FY 2009 Recovery Act JAG Program

This grant program is authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (the 'Recovery Act') and by 42 U.S.C. 3751(a). The stated purposes of the Recovery Act are: to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; to assist those most impacted by the recession; to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and to stabilize state and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases. The Recovery Act places great emphasis on accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayer dollars.

Among other things, it creates a new Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and a new website ' Recovery.gov ' to provide information to the public, including access to detailed information on grants and contracts made with Recovery Act funds.

The Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funded under the Recovery Act is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. Recovery JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system, from multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. Recovery JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

The McDowell County Commission will use its Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to purchase necessary equipment to allow them to adequately continue day-to-day operations of its Day Report Center program. The objective of the McDowell County Day Report Center is to provide an array of services to help offenders gain the skills necessary to function as viable members of society. Through the expansion of staff and services, as well as education and technology, the Day Report Center will be able to more effectively provide a diverse program of rehabilitation and reintegration services to participants. Technological updates will enhance the dynamics of the services provided to the participants as well as aggrandize the process of data collection. These advances will facilitate a means by which fiscal accountability and accuracy will be more readily available, thus increasing the credibility and viability of the program. The Day Report Center plans to utilize additional assessment tools and establish an interdisciplinary team composed primarily of case managers, service providers, and parole/probation officers. This team will determine whether participants are in need of a revised treatment plan that may include crisis intervention, individualized substance abuse counseling, an increase in random drug screenings, and additional community service. A family support component as well as additional referral services will be incorporated through collaboration with community partnerships. These are specific strategies the Day Report Center plans to utilize in order to achieve the goals and objectives specified to ensure the continued success of the Day Report Center program.

NCA/NCF