American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

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 Mississippi Division of Public Safety Planning will utilize the Recovery Act JAG funds to curtail illegal drug activity and violent crime through the funding of multi-jurisdictional drug task force programs, community crime prevention programs, drug court case management integration projects, juvenile justice compliance monitoring programs, state narcotics initiatives, unsolved cold case initiatives, adult and family drug courts, juvenile mentoring programs, local law enforcement and training programs, street sales enforcement programs, highway interdiction programs, prosecutorial programs, crime lab and drug analysis efforts, prevention and treatment programs, technology initiatives, and substance abuse programs. These priorities will be coordinated with the present programs that support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse victims, juvenile justice, and juvenile victims of crime. Major emphasis will be placed on family violence issues with a concentration on child abuse and neglect. Grant funds will also be used to: create up to 243 new jobs through the subawarding of funds to Mississippi state ($4,278,050) and local units of government ($5,801,400) over a four year grant period; provide Recovery Act funding to at least four law enforcement jurisdictions and agencies to retain and preserve up to 131 jobs; and to enhance and strengthen the Mississippi criminal justice system-wide through the provision of revenue in 20 program categories, which were deleted or not provided previously. The Mississippi Division of Public Safety Planning will use 10 percent of the grant award for administrative purposes.

NCA/NCF