Tennessee's 2005-2008 Strategy for Drug Control, Violence Prevention, and Criminal Justice System Improvement

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice for any one or more of the following purpose areas: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment programs; and 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP), which is located within the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, continues to serve as the State Administrative Agency for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG). The Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS) feeds the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which in turn is converted to UCR data. This data has identified seven areas of need: Prevention and Education Programs; Corrections and Community Corrections Programs; Drug Treatment; Law Enforcement Programs; Prosecution and Court Programs; Crime Victim and Witness Programs; and Planning, Evaluation and Technology Improvement Programs.

These priority areas correspond to the three National strategies: Prevention (community-based services, victim services training), Treatment (offender rehabilitation, drug courts), and Market Disruption (offender apprehension, court support, victim/witness coordinators and criminal justice records improvement). OCJP plans to utilize their Fiscal Year 2008 JAG funds to combat these problem areas through continued support of existing projects, such as partnerships for community policing and officer training in their roles in drug court diversion and 'teen court' projects; continued focused drug and violence prevention programs on a range of intervention strategies; assisting criminal justice personnel in receiving the most current training on specialized topics necessary to perform their duties and offer services to the offenders and the community in a safe, efficient and just manner; the establishment of a continuum of substance abuse treatment modalities for offenders; the provision of a continuum-of-care treatment for offenders in the county and state correctional system as well as those in community corrections programs; the initiation of new substance abuse treatment programs for female and juvenile offenders; the establishment of mental health courts, drug courts and dual diagnosis courts to augment existing programs; and the continued support of the transition toward full implementation of the Victim's Bill of Rights. Remaining grant funds will be appropriated to local law enforcement agencies so that needed equipment may be purchased to ensure compliance with TIBRS reporting requirements and facilitate information sharing.

NCA/NCF