FY 2009 Recovery Justice Assistance 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 Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) will utilize their Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG awards funds to support the following nine types of programs or activities: expand the Department of Corrections (DOC) case management system, upgrade the automated fingerprinting information system (AFIS), support statewide and regional drug task force activities, increase the number of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples obtained from DOC inmates and expedite processing of DNA samples, increase the visibility of state police vehicles to reduce the number of collisions, expand staffing for domestic violence shelters, establish a sexual assault forensic examiner program, develop evaluation and assessment projects to assist DOC in providing more effective facility based and community based corrections programs, and translate community outreach and education and media materials. All program activities are components of CT Public Act 08-01, An Act Concerning Criminal Justice Reform. The primary intent of the legislation is to develop a more effective and cohesive state criminal justice system. The OPM performance measures are consistent with the general and specific purpose areas of the Recovery Act funds. The OPM will utilize administrative funds for salaries and supplies.

NCA/NCF