI funding, two new grantees will receive startup funds to develop a comprehensive and coordinated response. Within the first nine months of the project, the grantees will develop an action plan to effectively address the homicide problem in their respective jurisdiction. The objectives of Phase I are to:
Establish a comprehensive local planning team consisting of representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the juvenile justice system, schools, legislatures, community groups, social service agencies, health services, and individual residents.
Identify, analyze, and document the primary types and causes of homicides in the jurisdiction.
Develop innovative strategies and processes that have a high probability for improving the prevention, intervention, enforcement, and prosecution of homicide cases by focusing on recommendations of the IACP Murder Summit.
Following the submission of an acceptable action plan to BJA that includes strategies to reduce homicide rates and improve homicide clearance rates in the selected jurisdictions, each of the sites will be eligible for a Phase II grant to facilitate the implementation of their strategies. The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) will provide training and technical assistance to each selected site.
Drug Enforcement in Washington, D.C.
Grantee: Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Drug Enforcement Task Force
Through a grant to the Arlington County, Virginia Police Department, the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Drug Enforcement Task Force will continue to provide a visible law enforcement presence through the following activities: disrupting major links between drug suppliers, distributors, and users; initiating enforcement action against property owners who knowingly allow their property to be used in the distribution of illicit drugs; developing comprehensive intelligence systems; and coordinating with appropriate agencies to control illegal firearms used by drug organizations and drug traffickers. In addition, a regional gang tracking system will be established. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Operation Cooperation: Developing Guidelines for Security and Law Enforcement Partnerships
Grantees: Institute for Law and Justice
Hallcrest Systems, Inc.
This project is designed to develop protocols and guidelines to address the issues that have historically challenged the relationship between law enforcement and private security. Protocols, guidelines, and a companion video will be used to foster partnerships between law enforcement agencies and private security organizations throughout the United States in order to blend the combined resources of public law enforcement and private security in cooperative programs. Supplemental funds will be made available to convert the video presentation materials to CD-ROM for use in training corporate and law enforcement executives.
Training and Technical Assistance Programs
Investigative and Surveillance Technology Initiative
Grantee: Institute of Investigative Technology, Cockeysville, Maryland
The Institute of Investigative Technology (IIT) will provide, using LLEBG funding, training in investigative and surveillance technology to administrative-level officers and detectives. The training will be provided at 38 one-week training sessions at state law enforcement training facilities throughout the country. ITT will also develop a toll-free hotline to provide information to the field on selecting and using investigative and surveillance equipment and technology.
Grants Management Workshop Series
Grantee: Institute for Intergovernmental Research, Tallahassee, Florida
In both FY 1996 and 1997, BJA awarded approximately 2,800 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants to units of local government, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $33 million. The purpose of the Grants Management Workshop Series is to provide program support and technical assistance to first-time BJA grantees, including most LLEBG recipients. This assistance will be provided through a series of seminars that will focus on grants management and associated programmatic and administrative requirements.
Gang Organized Crime/Narcotics Violence Enforcement Program--Technical Assistance
Grantee: Institute for Intergovernmental Research, Tallahassee, Florida
The Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) will assist local law enforcement and prosecution agencies in addressing gang-related violence, with a special focus on drugs and firearms. IIRes. IIR will continue to provide technical support and operational performance assessment to two demonstration sites previously funded under this program and will be available to state and local criminal justice agencies engaged in or initiating similar efforts. Additionally, IIR will develop interactive CD-ROM products and videos as an additional means of providing technical assistance. A monograph describing the lessons learned from the program's demonstration sites will be published for dissemination.
Clandestine Laboratory Model Enforcement Program
Grantee: Circle Solutions, Inc., Vienna, Virginia
The Clandestine Laboratory Model Enforcement Program will continue to assist state and local policy makers and practitioners responsible for public safety resource allocation decisions related to law enforcement and hazardous chemical problems associated with clandestine manufacturing of illegal drugs. The program model, documented in the BJA monograph Developing a Strategy for a Multiagency Response to Clandestine Drug Laboratories, provides a foundation from which a comprehensive multiagency response can be developed at the state and regional levels. A trainer's guide, student's guide, and curriculum have been developed based upon this model. During the continuation period, training and followup technical assistance will be provided to practitioners in approximately 15 locations and will include a discussion of the rapid expansion of the problem of methamphetamine manufacture and use.
Training for Narcotics Task Force Commanders
Grantee: Center for Task Force Training, Tallahassee, Florida
The Center for Task Force Training (CenTF) at the Institute for Intergovernmental Research will continue to provide specialized management training to task force commanders and executives in support of the Byrne Formula and Discretionary Grant programs in the area of multijurisdictional task force approaches to narcotics trafficking. The training program will focus on management and command of investigations and prosecutions. In addition to the presentation of the core curriculum in basic and advanced command management workshops, CenTF will provide support services to task force operations in videotape training materials development. CenTF also houses a research library. During this continuation period, CenTF will design and develop a curriculum for methamphetamine drug operations investigation management and conduct approximately five workshops in this specific area.
Training for Local Law Enforcement Officers in Anti-Drug Activities Involving Illegal Aliens
Grantee: International Association of Chiefs of Police
This project will develop a seminar to improve the potential of local law enforcement to identify and cope effectively with the expanding threat of criminal aliens involved in narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities. The project is designed to provide training to local law enforcement officials on fraudulent document recognition and other procedures the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) uses to identify criminal aliens. Training will ensure that criminal alien groups are covered from a regional, as well as a national basis. During the continuation period, the grantee will revise the training curriculum to reflect recent amendments to federal immigration laws, which provide enhanced authority to state and local law enforcement agencies in dealing with illegal aliens. With additional funding provided by INS, a regional conference will be conducted during the project period on enforcement of the southwest border of the United States.
Homicide Investigation Enhancement Program--Training and Technical Assistance
Grantee: Police Executive Research Forum
PERF will continue to provide training and technical assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies to help police departments decrease rates of homicides and increase clearance rates. PERF will also develop model homicide investigation strategies and facilitate the dissemination of a homicide investigation training course developed by PERF under a separate BJA-funded grant.
Rural Law Enforcement Center
Grantee: University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas
The purpose of this project is to assess the needs of sheriffs and police chiefs in rural communities and to provide technical assistance based on those needs. The project will provide an electronic information clearinghouse for rural law enforcement officers and agencies, explore the use of case management software as an information processing tool in felony cases in four selected sites, and provide an Internet access point for rural law enforcement agencies. Technical assistance will be provided via the Internet and toll-free dial-up terminals. Needs for information and resources will be assessed though a focus group meeting of sheriffs, prosecutors, and police chiefs.
Firearms Trafficking Interdiction Technical Assistance Project
Grantee: International Association of Chiefs of Police
IACP will provide nationwide firearms trafficking technical assistance to state, county, and local law enforcement agencies based on their individual requirements and needs. Under this project, IACP will identify gaps in existing programs, projects, and services; select jurisdictions for technical assistance based on predetermined criteria; and provide technical assistance in a variety of formats including, but not limited to, publications, telecommunications, video conferencing, and single and cluster site visits.
National Firearms Trafficking Investigation Training Program and Administrative Support to the Interstate Firearms Trafficking Compact
Grantee: Police Executive Research Forum
PERF will provide training to state and local law enforcement officers about existing federal and state firearms-related statutes and will further publicize the purpose and goals of the Interstate Firearms Trafficking Compact to federal, state, and local criminal justice officials and the public. The goal of the project is to continue to inform state and local enforcement agencies about the value of gathering and sharing information on illicit firearms trafficking and to indicate how those activities will assist in the investigation, interdiction, and prosecution of cases involving the criminal misuse of illicit firearms. BJA's initial award provided funds to conduct training programs in the 14 participating Compact states and the District of Columbia. This award will expand the training program to additional states. During the project period, PERF will conduct a needs assessment to identify training needs in non-Compact jurisdictions, coordinate activities with the respective U.S. Attorney's offices, form an advisory group to discuss and plan a revised training curriculum, develop and finalize the revised training curriculum, select the training sites, and conduct and evaluate 10 training sessions.
National Law Enforcement Policy Center
Grantee: International Association of Chiefs of Police
The National Law Enforcement Policy Center establishes model law enforcement policies that can be adopted by law enforcement agencies at the state and local level and used by law enforcement leaders for guidance and decisionmaking. The Policy Center also provides tuition-free regional policy development training for law enforcement agencies. Under this award, it will continue to develop and disseminate model policies for use by state and local law enforcement agencies and will revise policies that have become outdated. These model policies will address planning and operational issues associated with virtually all aspects of law enforcement administration.
