Past Funding

One of BJA's guiding principles is to promote a fair criminal justice system. For the past two decdes, the American justice system has been confronted with a steady stream of post-conviction exonerations, and the issue of wrongful conviction has emerged as a critical area for examination. BJA is committed to assisting the state and local law enforcement entities in adopting evidence-based practices and assessing the necessary technologies to reduce the likelihood of a wrongful conviction (to include wrongful arrests and prosecutions) occurring from the outset of each criminal investigation.

This competitive grant announcement specifically requests applications for one national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to support and build capacity in the field and among those jurisdictions selected to be Smart Defense sites. The purpose of Smart Defense is to improve the quality of public defense delivery systems guided by the Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, promulgated by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2002.

To provide law enforcement agencies, in partnership with their communities with funds to develop and implement a comprehensive, holistic, community-wide program designed to protect persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and effectively work to locate those persons who are reported as missing. Applicants must provide evidence that the project will encompass a geographic area where a significant percentage of the population is 65 years of age or older.

The Second Chance Act Programs are designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges posed by reentry and recidivism reduction. "Reentry" is not a specific program, but rather a process that starts when an individual is initially incarcerated and ends when he or she has been successfully reintegrated in the community as a law-abiding citizen.

BJA's Smart Prosecution Initiative is designed to promote effective data-driven, research-based approaches to prosecution and prosecutor-led justice systems innovations and reforms. The Smart Prosecution model builds off of the lessons learned from BJA's Smart Suite of crime fighting programs. Smart Prosecution will seek to pair an operational, results focused researcher with a prosecutor's office to develop data-driven solutions which create effective, efficient, and just prosecution strategies which will ultimately improve public safety.

The FY 2015 Smart Supervision Program seeks to improve supervision success rates and reduce crime, which would in turn reduce admissions to prisons and jails and save taxpayer dollars. Funds can be used to implement evidence-based supervision strategies and to develop innovative strategies to improve outcomes for probationers.

The Statewide Recidivism Reduction Strategic Planning Program will provide $100,000 awards to State Departments of Correction to develop Planning & Implementation guides to serve as the basis for an application for funds to implement a comprehensive reentry program to effect a reasonable reduction in the documented statewide recidivism rate.

The FY 2015 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Maximizing State Reforms Competitive Grant challenges units of state government and federally recognized Indian tribes to design and implement a strategy to further the goals of a state’s existing justice reinvestment reform efforts, including the commitment to data-driven decisio nmaking and investment in evidence-based practices and programs.

There are a multiple states, counties, cities, and tribes that are interested in implementing Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) models of supervision with offenders in the community. This interest has grown out of the potential promise that these SCF models have shown in effectively reducing recidivism and preventing crime.

The Tribal Justice Systems Infrastructure Program (CTAS Purpose Area 4) provides funding to renovate buildings to enhance conditions in or to change the use of a building to any of the following purposes: single jurisdiction or regional Tribal correctional facilities, correctional alternative facilities, multipurpose justice centers (including police departments, courts, and corrections), and transitional living facilities (halfway houses) associated with the incarceration and rehabilitation of juvenile and/or adult offenders.

To engage in comprehensive justice system-wide strategic planning to improve Tribal justice and community wellness and safety including activities outlined in TLOA such as strategic planning and the development of a Tribal Action Plan (TAP).

To develop, enhance, and continue Tribal justice systems including: alcohol and substance abuse prevention, law enforcement, pretrial services, risk and needs assessment development and implementation, diversion programming, Tribal court services, healing to wellness courts, intervention and/or treatment, detention programming, community corrections, reentry planning and programming, justice system infrastructure enhancement, justice system information sharing, etc. To respond to and prevent alcohol- and substance abuse-related crimes.