FY 2009 Recovery Act Justice Assistance 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 grant 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 Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) is a statutorily authorized entity mandated to carry out various coordinating, monitoring, and reporting functions relating to the administration and management of criminal justice programs in Arizona. ACJC, as the state administering agency for the JAG program, will administer the Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG funds via a competitive grant process. Grants will be awarded to state, tribal, county, and local government agencies to support a statewide effort to fight drug trafficking and associated violent crime. The priorities identified as integral to Arizona's statewide effort to fight drug trafficking and the violent crime associated with this illicit trade are: multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional drug, gang, and violent crime task forces, their tandem prosecution projects, and statewide civil forfeiture efforts; criminal justice information sharing projects; adjudication, forensic analysis, detention, and criminal justice system support services; and proven substance abuse prevention and education programs. These priorities, as stated in Arizona's 2008-2011 Drug, Gang, and Violent Crime Control State Strategy, help guide grant funds to combat issues identified as the primary threat to public safety in Arizona: drug trafficking and the associated violent crime. ACJC will give priority consideration to requests to use Recovery Act funding to retain jobs and/or assist in the creation of personnel positions key to the priority areas listed above.

NCA/NCF