Training on Court Security and Risk Management for Judicial Officials
Grantee: National Sheriffs' Association
The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia will conduct a seminar to introduce state and local law enforcement officials, criminal justice officials, court administrators, and members of the judiciary to contemporary risk management practices. The concepts and ideas gained from the seminar will enhance the ability of participants to protect judicial officials, court personnel, and the public. Participants in the program will learn how to identify inappropriate communications and attack-related behaviors directed toward judicial officials. A total of eight seminars will be conducted during the project period. Enrollment will be open to criminal justice officials, court administrators, and members of the judiciary actively involved with the implementation or supervision of judicial official protective operations or court security programs. Each seminar will cover reporting procedures, approaches to analyzing and assessing threats (USMS), case study and investigative techniques (U.S. Secret Service), investigative process and research (California Highway Patrol), and protective responses. Topics will also include terminology, reporting, legal aspects of inappropriate communications, interview strategies, and psychological analysis.
New Noncompetitive Programs
State and Local Law Enforcement Equipment Procurement Program
The State and Local Law Enforcement Equipment Procurement Program gives state and local
law enforcement agencies the opportunity to purchase equipment for counter-drug operations at
competitive prices through the Department of Defense and General Services Administration
ordering systems. This program is particularly important because FY 1996 LLEBG recipients
have indicated that they intend to allocate more than 49 percent of their grant funds to purchasing
equipment. BJA has awarded grants under the program to California, Colorado, Idaho, North
Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia to serve as pilot initiatives. Grantees
will work with state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to determine the best equipment
purchase options available, promote the program to law enforcement and government officials at
nationwide conferences, and provide technical assistance and training to state offices through
workshops and onsite visits. This initiative will be closely coordinated with NIJ to ensure
compatibility and consistency with their technology programs.
Chapter 3: Crime Prevention
Crime Prevention Purpose Areas
In FY 1998, BJA will award funds to support the following legislatively mandated purpose areas in crime prevention:
Demand Reduction Education Programs
Byrne Formula funds will be available to the states for D.A.R.E. officer training. D.A.R.E. initiatives will also be supported by Byrne Discretionary funds.
Crime Prevention
Both Byrne Formula and Discretionary funds will support community and neighborhood initiatives that assist citizens in preventing and controlling crime, including special programs that address the problems of crime committed against the elderly and crime in rural jurisdictions. These programs include community crime prevention, crime prevention through environmental design, Neighborhood Watch, National Night Out, community policing, rural crime control, efforts in drug-impacted rural jurisdictions, initiatives to reach high-risk youth through outdoor activities, the Senior Citizen Crime Prevention/Golden Alert Program, Boys & Girls Clubs, TRIAD, and strategies to stop violence in tribal communities.
The LLEBG Program will be used to establish crime prevention programs that spur cooperation between community residents and law enforcement personnel to control, detect, or investigate crime or prosecute criminals.
Antiterrorism Programs
Byrne Formula funds will support antiterrorism plans for deep-draft ports, international airports, and other important facilities. Examples of ongoing programs are "Night Eyes" State Water Patrol, airport antiterrorism task forces, and arson prevention and control programs. Byrne Discretionary funds will be used for training and technical assistance for law enforcement agencies to improve the investigation and prevention of terrorism.
Youth Gangs
Byrne Formula funds will support law enforcement and prevention programs that reach out to gangs or to youth involved in or are at risk of involvement in gangs. Examples of these programs are gang task forces, the Specialized Gang Prosecutor's Program, and the Gang Reduction Education and Training Program.
FY 1998 Discretionary Programs
Continuing Programs
National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign
Grantee: National Crime Prevention Council
National in scope, but local in implementation, the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign will continue to reach out to children, families, public and private service providers, and elected officials to reduce and prevent crime, violence and substance abuse. The Campaign will focus on these five main objectives: (1) the production and dissemination of television, radio, and print "McGruff and Scruff" crime prevention public service announcements (in English and Spanish) and response materials for targeted populations; (2) the development and production of a full range of crime, violence, and drug prevention support materials (e.g., brochures, pamphlets, booklets) and information sharing through the World Wide Web; (3) the provision of national, regional, and state technical assistance and training workshops conducted in conjunction with EOUSA, DEA, state agencies, and state crime prevention associations; (4) the maintenance of a licensing program that is expected to assist in raising up to $600,000 in royalties to enhance federally funded crime prevention efforts; and (5) the provision of secretariat services to the Crime Prevention Coalition of America, a network comprising more than 120 national, state, and federal organizations and agencies committed to building safer and better communities. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Expanding, Enhancing, and Establishing Boys & Girls Clubs
Grantee: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, Georgia
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, now serving 2.6 million girls and boys in nearly 2,000 clubs nationwide, will use BJA funds to continue to establish new clubs in at-risk communities, including public housing, Indian Country, and Alaska Native villages. The organization will also strengthen and support programming, prevention efforts, and outreach initiatives to residents of public housing, distressed communities, major urban centers, rural jurisdictions, and Indian Country. Where appropriate, clubs will work to support jurisdictionwide crime control and prevention strategies and emphasize the development and implementation of programs involving violence and substance abuse prevention, conflict resolution, and parental involvement and training. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
Grantee: D.A.R.E. America, Inglewood, California
D.A.R.E. is a drug and violence prevention program active in almost three-quarters of the nation's school systems that involves the participation of more than 8,600 law enforcement agencies. In addition to continuing the development of D.A.R.E. curricula and related technical assistance, the program will focus attention on coordinating efforts with representatives of selected public and private agencies and institutions to study and assess the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. curricula and modify it if necessary. Five D.A.R.E. regional training centers (RTCs) will continue to provide D.A.R.E. training for new officers, inservice training for experienced officers, mentor officer training, parent training, junior and senior high school student training, program development, assessments for training centers, accreditation of law enforcement agencies as D.A.R.E. training centers, and monitoring and technical assistance for agencies replicating the D.A.R.E. program nationwide. RTCs include the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Los Angeles Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Virginia Department of State Police. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
National Night Out
Grantee: National Association of Town Watch, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
The National Association of Town Watch will continue to provide support for National Night Out and coordination at the national, state, and local levels by disseminating information and providing technical assistance to federal and state agencies, local units of government, civic and neighborhood organizations, and residents. The program will focus on strengthening comprehensive police-community partnerships and will support the development and enhancement of innovative local crime, violence, and drug prevention initiatives in more than 9,000 communities. This project is continued consistent with a congressional mention.
TRIAD: A Strategy To Reduce the Criminal Victimization of Older Persons
Grantee: National Sheriffs' Association, Alexandria, Virginia
TRIAD, a national program cosponsored by NSA, IACP, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), will continue its efforts to promote community volunteerism, reduce incidents of victimization, and lessen the impact of crime and violence on the elderly. The program will conduct national, regional, and state training conferences for law enforcement officers, human services providers, and senior citizens; support continued development and dissemination of TRIAD how-to educational publications and materials; develop training-of-trainers workshops; and provide technical assistance to states and local units of government. TRIAD is jointly funded by BJA and OVC.
Public Education Campaign To Prevent Teen Dating Violence--Outreach
Grantee: Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, Los Angeles, California
The Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education and Olmos Productions have collaborated with BJA and other public and private sources to develop and produce an original, one-hour documentary and supplemental viewers' guide to prevent teen dating violence. The film, It Ain't Love, examines domestic violence in relationships between young men and women and how such relationships are influenced by family, peers, substance abuse, and cultural values. It Ain't Love also examines domestic violence in young relationships within the broader context of domination and control through intimidation and violence. This final phase of the project will involve wide distribution of the video and viewers' guide.
Community Support Program
Grantees: Burlington Police Department, Burlington, Vermont
Chelsea Police Department, Chelsea, Massachusetts
The Community Support Program, initiated by the Burlington Police Department (BPD) in 1996, and the Chelsea Police Department (CPD) in 1997, will continue to enhance those jurisdictions' community policing initiatives by addressing neighborhood conflicts through timely and purposeful interventions. In Burlington, Chelsea, and communities across the country, neighborhood disturbances and quarrels are among the most frequent problems triggering calls for service. BPD and CPD are responding by using specially trained civilians instead of sworn officers to mediate and resolve disputes that arise among residents. This approach reduces personnel costs for the departments and increases community participation in neighborhood problem solving. In FY 1998, special emphasis will be devoted to evaluating and institutionalizing the program so that activities can continue after federal funding ends.
