Arizona Drug, Gang and Violent Crime Control Program

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; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) is receiving $2,059,032 for the Fiscal Year 2008 JAG Program. Ten percent of the award, or $205,903, will be used for administrative costs, and at least five percent of the award, or $102,952, will be set aside for Criminal Justice Records Improvement Program projects.

ACJC's strategy for the 2008 JAG funds comes from the ACJC's 2008-2011 Drug, Gang, and Violent Crime Control State Strategy. Arizona will focus on four priorities. The first priority is to support the multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional drug, gang and violent crime task forces, their tandem prosecution projects, and statewide civil forfeiture efforts. Many drugs enter the U.S. through Arizona and then are moved to markets across the United States. Thus, Arizona considers itself to be ground zero in the war on drugs. The second priority is to support improvements to both vertical and lateral criminal justice information-sharing projects. This will improve the accuracy and completeness of Arizona's criminal history records and is critical to identifying and prosecuting criminal offenders who cross jurisdictions. The third priority is funding adjudication and criminal justice system support services, such as forensic laboratory services, enhancement of corrections and community corrections services for inmate processing and security, support to the superior court and probation departments, and residential drug treatment programs. The final priority is to support proven prevention and education programs that focus on substance abuse problems.

All projects funded will be consistent with the following goals: multi-jurisdictional drug task forces and tandem prosecution projects; adjudication projects including drug courts; drug offender corrections and community corrections projects; criminal justice records improvement projects; and drug forensic analysis. Funding for the Drug, Gang, and Violent Crime Control strategy comes from the JAG Program, the Drug and Gang Enforcement Account from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and from matching funds.

NCA/NCF