2009 Recovery Bryne/JAG Formula Grant

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 Maine Department of Public Safety's Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act Justice Assistance Grant award in the amount of $6,060,129 seeks to accomplish both the purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Formula Program. These goals encompass preserving and creating jobs, promoting economic recovery, and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice system. The majority of Maine's law enforcement agencies are small. Therefore, law enforcement officials understand that they must be innovative, work collectively, and in concert with communities and other criminal justice and service agencies to solve common crime problems. Despite limited resources, many communities in recent years have developed programs to address drug and crime through coordinated efforts.

The following five priority objectives have been identified for Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funding: statewide multi-jurisdictional drug task forces, multi-jurisdictional drug prosecution support, the Maine Integrated Community Safety Information System (MICSIS), correctional system improvement, and law enforcement and criminal justice initiatives. These priorities have been developed through a deliberative consultative process. The Maine Justice Assistance Council, the advisory board established by executive order, has stakeholders representing the criminal justice community in Maine and works to establish priorities that reduce crime and violence.

NCA/NCF