Assessing Need, Identifying (Crime) Risk, and Providing Assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Grantee: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wisconsin
This 15-month program will provide training and technical assistance to Native American and
Alaska Native communities on identifying and addressing local crime risks. Seven sites will
receive intensive training and technical assistance and will serve as host sites for other
communities. Training and technical assistance may be made available to other jurisdictions to
focus on the special needs of individual communities. The program will emphasize teaching
communities how to access resources to address public safety concerns.
Chapter 4: Adjudication-Related
Adjudication-Related Purpose Areas
In FY 1998, BJA will award funds to support adjudication-related programs in the following legislatively mandated purpose areas:
Criminal Prosecution Programs, Including Model Drug Control Legislation
Byrne Formula funds will support the following programs: career criminal/major offender prosecution, career drug offender prosecution, the Narcotics Prosecution Unit, model drug control legislation (directed at offenders), and the use of civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) laws in drug enforcement. Byrne Discretionary funds will support an ongoing program of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) dealing with investigative and prosecutorial training to combat telemarketing fraud targeting the elderly. Discretionary funds will also support an ongoing program of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws to assist states in identifying legislative and program initiatives that strengthen state drug laws and policies through a review of the model state drug laws developed by the President's Commission for Model State Drug Laws.
Court Programs
Byrne Formula funds will be used to improve the effectiveness of the court process by expanding prosecutorial, judicial, and defender resources and implementing court delay reduction programs. Initiatives such as differentiated case management, fast track prosecution/defense, drug courts, court management improvement, court unification, pretrial services delivery, the Community Courts Initiative, training and technical assistance for indigent defense system managers, and programs that promote balance in the criminal justice system will also be supported. Additionally, Byrne Discretionary funds will support ongoing programs such as the Leon County (Tallahassee, Florida) Court, which has begun to implement a system for electronic filing of court documents by attorneys and pro se litigants; an initiative to improve interaction among tribal, state, and federal courts; an adjudication technical assistance project focusing on community justice; and the Red Hook Community Justice Center. Under the LLEBG program, funds will be used to establish or support drug courts that include supervision of nonviolent substance abuse offenders, testing, treatment, and aftercare services.
Victim-Witness Assistance
Byrne Formula funds will be available to develop and implement programs that provide assistance to jurors and witnesses and assistance (other than compensation) to victims of crime. These programs include one-day trial/jury management improvement, systems for setting juror fees and compensation, victim-witness programs, restitution for victims, and victim assistance.
Innovative Drug Programs
Byrne Formula funds will support innovative programs that demonstrate new and different approaches to enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication of drug offenses and other serious crimes. Examples of these programs are firearms trafficking control initiatives, the Governors Drug Summit, the Motor Vehicle Officers' Watch for Drugs, the Unified Court Policy on Drug Evidence and Custody, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Drug Abuse Warning Network. With Byrne Discretionary funds, the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) will update a 1991 monograph, Beyond Convictions: Prosecutors as Community Leaders in the War on Drugs, that provides an overview of prosecutor-led programs that employ a comprehensive, multiagency, community-based strategy to address drug abuse.
Violent Juvenile Prosecution
Byrne Formula funds will be used to address the need for effective bindover systems for the prosecution of violent 16- and 17-year-old juveniles in courts with jurisdiction over adults for certain violent crimes. Two programs supported by these funds are the Violent Juvenile Waiver to Adult Court Program and the Prosecutor's Juvenile Bindover Unit. Byrne Discretionary funds will also support programs dealing with juveniles charged as adults, including the development and pilot testing of a curriculum for juvenile transfers held in juvenile institutions in West Virginia, and special defender and advocacy services for juveniles tried as adults in New York City. Funds from the LLEBG Program will be used to enhance the adjudication of cases involving violent offenders, including those of violent juvenile offenders.
Habeas Corpus Litigation
Byrne Formula funds will be used to assist in the litigation of federal habeas corpus petitions concerning state prisoners under death penalty sentences.
FY 1998 Discretionary Programs
Continuing Programs
Red Hook Community Justice Center
Grantee: Center for Court Innovation, New York, New York
In collaboration with the New York State Unified Court System, the City of New York, and the Kings County District Attorney, the Center for Court Innovation will establish a community justice center in the community of Red Hook in Brooklyn, New York. Plans for the center include mediation, job training, victim assistance, legal education, and youth development, as well as an extensive range of onsite services such as drug treatment, health care, job training, and domestic violence counseling. Innovative features will include multijurisdictional authority extending to civil and family court cases in addition to low-level criminal cases.
Models of Effective Court-Based Services Delivery to Children and Their Families
Grantee: National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, Virginia
BJA, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), and OJJDP are collaborating to encourage courts to work more closely with other community services to better serve children and their families. NCSC will also work with the OJP Safe Kids-Safe Streets program by providing technical assistance on the link between child abuse and neglect and domestic violence. In FY 1998, NCSC will select two additional court sites and assess how their response to multiple problems (child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence) within the same family affects what services are ordered and how service delivery is monitored. Moreover, NCSC will identify court practices that contribute to the effective coordination of cases involving members of the same family. Anticipated products include a program operations manual describing exemplary practices in the coordination and delivery of services to children and their families and a program brief summarizing the program for policy makers.
Substance Abuse Treatment Needs of Women Offenders: A Training Module for Judges and Court Personnel
Grantee: Center for Community Alternatives, Syracuse, New York
With a significant number of women now incarcerated in state and federal institutions, the need for programs addressing the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system is increasing. The Center for Community Alternatives will conduct a pilot training program for New York State judges, treatment personnel, and criminal justice personnel for substance-abusing women incarcerated in the State of New York.
Urban Court Managers Network
Grantee: Justice Management Institute, Denver, Colorado
The Justice Management Institute, in collaboration with the National Association for Court Management, will facilitate the development of a peer network among urban trial court managers through which information can be shared on promising innovations in areas such as community courts, court-monitored drug testing and treatment referrals, domestic violence programs, and delay reduction initiatives.
Prosecution of Computer Crimes
Grantee: National Association of Attorneys General
This program is designed to enhance state and local prosecutorial efforts in the area of computer crime, promote the development of coordinated computer-crimes policy among several states, and promote federal-state cooperation in this field. A component of the program will include local law enforcement agencies. NAAG will conduct an inventory of existing state and state-local computer crime units and document models that may be replicated in other jurisdictions. The Association will also maintain a database of significant briefs from state court cases involving computer crime, technology, and policy. The initiative will be coordinated closely with the Criminal Division's Infotech Working Group.
National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems
The National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems is a collaborative effort of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and BJA to collect information about the structures of state and local indigent defense systems, caseload levels, related costs, policies, and practices. An advisory group of indigent defense practitioners met with BJS and BJA staff in 1997 to discuss data collection issues. During FY 1998, the project will develop a survey instrument and begin data collection.
Community Prosecution
Grantee: American Prosecutors Research Institute
The APRI will continue its technical assistance efforts in the field of community justice. This program encourages local prosecutors to be more responsive to the needs of their communities by bringing the prosecutor and the community together as partners to maintain public safety. Several specific activities will be implemented during this program period. A community prosecution technical assistance guide will be published to help community prosecution programs operate more effectively. APRI will also convene a community prosecution symposium in the Washington, D.C., area that will bring together participants from key disciplines to help prosecutors plan, implement, and operate community prosecution programs, build interagency cooperation, and develop partnerships with community organizations. In addition, a fifth community prosecution technical assistance workshop will be held to innd interested organizations to dev elop a proactive plan to combat local crime problems.
Inter-Apache Conference of Courts
Grantee: Jicarilla Apache Tribal Court, Dulce, New Mexico
An appellate court is in the process of being developed for the Apache nations, which includes nine Apache tribes in New Mexico and Arizona. The conference will serve as a forum for judges, clerks, and other court personnel from the nine Apache tribes. Proposed activities will include joint training of court personnel and a cross-study of the statutory and traditional laws of the various Apache tribes, as well as agreements or laws regarding judgements entered into by each Apache tribe requiring enforcement by another tribe.
