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Message From the Director The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) was created to help America’s criminal justice practitioners reduce violence, defend our nation’s security, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state and local justice systems. This report describes the funding and technical assistance BJA provided for state and local criminal justice systems in FY 2001, but it is really a testament to the hard work and innovation of dedicated criminal justice professionals working in communities throughout the country. We have seen how much these professionals contribute to America’s security and wellbeing in our nation’s response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, and I am proud that BJA plays a role in making their achievements possible. I feel strongly that we can accomplish even more in the next few years by making BJA more responsive to local needs. By focusing on the following priorities, BJA will be more effective in its core mission of supporting law enforcement officers, prosecutors, public defenders, judges, and other practitioners working at the state and local levels. Emphasizing local control. I believe that states and communities know best the solutions to their crime and violence problems. BJA can have the greatest impact on America’s security by providing resources and technical assistance to support those who are putting local solutions to work. Institutionalizing collaboration and communication within the justice system. We can take a major step toward good working relationships and a responsive justice system by simply sharing information, working together, and valuing each other’s contributions. A priority for BJA will be sharing information with and seeking input from the field regularly. Streamlining or simplifying every procedure and process we can in Federal Government. The goal of government should be to make things easier for communities, not harder. My goal is to eliminate burdensome rules and to provide as much flexibility as possible to states and communities while also ensuring fiscal accountability and results. Providing state-of-the-art training. We know that professionals need good tools to do good jobs. So we will focus on providing and encouraging more and better training for professionals working in crime prevention, law enforcement, adjudication, and corrections, including our own staff. Identifying promising programs and best practices. BJA will strengthen its commitment to helping states and communities find out if their programs work and promoting the replication of those that do. It is my hope that BJA’s support will continue to stimulate the extraordinary efforts of the practitioners and public safety officers who protect our nation. We have a great challenge before us if we are to ensure the safety and security of our citizens. Only by working together to create a justice system that is both responsive and effective will we meet that challenge. Richard R. Nedelkoff
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