FY 2009 Recovery Act 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 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 Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Intergovernmental Services will utilize their Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) award in the amount of $13,768,225 to enhance their assistance to state and local law enforcement units to improve their operational effectiveness in controlling and deterring crime and to support criminal justice projects and activities, including multi-jurisdictional drug task forces. Through coordinated efforts, the multi-jurisdictional task forces will work with the Arkansas State Police, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations to decrease interstate organized crime. The DFA will also support projects to improve the criminal justice system in the areas of correctional facilities, justice sharing initiatives, the judicial processing system, criminal files, and evidence procedures. The DFA will administer JAG funding to units of local law enforcement through special purpose mini-grants to assist rural law enforcement with equipment needs.

NCA/NCF