Sioux Nation Supreme Court
Grantee: Dakota Territory Chairman's Council, South Dakota
The Dakota Territory Chairman's Council will support the implementation of a coordinated tribal court system within each Sioux Nation tribe. The Supreme Court will provide a forum for intertribal conflict resolution between the constituent tribes, establish uniform principles of common law linking traditional customs with modern law, and uniformly apply the legislative enactments, compacts, and accords of the Dakota Territory Chairman's Council. The court's primary purpose will be to facilitate the structure, jurisdiction, and procedures of the Sioux Nation's tribal court system.
Improving Interaction Among Tribal, State, and Federal Courts
Grantee: National Indian Justice Center, Petaluma, California
The National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) will expand its activities to improve relationships among tribal, state, and federal courts by helping to fund at least three tribal-state-federal court forums. The forums will help alleviate jurisdictional problems among the participants. In January 1989, the Conference of State Chief Justices created the Prevention and Resolution of Jurisdictional Disputes Project to improve the operational relationships among tribal, state, and federal judicial systems. A major recommendation of the Conference's Advisory Committee was to create tribal-state-federal court forums. In addition, NIJC will provide technical assistance to the tribal courts by developing resource guides addressing tribal court issues, including a guide to dealing with non-Indian criminal activity while also protecting community interests and an update of Indian Country jurisdictional issues for tribal, state, and federal judges.
National Judicial College
Grantee: National Judicial College, Reno, Nevada
The National Judicial College (NJC) will continue its scholarship program for state, local, and tribal court judges, court administrators, and state judicial educators in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. In addition, NJC will develop a community justice curriculum to help the courts increase collaboration with the community and explore the changing role of judges. NJC will also develop a special curriculum for tribal court judges. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Professional Certification Program for Pretrial and Court Services Officers
Grantee: Association of Pretrial Professionals, Tallahassee, Florida
The Association of Pretrial Professionals in Florida (APPF) will develop pilot training curricula and professional certification standards for pretrial services programs and staff. APPF will work closely with the Florida Institute of Government to develop the standards, which are intended for statewide application and possible national replication.
Public Trust and Confidence in the Courts: Jury System Improvement
Grantee: American Judicature Society, Chicago, Illinois
Improving the jury system will increase public trust, confidence, and knowledge about the courts, increase court efficiency, and help to reduce costs. This program will survey the results of recent research and state jury reform efforts. The product of the grant will be a comprehensive document that provides examples of successful efforts to address these issues and recommends action.
Promoting Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Prosecutorial Settings
Grantee: Jefferson Institute for Justice Studies
This program is designed to help prosecutors introduce change and innovation in traditional prosecutorial environments. The Jefferson Institute for Justice Studies will assist prosecutors operating in small and medium-sized offices to improve essential activities of their offices: police-prosecutor relations, intake and screening, and case and information management. Training and technical assistance will be offered to other prosecutorial offices using the original offices as demonstration sites.
Community-Focused Courts
Grantee: National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, Virginia
NCSC is identifying existing models of collaboration between the courts and the public and exploring ways that private and public funders can combine with the government to assist community justice initiatives. In addition, NCSC provides technical assistance for the DOJ Community Justice Initiative as part of BJA's Community Justice Assistance Center. Through the activities carried out under the developmental phase of this project, NCSC has identified current strategies for building partnerships, developed a community-focused court agenda, and promoted this agenda. In FY 1998, NCSC will continue to promote further development of community-focused courts and support existing and emerging state and local partnerships between courts and communities.
Training and Technical Assistance Programs
Community Justice Assistance Center
Grantee: Fund for the City of New York, New York, New York
The purpose of this program is to provide funding and support to establish a Community Justice Assistance Center (CJAC) with the Fund for the City of New York, a nonprofit, public-private partnership. The center's primary objective is to help courts and communities throughout the nation close the gaps that have emerged between them. In performing this work, CJAC will draw upon the experience and expertise of the Midtown Community Court and related projects, which are operated and staffed by the Fund. Organizations such as the APRI, NCSC, NIC, National Association of Drug Court Professionals, American Parole and Probation Association, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and the Center for Effective Public Policy serve as partners in a consortium of technical assistance providers, whose efforts will be coordinated through the Center for Court Innovation. CJAC will be relocated to the Red Hook Community Center once construction is complete.
Investigative and Prosecutorial Training To Combat Telemarketing Fraud Targeting the Elderly
Grantees: American Prosecutors Research Institute
National Association of Attorneys General
National White-Collar Crime Center
This collaborative project of APRI, NAAG, and the National White-Collar Crime Center will seek to protect potential victims of telemarketing fraud through prevention, education, public awareness, and training. The Telemarketing Fraud Enforcement Task Force will develop training curricula and provide training to state and local investigators and prosecutors through national and regional training conferences. The program will be coordinated throughout its implementation with the DOJ Criminal Division and other appropriate DOJ components. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Assessment and Enhancement of Indigent Defense Services
Grantee: National Legal Aid and Defender Association
The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) will continue its national-scope training and technical assistance program with a special emphasis on legal services assistance in criminal cases.
DNA Legal Assistance Unit
Grantee: American Prosecutors Research Institute
APRI provides technical assistance and training through its DNA Legal Assistance Unit to help prosecutors and DNA laboratory analysts in understanding and using DNA typing technology to investigate and prosecute cases involving capital murder, homicide, sexual assault, and child abuse. The unit will continue to collect and maintain state statutes governing the creation and maintenance of DNA tissue sample banks and admissibility of DNA evidence and will conduct two training conferences.
Trial Court Performance Standards and Measurement System
Grantee: National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, Virginia
This project represents BJA's most comprehensive initiative to provide technical assistance to state court systems. More than five years in development, the Trial Court Performance Standards and Measurement (TCPSM) System was developed by BJA and NCSC. Their efforts produced a common language for describing, classifying, and measuring the performance of trial courts. A multi-volume guide to the system is available from BJA. In FY 1998, the BJA and NCSC will encourage and promote the widespread use of the TCPSM System among the nation's state and local courts and provide education and training to specific jurisdictions on implementing the system.
Health Care Fraud Prosecution--Training and Technical Assistance
Grantee: National Association of Attorneys General
NAAG will continue to reinforce the independent capability of all state attorneys general and local prosecutors in coordinating statewide and local health care fraud investigations and prosecutions, including health care consumer fraud and fraud against insurance companies and HMOs. The project will continue to make technical assistance available to state and local prosecutors on general health care fraud prosecution. Additionally, NAAG will assist state attorney general offices with special initiatives, including developing partnerships with insurers to detect and prosecute fraud in the private sector.
Technical Assistance for Tribal Courts
Grantee: National Indian Justice Center, Petaluma, California
To help tribal court judges address violent crime against children, domestic violence, and youth gang violence in Indian Country, NIJC will develop a training and technical assistance program tailored to the needs of American Indian communities. The project will examine the origins, dynamics, and scope of violent crime in Indian Country and support tribal courts as they explore sentencing alternatives and other ways to restore health and safety to their communities.
Rural and Tribal Community Justice
Grantee: Center for Effective Public Policy
The Center for Effective Public Policy will provide technical assistance to appropriate criminal justice system teams on a variety of issues related to community justice for rural and tribal communities. The Center, in collaboration with appropriate subcontractors, will provide peer assistance with an emphasis on issues that are unique to rural and tribal communities. Technical assistance will also be available to BJA's community justice partners and OJP grantees.
Adjudication Technical Assistance Project
Grantee: American University, Washington, D.C.
This project will provide technical assistance to state and local criminal courts and court components that request help in addressing a variety problems, including case processing and backlog, family violence and protective orders, drug-related offenses, and sentencing. Short-term technical assistance will be coordinated by American University. When appropriate, the project will send consultants to courts or arrange for them to visit another court that has successfully managed the problem.
New Noncompetitive Programs
Contractor Fraud Against Seniors
Grantee: American Prosecutors Research Institute
The U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs reports that fraudulent and substandard services and products for the home are among the leading causes of consumer complaints nationwide. Each year, hundreds of senior citizens continue to be victims of house repair and investment scams. While people over age 65 comprise 11 percent of the U.S. population, they represent approximately 30 percent of scam victims. To address the needs of prosecutors in their efforts to combat and prevent home improvement fraud against seniors, APRI will: (1) conduct a survey to identify innovative responses to home repair fraud developed by prosecutors; (2) assemble and convene an advisory group to assist with project activities; (3) organize an Economic Crime Prosecutors Network to facilitate communication between prosecutors offices through regional meetings, a quarterly newsletter, and electronic mail; and (4) update the NDAA manual on prosecutor responses to fraud with a specific focus on home improvement fraud against seniors.
