District of Columbia FY 2009 JAG Recovery Act Grant 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 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 District of Columbia's Justice Grants Administration (JGA) will use their FY 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Justice Assistance grant in the amount of $11,741,539 to invigorate its comprehensive crime control and prevention strategy. To bolster law enforcement programs and retain and create public safety jobs, JGA will channel funds toward technology to enhance core operations, communications and computer equipment to improve multi-agency collaboration, and to data-collection, research and evaluation to increase transparency and accountability on program performance. Funds will be disbursed among the following purpose areas: law enforcement (10 percent), prevention and education (15 percent), technology and research (25 percent), and corrections and community corrections (50 percent). Special emphasis will be on at-risk youth/status offender diversion, data and technology capacity improvements, diversion initiatives, evidence-based services for adjudicated youth, prisoner re-entry, and research and evaluation. The JGA will issue thorough, comprehensive written progress and fiscal reports on a quarterly schedule to keep all interested parties apprised of its efforts of moving forward toward the goal of reducing crime and violence in the District of Columbia.

NCA/NCF