Improving Criminal Justice - Health Collaboration

This program is funded under both the Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. Authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117), the Byrne Competitive Program helps local communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provides for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. The JAG Program (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.)is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, and JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system. This national initiative will improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, including correctional services . The JAG Program authorization also provides that the Attorney General may reserve not more than 5 percent, to be granted to 1 or more states or units of local government for 1 or more of the purposes specified in section 3751 of this title, pursuant to his determination that the same is necessary (1) to combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime. (42 U.S.C. 3756).

The SEARCH Group Inc. will use FY 10 Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative Category 5: Criminal Justice and Health Collaboration in the amount of $500,000. The goal of this program is to identify and support the critical issues for sharing data with the health and human services community in order to improve the operation of the criminal justice system.

CA/NCF