Federal Team Building Initiative
Under an interagency agreement with BJA, SJI will provide training and technical assistance to facilitate the establishment, maintenance, and institutionalization of partnerships among courts, criminal justice agencies, treatment providers, and other organizations to promote effective responses to particular types of cases or classes of offenders. These partnerships can take many forms, including drug courts, family violence coordinating councils, sex offender management teams, and intermediate sanctions working groups. The program will encourage and foster collaborative associations with various organizations to provide assistance and expertise to interested jurisdictions.
Assistance to Indigent Defense: Strengthening Defender Management
Grantee: Vera Institute of Justice
The Indigent Defense Management project is a training program for mangers of indigent defense
organizations across the country. The program's objectives are to help defender managers
recognize and explore their roles as criminal justice system executives and leaders and to engage
defender managers in practical exercises that will help them develop and improve concrete
leadership and executive skills. Through a series of three week-long Executive Training
Seminars, the training will equip defender managers with concrete external management skills
that will enable them to develop a more active role in their jurisdiction's criminal justice system.
Chapter 5: Corrections-Related
Corrections-Related Purpose Areas
In FY 1998, BJA will award funds to support corrections-related programs in the following legislatively mandated purpose areas:
Corrections
Byrne Formula funds will support a broad range of programs that provide public correctional resources and improve the corrections system, including treatment in prisons and jails, intensive supervision programs, corrections and sentencing strategies, and inmate population projections.
Alternatives to Detention, Jail, and Prison
Byrne Formula funds will be used to provide alternatives to detention, jail, and prison for persons who pose no danger to the community. These alternatives include incarceration, house arrest, electronic monitoring, alternative punishment, restitution by juveniles, community service labor, and user accountability sanctioning.
FY 1998 Discretionary Programs
Continuing Programs
Development of Performance-Based Standards for Community Corrections
Grantee: American Correctional Association
Since the mid-1970s, correctional practices at the federal, state, and local levels have improved measurably in response to professional standards. Today more than 1,107 correctional agencies and facilities voluntarily seek to implement the standards of the American Correctional Association (ACA) through participation in its accreditation program. The ACA standards encompass all aspects of correctional services and operations and were first published 20 years ago with the financial support and assistance of the Department of Justice through the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.
BJA will sponsor a major standards revision initiative that will focus on the development of performance-based standards for community-based correctional programs and services. The initiative is a cooperative effort involving CPO, NIC, and the National Committee on Community Corrections. This continuation award will enable ACA to complete the development and field testing of the initial set of performance-based standards and provide guidance on the development of advanced information systems for state and local adaptation.
Privatization of Detention Facilities and Services
BJA will collaborate with the BOP, NIC, and CPO to examine issues and practices concerning the privatization of detention facilities and services. The initiative will include a survey, to be developed by BJA, BOP, NIC, and CPO, of corrections professionals on these issues. The results will be disseminated during the 1998 CPO Conference on Privatization for State Corrections Administrators. After the conference, followup surveys will be conducted with large as well as rural jails. The information collected through this project will be used to identify gaps in corrections programming and to develop training materials and programs on privatization issues.
Project Return
Grantee: Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
The four primary goals of Project Return are to: (1) provide aftercare for former offenders during the crucial first year of readjustment to society; (2) provide an integrated service delivery network to reduce the high rate of recidivism of former offenders; (3) implement a cost-effective working model that reduces the amount of tax revenues presently spent to reincarcerate recidivists; and (4) contribute to the restoration of public safety in New Orleans, Louisiana. Project Return provides psychological support and social services for juvenile and adult offenders recently released from incarceration. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Training and Technical Assistance Programs
Technical Assistance in Information Dissemination
Grantee: The Sentencing Project
The Sentencing Project will disseminate information and provide technical assistance on client-specific planning and defense-based sentencing, marketing alternatives within the community setting, and media relations to promote alternative sanctions. Dissemination and technical assistance services will be made available both to existing Correctional Options Demonstration Program sites funded by BJA and to state and local governments that are not currently receiving funding from BJA, but wish to develop or enhance correctional options in their jurisdictions.
Corrections Options Resource Centers
Several jurisdictions have developed successful statewide correctional options programs that will serve as host sites for jurisdictions seeking to plan and develop alternatives to traditional modes of incarceration. BJA will support the development of resource centers from which other jurisdictions can receive peer training and technical assistance. The centers will work closely with BJA.
Prison Industry Enhancement Technical Assistance Program
Grantee: Correctional Industries Association, Ellicott City, Maryland
The Prison Industry Enhancement (PIE) Certification Program encourages states and units of local government to establish employment opportunities for prisoners that approximate work opportunities in the private sector. The Correctional Industries Association (CIA) provides technical assistance services to the program. Under a grant from BJA, the CIA staff of volunteer correctional industry professionals will audit program participants for compliance with program requirements and provide technical assistance.
New Noncompetitive Programs
Community Corrections Information Dissemination
Grantee: The Center for Community Corrections
The Center for Community Corrections (CCC) is working to increase the use of community
corrections as a sentencing option for less serious offenders. Community corrections will make
room in prisons and jails for serious offenders to ensure that they serve their full sentences while
holding less serious offenders accountable for their actions without the budgetary and other
problems associated with lengthy terms of imprisonment. CCC will develop a series of
monographs, written for specific interest groups, to promote the use of community corrections as
a sentencing option. The monographs will be based on information gathered from scholarly
research, community corrections agencies, and other justice experts.
Chapter 6:
BJA provides leadership through the development and funding of broadly based national programs and initiatives. Several comprehensive programs focus on building stronger community-based initiatives by including all key stakeholders in the development of crime control and prevention strategies. Other special initiatives look to develop and implement programs that operate on a national scale and provide a wide spectrum of technical assistance and services.
Comprehensive Initiatives
Comprehensive Communities Program
Grantees: Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Columbia, South Carolina
Denver, Colorado
East Bay, California
Fort Worth, Texas
Gary, Indiana
Hartford, Connecticut
Omaha, Nebraska
Phoenix, Arizona
Salt Lake City, Utah
Seattle, Washington
Washington, D.C.
Wichita, Kansas
Wilmington, DelawareThe Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) is designed to suppress violence and restore the security of our neighborhoods. The 16 jurisdictions participating in CCP have developed jurisdictionwide crime prevention and control strategies and begun implementation of community-based responses consistent with those strategies. Although these activities focus on community mobilization and community policing, the program encourages the jurisdictions to integrate a wide range of responses to include youth and gang initiatives, dispute resolution, community prosecution, drug courts, and alternatives to incarceration. BJA plans to expand this approach in FY 1998.
BJA encourages the staff and grantees of other OJP agencies and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to forge partnerships with CCP sites and participate in CCP conferences and workshops. Notably, participation by staff and grantees of COPS, OJJDP, NIJ, OVC, VAWGO, and EOWS has contributed significantly to making conferences and workshops successful for all participants. In particular, participation by other grantees that share the challenge of creating, developing, and sustaining comprehensive community-based crime strategies has been invaluable.
Comprehensive Communities Program--Training and Technical Assistance
Training and technical assistance will be provided to CCP sites to address the operational support and crime strategy management needs of each community. Training and technical assistance is delivered through: (1) group conferences and workshops; (2) the dissemination of publications, newsletters, management tip bulletins, and videos; (3) on-site services provided by contracted professionals; and (4) peer teams. In FY 1998, BJA plans to develop and publish a document on CCP that will include information on key CCP precepts, infrastructure characteristics, and critical crime strategy components.
Comprehensive Communities Program--Evaluation
BOTEC Analysis Corporation, in coordination with Northwestern University and the Urban Institute, is conducting a process evaluation of CCP through grants from NIJ. This evaluation will: (1) provide insights into how comprehensive community approaches to crime and drug abuse prevention evolve; (2) track how each site implements its comprehensive strategy; (3) determine how differences in pre-existing external and internal environments and structures affect the evolution of a comprehensive communitywide drug abuse and crime control program; and (4) identify sources for and assess the quality of data that could be used in a future impact evaluation.
