Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2023, $4,489,140)
According to available Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, Alabama’s firearm mortality rate ranks 5th nationally with 23.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2020. This is an increase from 2019 and 2018 which saw a rate of 22.2(2019) and 21.8(2018). Alabama ranked 15th nationally among states with number of firearm related deaths (1,141) in 2020, while ranking just 24th in total population at 5,039,877.
The State of Alabama Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP) will look to provide funding for the creation and/or implementation of gun violence reduction programs/initiatives.
Related Programs or Initiatives
Related court-based, behavioral health deflection, and gun safety programs or initiatives may include, but are not limited to:
-Specialized court-based programs such as drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts, including those that specifically accept clients with firearm violations
-Gun violence recovery courts that connect clients in crisis with community resources
-Threat assessment training for prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, and public defenders
-Technology, analysis, or information-sharing solutions for ensuring law enforcement, probation, prosecutors, the courts, and public defenders are informed when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm
-Development and implementation of validated gun violence risk assessment tools and service case management and navigation programs to assess the risks and needs of clients and connect them to critical services to mitigate their risk of gun violence and enhance their access to effective interventions
-Expanding the capacity of existing drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts to assist clients who are most likely to commit or become victims of gun crimes
-Behavioral health deflection for those at risk to themselves or others (see the National Guidelines for Behavior Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit)
-Assertive Community Treatment Behavioral threat assessment programs and related training Triage services, mobile crisis units (both co-responder and civilian only), and peer support specialists
-Technological supports such as smartphone applications to help families and patients navigate mental health and related systems and telehealth initiatives, including technology solutions for telehealth visits outside the hospital
-Support behavioral health responses and civil legal responses to behavioral health responses such as regional crisis call centers, crisis mobile team response, and crisis receiving and stabilization facilities to individuals in crisis
-Specialized training for individuals who serve or are families of individuals who are in crisis Law enforcement-based programs, training, and technology
-Funding for law enforcement agencies to safely secure, store, track, and return relinquished guns Gun locks and storage for individuals and businesses Software/technologies to track relinquished guns
-Development and or delivery of specialized training and overtime for officers to attend training
Research, study or data gathering
Predictive analytics or policing or use of artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent gun violence
Program Requirements
Crisis Intervention Advisory Board
- Alabama’s advisory group under the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP), will initially be comprised of seven representatives selected to inform and guide the state’s program. The state administering agency is currently contacting candidates who have been nominated to fulfill the required vocation/discipline areas. Those agreeing to serve will be formally appointed early in 2023. An organizational meeting will be held soon after appointments are made to provide information and orientation, propose and establish operational procedures, and to discuss a future meeting schedule.
State Crisis Intervention Program Plan and Budget Approval
-Program and budget plans will be developed in coordination with and demonstrate evidence of approval by the Crisis Intervention Advisory Board and will be expressly approved by BJA post award via Grant Award Modification (GAM) before funds can be obligated, expended, or drawn down.
- All subawards will be expressly authorized by BJA post award via GAM before funds will be obligated for subawards.
- Subrecipients will be required to cooperate with BJA and its training and technical assistance provider to ensure that projects funded under this program are designed to protect the constitutional rights of individuals.