| The Daily Crucible | Tuesday, December 21 2021
The United States Department of Justice has awarded $1.6 billion in grant to support a wide range of programs designed to reduce violent crime and strengthen communities.
The grants which are being released to communities and organizations throughout the country, are administered by the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland disclosed this on Monday.
“The Department of Justice is committed to supporting our state and local partners to combat crime across the country.
“This latest round of funding will deliver critical public safety resources, helping public safety professionals, victim service providers, local agencies and nonprofit organizations confront these serious challenges," Attorney General Garland said.
He explained that as law enforcement agencies address a range of public safety challenges – from violent crime to human trafficking to retail thefts – the awards will provide additional tools to advance violence intervention activities and evidence-based police and prosecution strategies.
According to him, the funds are also intended to reduce recidivism, help people coming out of prisons and jails make the transition back into their communities and support responses to crises like drug overdoses and episodes involving mental illness.
These latest grants build on earlier OJP investments, including more than $1.2 billion to support victim assistance and compensation programs, $187 million under the state formula Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program, more than $175 million in funding for victim services and public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, over $21 million in grants to address hate crimes and $17.5 million in Project Safe Neighborhoods grants. The COPS office also funded the hiring of over 1,000 officers in 183 police departments this year.
"Some of the awards address the rise in gun violence and other violent crime in communities across America, in alignment with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment in April. These grants help support the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, announced in May, and will advance President Biden’s Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety, released in June.
“These investments reflect a commitment that extends across this administration to invest in our neighborhoods, building bonds of civic trust and ending the cycle of trauma and violence that destroys too many lives and keeps far too many Americans from realizing their potential,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon of OJP.
No comments:
Post a Comment