Tribal Strategies Against Violence
Grantees: Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Suttons Bay, Michigan
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Owyhee, Nevada
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Belcourt, North Dakota
Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Puyallup, Washington
Chickasaw Nation, Ada, Oklahoma
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux, Wolf Point, Montana
Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Rosebud, South Dakota
Tribal Strategies Against Violence (TSAV) is a federal-tribal partnership dedicated to the development and implementation of comprehensive, reservation-wide strategies to reduce crime, violence, and substance abuse. The initiative will maintain its focus on the development of a centralized planning team within each project that is representative of elected officials, service providers (e.g., in the fields of law enforcement, prosecution, social services, and education), spiritual leaders, businesses, residents, and youth who are tackling issues related to community policing and prosecution, family violence, juvenile delinquency, and prevention education. Special emphasis will be devoted to institutionalizing each project's planning process so that programmatic activities will continue after federal funding ends.
Tribal Strategies Against Violence--Training and Technical Assistance
Grantees: National Crime Prevention Council
Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wisconsin
The National Crime Prevention Council and Fox Valley Technical College will continue to provide on- and off-site training and technical assistance (e.g., community policing, community mobilization, partnership building, youth violence prevention, planning, and implementation) to the seven Tribal Strategies Against Violence project sites.
Tribal Strategies Against Violence--Evaluation
NIJ will use BJA funds to conduct an 18-month evaluation of the TSAV initiative in four TSAV demonstration sites: Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Chickasaw Nation, and Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. The evaluation has four main objectives: (1) document how TSAV approaches have evolved at the sites; (2) document how the sites have implemented comprehensive strategies; (3) analyze and report how similarities and differences among the TSAV reservation sites have affected the development and evolution of this initiative, and examine the extent to which those factors may have similar implications in other reservation settings with comparable characteristics; and (4) provide evaluation findings for tribal, state, and federal decisionmakers and practitioners and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system.
Specialized Initiatives
Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program
The BJA Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program provides financial and emotional assistance to the families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty and to officers who are permanently and totally disabled as the result of traumatic injuries sustained in the line of duty. In FY 1997, the PSOB Program Office approved death benefits payments to 203 families totaling $23.5 million, as well as disability payments to six public safety officers totaling $765,787.
In FY 1997, BJA also made grants totaling $450,000 to Concerns of Police Survivors and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to provide support services to the families and coworkers of public safety officers killed in the line of duty. These services include crisis intervention during the immediate aftermath of a line-of-duty death, grief seminars in conjunction with the annual law enforcement and firefighter memorial services, and line-of-duty death training for law enforcement agencies.
Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance Program
The Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance (FLEDA) Program provides financial support for higher education to the spouses and children of federal law enforcement officers killed or permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty. In FY 1997, the first year of the program, FLEDA awards were made to the families of three federal law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
Church Arson Prevention Program
BJA will conduct a series of training conferences in FY 1998 in the 13 states awarded grants in FY 1996 under the Church Arson Prevention Grant Program, as well as four regional conferences in other sections of the country. These conferences will be coordinated with a contact designated by each state's governor and conducted in cooperation with the NSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms BATF), and the Community Relations Service (CRS). Additionally, BJA has established a training and technical assistance initiative to help support and assist state and local jurisdictions develop and implement effective church arson prevention programs.
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
SCAAP provides partial reimbursement to states and localities for the costs of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens in their correctional systems. All state or local jurisdictions with facilities housing aliens convicted of one or more felonies or two or more misdemeanors for periods of more than 72 hours are eligible. Applicants must provide inmate-specific information for comparison with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) records. Award amounts depend on the number of reimbursable aliens verified by INS, the aliens' length of stay in applicant facilities, and the applicant's costs of incarceration. In past funding cycles, reimbursement has ranged from 16 to 60 percent of the amount claimed by applicants for verified aliens.
Watch Your Car Program
The Watch Your Car Program assists selected states to participate in a national voluntary motor vehicle theft prevention program. The program encourages mo another decal or device to signal that their ve hicles are not normally driven across or in the proximity of international land borders or ports. To obtain the decals, owners sign a consent form authorizing officers to stop their vehicles if they are being driven under certain specified conditions and determine if the vehicles are being operated with owner consent.
National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is a five-year project to establish a national electronic switching system to link state Department of Motor Vehicle computers into a network. NMVTIS will employ a pointer system to access computerized data files and gain instant and reliable access to information maintained by other states and private data providers. NMVTIS will enable states to: verify the validity of existing titles prior to issuing new titles; obtain information on whether a vehicle has been stolen; prevent odometer tampering; obtain information from the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (MCO) to help create a vehicle's first title; automatically notify previous states of record when a new title is issued; reduce the use of paper MCOs and replace them with an electronic database; and access junkyard and salvage information to help prevent title washing and other consumer fraud involving misrepresented vehicles. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
State and Local Training and Technical Assistance Program
Grantee: Community Research Associates, Champaign, Illinois
This program provides training and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions in developing and implementing comprehensive, systemwide strategies to prevent and control violent crime and illegal drug trafficking and to support community-based crime prevention. The program also provides assistance in response to specific local needs.
Denial of Federal Benefits Program
The Denial of Federal Benefits Program provides judges in both federal and state courts with a sentencing option to deny certain federal benefits to persons convicted of trafficking in or possessing drugs. It also provides for the mandatory denial of federal benefits to individuals with three or more convictions for such trafficking offenses. In addition, the program operates a clearinghouse from which defense contractors may learn whether an individual has been disqualified from defense contract participation as a result of a procurement fraud conviction.
Closed-Circuit Televising of Child Victim Testimony Grant Program
This discretionary grant program provides grants to eligible states and local jurisdictions to provide equipment and personnel training for the closed-circuit televising and videotaping of child victims of abuse who are required to testify in grand jury or criminal proceedings. In FY 1997, BJA made awards to eight states totaling $365,587 under the program. In FY 1998, BJA anticipates entering into a cooperative agreement with the State of Virginia to coordinate a national conference on improving the criminal justice system's response to child victims and to coordinate an evaluation by the American Bar Association of the effectiveness of funded projects. FY 1998 funds will be awarded through a competitive process open to all states that now have legislation in place allowing use of videotaping or closed-circuit televising of child victim testimonies.
Metropolitan Firefighter and Emergency Services Training Program
BJA will continue to provide specialized training to first responders to terrorist incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. Jointly developed with FEMA, the program provides training to the fire and emergency services departments of the nation's 120 largest metropolitan jurisdictions.
State and Local Antiterrorism Training Program
Grantee: Institute for Intergovernmental Research, Tallahassee, Florida
IIR will continue to provide training and technical assistance to state and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies to enhance their abilities to effectively prevent domestic terrorism, as well as enhance their participation in multiagency responses should an act of terrorism occur. Project activities include: (1) developing, refining, and expanding antiterrorism training curricula; (2) convening focus groups of law enforcement and prosecution experts to review domestic terrorism issues, current and proposed curricula, research agendas, training products, and train-the-trainer instructional kits; and (3) providing specialized training to law enforcement executives/commanders, law enforcement intelligence officers, line officers, and prosecutors. IIR will also expand its domestic terrorism research component and resource center to ensure the timeliness and relevancy of information presented at training classes and focus group meetings. In addition, IIR will establish a pool of antiterrorism experts to deliver specialized technical assistance in response to law enforcement needs and requirements.
New FY 1998 Antiterrorism Programs
Five related domestic terrorism programs will be initiated by DOJ agencies during FY 1998 to enhance the capacity of state and local agencies to respond to terrorist incidents:
Domestic Preparedness Training Center at Fort McClellan, Alabama
Funds will be provided to establish a training center to focus on delivering training to enhance the capability of state and local public safety personnel to respond safely and effectively to terrorist incidents.
Security Technology Program
Funds will be provided to the Security Technology Program of the Southwest Surety Institute to conduct research and training on law enforcement and security technologies for the protection of persons, facilities, and information and for limiting the threat of terrorist activities.
Energetic Materials Training Center
Funds will be provided to the Energetic Materials Research and Training Center at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to provide specialized training to state and local first responders.
Hazardous Devices Training Center
Funds will be provided to establish bomb technician training at the Hazardous Devices School at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama to improve the capability of state and local agencies to respond to incidents involving improvised explosive devices.
Special Equipment and Training Grant Program
Funds will be provided for response training as well as the acquisition of personnel protective gear and detection, decontamination, and communications equipment for state and local agencies.
Regardless of the administrative placement of these programs, BJA will continue to work with the FBI, FEMA, and other federal agencies to develop effective antiterrorism programs and to deliver state-of-the-art training and technical assitance to state and local agencies responsible for responding to terrorist incidents.
Chapter 7: Technology and Systems Improvement Programs
Technology and Systems Improvement Purpose Area
Byrne Formula funds will continue to be used to develop initiatives to improve drug control technology. The initiatives include establishing pretrial drug testing; identifying, assessing, referring to treatment, case managing, and monitoring drug-dependent offenders; and enhancing state and local forensic laboratories. Byrne Formula funds will also be used to improve criminal justice information systems to assist law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and corrections organizations.
Examples of continuing programs in these areas are pretrial/probation/parole drug testing, statewide urinalysis testing, the Treatment Alternatives to Street Crimes (TASC) program, forensic laboratory enhancement, criminal justice records improvement, information/management for criminal justice agencies, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), prosecution management support, the Video Arraignment/Presentence Telecommunications Project, the Metropolitan Criminal Intelligence System, the DUI Data Collection System, the Development of DNA Database Identification System, and DNA laboratory enhancement.
BJA will also administer special line-item appropriations that support the Regional Information Sharing System (RISS) and the National White-Collar Crime Center.
FY 1998 Discretionary Programs
Continuing Programs
Regional Information Sharing System Program
Grantees: Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, Springfield, Missouri
Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network, Newtown, Pennsylvania
New England State Police Information Network, Needham, Massachusetts
Regional Organized Crime Information Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Rocky Mountain Information Network, Phoenix, Arizona
Western States Information Network, Sacramento, California
The RISS program supports federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecution efforts to combat criminal activity that extends across jurisdictional boundaries. Six regional RISS projects provide a range of services to member agencies. The projects focus primarily on narcotics trafficking, violent crime, gang criminal activity, and organized crime. The RISS projects provide a range of services to assist member agencies. These services include information sharing through a criminal intelligence database, analytical services, telecommunication services to facilitate the flow of information between the project and its members, investigative support through the provision of confidential funds, specialized investigative equipment loans, training and technical assistance, and trial exhibit preparation. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the RISS program participates in a mutual information sharing partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
National White-Collar Crime Center
Grantee: West Virginia Office of the State Auditor, Charleston, West Virginia
The National White-Collar Crime Center (NWCCC) provides a national support system for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of multijurisdictional economic crimes. These white-collar crimes include investment fraud, telemarketing fraud, boiler room operations, securities fraud, commodities fraud, and advanced-fee loan schemes. NWCCC's mission includes providing investigative support services to assist in the fight against economic crime, operating a national training and research institute focusing on economic crime issues, and developing the Center as a national resource in combating economic crime. In FY 1998, the Center will continue to develop and maintain a state and local enforcement response capability for computer and other high-tech crimes. It will also cohost with BJA a major conference on economic crime, "Exploring Solutions for the 21st Century," in April 1998. In addition, NWCCC will continue to support the work of the Infotech Working Group (a planning group chaired by the Criminal Division, Department of Justice composed of federal, state, and local agencies) in the development and implementation of training in the use of computers in criminal activity.
State Identification Systems Grants Program
The State Identification Systems (SIS) Grants Program was established to give states the resources to develop or improve their computerized identification systems and integrate those systems with the FBI's national identification databases. SIS grants can be used to:
Create computerized identification systems that are compatible and integrated with databases of the FBI's National Crime Information Center.
Improve forensic laboratories' ability to analyze DNA in ways that are compatible and integrated with the FBI's Combined DNA Identification System.
Develop automated fingerprint systems that are compatible and integrated with the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
To be eligible to receive a SIS grant, a state must require each person convicted of a felony of a sexual nature to provide a sample of blood, saliva, or other specimen to appropriate state law enforcement officials, as designated by the state's chief executive officer. The specimen will be used to conduct a DNA analysis consistent with the standards established for DNA testing by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In FY 1997, 48 states met this requirement and were awarded approximately $172,727 each. In each state, the governor designated a state agency to administer the state's SIS award. This agency has assumed responsibility for submitting the state's application, selecting subrecipients to receive funds, disbursing funds, and performing other administrative functions. The remainder of FY 1997 grant funds that could not be awarded will be carried forward to FY 1998 and added to the total appropriated by Congress for the program.
Analysis of Statewide Criminal Justice Information Sharing Systems
Grantee: International Association of Chiefs of Police
IACP will continue a project to investigate innovative applications of statewide criminal justice information systems. The goals of the project are to identify a prototype management information system that includes the best elements of the systems studied and to explore the replication of this model at selected sites. The prototype system will allow the integration of criminal justice case information into a centralized information management system.
Training and Technical Assistance Programs
SEARCH National Training and Technical Assistance Program
Grantee: SEARCH Group, Inc., Sacramento, California
The National Training and Technical Assistance Program, administered by SEARCH with funding from BJA, provides no-cost assistance and training to state and local criminal justice systems for the development, operation, improvement, and integration of criminal justice information systems. The activities, products, and services SEARCH provides are specifically designed to enable state and local justice agencies to determine system needs, establish system requirements, and design or procure cost-effective, integrated information and workload management systems.
The primary goals of SEARCH technical assistance and training are to:
Improve the general level of understanding of criminal justice information management.
Improve information management through the use of computer technology among local and state justice agencies.
Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state and local justice practitioners by developing technical resources, demonstrating the operational benefits of technology, and promoting the integration of information systems.
Improve interagency, intrastate, and federal-state information sharing.
The National Training and Technical Assistance Program will enable nonautomated justice agencies to take advantage of state-of-the-art information systems specifically designed to address their operational needs. Further, this project will help agencies that are automated develop integrated justice information systems that permit systemwide sharing of relevant legal, transactional, and historical data. This project is continued consistent with a congressional earmark.
Replication of BJA Automated Application and Award System
Grantee: Network Systems Integration, Inc., Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Network Systems Integration, Inc. (NSI) has developed an automated system that tracks applications, awards, and other administrative materials for BJA's LLEBG division. The system has been an efficient and comprehensive tool for tracking the division's extensive number of LLEBG awards. In FY 1998, BJA will make this system available to selected state agencies that administer LLEBG awards on behalf of their respective states. The replication of the system will help states enhance their capability to process grant applications and administer awards.
New Noncompetitive Programs
Technical Assistance for the Acquisition of Computer Technologies
In this project, technical assistance will be provided through BJA's LLEBG program to criminal justice professionals to help them identify their automation needs and make informed decisions about acquiring computer technologies. Assistance will be offered through a train-the-trainers initiative, a Web site, and a broad array of materials for managers and technical staff.
State and Local Training and Education Technical Assistance Program
BJA will establish a program to support a range of training and education initiatives for criminal
justice practitioners. LLEBG Program technical assistance funds will be distributed to State
Administrative Agencies (SAAs) using a formula based on each state's square mileage, number
of criminal justice professionals, and number of reported Part I violent crimes. The project,
which ultimately will be tailored by each SAA for BJA programs, will fund training programs
and educational scholarships for courses ranging from basic instruction to advanced training.
In-service courses will be funded, as well. To ensure that funds are used across the criminal
justice system, no more than 35 percent may be spent to support practitioner training in any
single system component. Consistent with the BJS SourceBook of Criminal Justice Statistics,
the components are defined as law enforcement, prosecution, courts, probation, parole, public
defenders, pretrial services, and corrections. Eligible participants are state and local criminal
justice system employees of adult and juvenile systems.
Chapter 8: Evaluation Programs
During FY 1998, BJA will continue to make awards and work with state and local units of government to determine the effectiveness and impact of funded programs. BJA's evaluation strategy emphasizes working with its partnerships with SAAs, local programs, and NIJ to coordinate evaluation activities. By building strong foundations for evaluation in the 56 states and territories, and by working with NIJ and others, BJA increasingly is able to identify and publicize effective, proven programs for replication.
Evaluation Purpose Areas
In FY 1998, BJA will award funds to support evaluation programs in the following legislatively mandated purpose areas:
Evaluation of Drug Control Programs
States will again be able to fund programs and studies that identify elements critical to the success of drug control strategies and initiatives such as multijurisdictional task force evaluations, drug court effectiveness, drug abuse resistance education, standardized offender assessment, adolescent treatment network, Schedule II electronic drug monitoring systems, and drug control technology improvements.
Research and Evaluation
State agencies will be able to use FY 1998 Byrne Formula funding to conduct ongoing research and evaluation in the areas of domestic violence, concealed handguns, operational effectiveness of court process, and violent crime response. Studies in the key areas of records improvement, data repository, and data analysis also will eligible for funding.
FY 1998 Discretionary Programs
Continuing Programs
State Evaluation Development Program
BJA will continue its cooperative agreement with the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) to coordinate and support states in their efforts to evaluate program performance and outcomes. This initiative provides technical assistance through workshops, conferences, and individual site visits. The establishment of a State-to-State Exchange Program has also supported evaluation capacity building initiatives. Under this program, experts from one jurisdiction visit and provide technical assistance to another jurisdiction, and practitioners are sent to other offices to learn from their practices.
In FY 1998, BJA, in partnership with the JRSA, and with input from NIJ, OJJDP, and HHS, will launch an innovative new Web site called the Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation. The interactive site will provide step-by-step instruction for planning, designing, and conducting evaluations of state and local criminal justice programs and feature evaluation models, bibliographies, resource guides, glossaries, and examples of evaluations conducted by state and local practitioners. The guide will also be available on CD-ROM.
National Research and Evaluation Conference
This conference, cosponsored with NIJ and other OJP bureaus, brings together practitioners, researchers, and other professionals working in criminal justice. The conference will be held July 2629, 1998 in Washington, D.C.
BJA-NIJ National Evaluation Partnership
BJA currently is funding more than 16 national evaluation projects through NIJ. Planning for FY 1998 calls for the evaluation of four additional initiatives that have potential national impact:
Boston Safe Neighborhood Initiative
State and Local Drug Testing Initiatives
Statewide Implementation of Multijurisdictional Task Forces
National Study of Delinquency Prevention in SchoolsSecond Phase
The results of the evaluations will be published and disseminated nationally.
New Noncompetitive Programs
Open Solicitation Technical Assistance--Developing Performance Measures
The Crime and Justice Research Institute (CJRI) will assist sites selected in the FY 1997 Open Solicitation competition to clarify strategy goals and performance measures and establish procedures for generating, collecting, and analyzing data. Additionally, CJRI will provide the criminal justice field with information about Open Solicitation '97 grantees, including innovative concepts and lessons learned.
State Evaluation Program
This series will showcase exemplary evaluations conducted at the state and local levels of Byrne-funded programs. Nominations will be accepted from State Administrative Agencies and will be reviewed by a panel of practitioners, administrators, and researchers. Evaluations selected for the series will be published by BJA and included on its home page.
New Competitive Programs
Byrne Evaluation Partnership Program
The Byrne Evaluation Partnership Program is designed to build state and local evaluation capacity through the direct support of evaluation activities. The program will increase the quality and use of evaluation research conducted by state and local agencies by creating a mechanism for enhancing the design, implementation, measurement, evaluation, and dissemination of information in high-priority program areas. The program will also enhance collaboration among Byrne State Administrative Agencies (which have principal responsibility for evaluation), funded program managers, and university or other research organizations.
Chapter 9: Accessing Training and Technical Assistance and FY 1998 Funds
Accessing Training and Technical Assistance Funds
For further information about the BJA training and technical assistance programs described in this program plan, contact the BJA Clearinghouse at 1800/6884252 or access the BJA home page at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA.
Accessing Byrne Formula Funds
After Congress makes an appropriation, BJA determines each state's annual grant entitlement by applying a modified population-based formula to the total amount of the appropriation. A base amount is guaranteed to each state. To receive Byrne funds, each state must develop a strategic, multiyear violence prevention and drug control strategy to demonstrate that funds will be used in accordance with the purposes of the law. Byrne Formula funds may be applied to 26 legislative purpose areas. States must also "pass through" a share of the funds to local jurisdictions in proportion to local agencies' share of total state criminal justice expenditures.
Local practitioners interested in funding support for innovative projects under the Byrne Formula Grant Program have a variety of methods for doing so. In every state the governor appoints an agency to handle the subgranting of these funds to local as well as state criminal justice operations. Contacting the appointed office to obtain application information is the first step. Typically, overall funding plans and funding decisions are made by advisory boards consisting of a community's leading criminal justice officials, including police chiefs, prosecutors, chief justices, and corrections commissioners. These advisory boards should be contacted and apprised of the project's value and level of support. In many states, funds are subgranted to local units of government in block form with decisions made locally on individual projects. These local agencies and any advisory boards they appoint should be contacted in those instances.
Funding plans are made on a long-term basis because these funds can be expended over a 3- to 4-year period. Plans to start a local project should be organized well in advance and scheduled in such a way that funds can be received at the conclusion of projects presently being funded under the state's Formula Grant Plan. Provisions also should be made for any dollar matching requirements.
Accessing Local Law Enforcement Block Grants
The LLEBG program is a formula grant program based on a jurisdiction's reported Part I violent crime as defined by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports program. Eligible applicants are general purpose local units of government (e.g., city or county level), not the departments or component units of government such as police or sheriff's departments. The chief executive officer (e.g., mayor, city manager, or board of supervisors) of the local unit must submit the application.
The LLEBG eligibility list for FY 1998 will be released in early spring and will be available from a variety of sources including the Federal Register; BJA's home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA); constituency groups such as the National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and National Association of Counties; and the Department of Justice Response Center (1800/4216770). Application kits will be mailed directly to all eligible applicants shortly after the release of the eligibility list. The application is one page, contains no narrative, and can be submitted in a variety of ways. If a jurisdiction is eligible for funding and a complete application is submitted by that jurisdiction, BJA will make an award. LLEBG is not a competitive program.
There are seven purpose areas under which LLEBG funds can be spent:
Hiring of law enforcement officers or support personnel, paying overtime, and/or purchasing equipment, technology or other materials related to law enforcement.
Enhancing security in and around schools or other locations/facilities at risk of crime.
Enhancing the adjudication process of violent adult and juvenile offenders.
Establishing or supporting a drug court.
Establishing a multijurisdictional task force that will work with federal law enforcement to prevent and control crime.
Establishing crime prevention programs involving cooperation between community residents and law enforcement personnel.
Defraying the cost of indemnification insurance for law enforcement officers.
An advisory board and a public hearing on the proposed use of funds are required under the legislation to provide broad input to the public officials who have decisionmaking authority. In this manner, proposed programs can be advanced for consideration.
Accessing Discretionary Funds
Under the Byrne Discretionary Program, BJA is authorized by Congress to award grants to public and private agencies and organizations for national-scope demonstration, training, and technical assistance programs in support of states and local jurisdictions. Priorities for this program reflect a balance of congressional mandates, Administration priorities, and needs expressed by state and local criminal justice practitioners. Discretionary grants will be made for continuation and implementation programs, limited competition programs, sole-source selection programs, and those programs designated by Congress to be funded by the Byrne Discretionary Program.
Crime prevention and control initiatives are most effective when they relate directly to a comprehensive strategy. Such a strategy provides the context or anchor for addressing locally determined priorities; describes in detail how programs implemented by government agencies, other service providers, and residents mutually support one another; and serves as the means for developing future partnerships among a wide variety of public and private resources. For these reasons, BJA has looked at ways of developing and, in some cases, reconfiguring programs to ensure that they are comprehensive in nature and promote partnerships that support local strategic planning and implementation.
Explicit in any successful state or local crime prevention and control strategy is the engagement of the ultimate beneficiaries--community residents. Community-based strategies and initiatives must focus on neighborhood problems by involving community leaders and residents in the planning and delivery of services. A number of BJA-funded programs, including the Comprehensive Communities Program, the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign, and the Tribal Strategies Against Violence Program, support partnerships with federal, state, and local governments, private organizations, and foundations to develop solutions to prevent and control crime and improve quality of life. Although Byrne Discretionary Grant Program funds may be used to pay up to 100 percent of total project costs under an initial grant award, BJA has instituted a policy of giving preferential treatment to proposals in which applicant agencies or jurisdictions have committed their own resources and propose a declining federal share over the course of a multiyear award.
FY 1998 Competitive Program
Solicitation and application information for FY 1998 discretionary programs will be announced throughout the year. To be placed on the BJA mailing list, call the BJA Clearinghouse at 1800/6884252 or the Department of Justice Response Center at 1800/4216770. Announcements will also be posted on the BJA home page at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA.