Title: Annual Report Fiscal Year 1997. Series: Monograph Author: Bureau of Justice Assistance Published: September 1998 Subject: Funding resources 43 pages 89,000 bytes Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from BJA at 800-688-4252. ------------------------------- BJA Annual Report Fiscal Year 1997 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General Raymond C. Fisher Associate Attorney General Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General No‰l Brennan Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nancy E. Gist Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance Office of Justice Programs World Wide Web Home Page http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov Bureau of Justice Assistance World Wide Web Home Page http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA For grant and funding information contact U.S. Department of Justice Response Center1-800-421-6770 This document was prepared by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, under grant number 98-DD-BX-K002, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. ------------------------------- TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE Pursuant to The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 as amended by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-690), in accordance with Section 522, I am pleased to transmit the Bureau of Justice Assistance Annual Report for Fiscal Year 1997. Respectfully submitted, Nancy E. Gist Director BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE Washington, D.C. September 1998 ------------------------------- Foreword The Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA's) initiatives in Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 have both consolidated gains made through longer term comprehensive efforts and opened new doors for State and local criminal justice professionals working to make America safer. Access to help from BJA is now easier to obtain than ever before for local law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and criminal justice practitioners. BJA's FY 1997 Open Solicitation Announcement reached out across the country to collect short, clear concept papers delineating problems and receiving ideas for locally crafted public-private partnership strategies from more than 40,000 agencies. BJA also implemented its Resident Practitioner Program, which gives selected criminal justice practitioners from States and local agencies an opportunity to work at BJA. Each local practitioner chosen for this program participates in projects in his or her area of expertise, learns methods of securing Federal support for sound local programs, and gives BJA a "reality check" in its effort to monitor the day-to-day challenges of today's criminal justice systems and settings. BJA's leadership is increasing awareness and understanding of community court practices for more than 70 jurisdictions in the United States that are working cooperatively to create community courts. Network-style leadership and active involvement of the citizens and organizations whose safety and harmonious functioning are at stake are transforming institutions of justice across the United States to better serve the people and neighborhoods that entrust the administration of justice to today's police, prosecutors, sheriffs, courts, corrections, and social service agencies. ------------------------------- Contents Bureau of Justice Assistance: Mission and Goals Overview of BJA Funding Opportunities Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program The Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program Earmarked Funds and Special Programs Supporting the Criminal Justice System: Solving Problems Through State and Local Partnerships Law Enforcement: Effectiveness by the Numbers Nationwide Crime Prevention Adjudication: System Efficiency To Support Justice Goals Corrections: Improved Options for the Future Comprehensive Communities Comprehensive Community Justice Planning: Partnership Protection Programs Special Programs: Funding Support Technology and Information Management for the 21st Century Policy, Planning, and Communications: Listening to the Field, Responding With Information Evaluations and Technical Assistance: What Works and What Doesn't Appendixes BJA Legislative Purpose Area Descriptions BJA Grant Awards to States and U.S. Territories BJA Publications ------------------------------- Exhibits Exhibit 1:Examples of Training Programs Funded by Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Exhibit 2: Overview of Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Technical Assistance Initiatives Exhibit 3: Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 1997 Enacted Funding Levels Exhibit 4: Law Enforcement Highlights in FY 1997 Exhibit 5: Community Crime Prevention Highlights Exhibit 6: Adjudication-Focal Points in FY 1997 Exhibit 7: Examples of Outreach to Corrections at the Local Level Through BJA's FY 1997 Open Solicitation Exhibit 8: Exemplary Comprehensive Programs Exhibit 9: Joining Forces for Community Justice Assistance Exhibit 10: From Improving the Nation's Criminal Justice System: Findings and Results From State and Local Program Evaluations, Effective Programs Monograph No. 1 ------------------------------- Bureau of Justice Assistance: Mission and Goals Since the implementation of its charter, the Bureau of Justice Assistance has worked with communities, local governments, States, and Federal agencies to reduce and prevent crime, violence, and drug abuse in America. Mission BJA's mission is to provide leadership, funding, training, and technical assistance in support of local criminal justice strategies to achieve strong neighborhoods and safe communities. Goals BJA goals encompass the following: o Effective new approaches to crime control and prevention. o Replication and maintenance of successful, collaborative crime control programs that use strategic planning methods and public-private partnerships to improve criminal justice. o A responsive and dynamic work environment and an organizational structure geared to serve needs at the local level. ------------------------------- Overview of BJA Funding Opportunities BJA exercises wide administrative control for funding of initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, crime prevention, adjudication, corrections, and comprehensive and specialized programs combining these areas; technological systems design and improvement; and assessment of program effectiveness. BJA-administered funding frequently involves strategic partnerships with other Federal, State, or local agencies and nonprofit, social service, or educational institutions. Management of BJA funding opportunities can be divided generally among BJA Formula Grant funds, BJA Discretionary Grant funds, Local Law Enforcement Block Grants, continuing congressional earmark programs, and special solicitations. Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program BJA's Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program is dedicated by congressional mandate to providing grant assistance to State and local jurisdictions. This major source of Federal support channels funds to the local level to fight crime in American communities. By directly working with State and local practitioners, BJA helps them develop and implement programs to address violent crime and drug abuse. The two main components of the Byrne Program are the Byrne Formula Grant Program and the Byrne Discretionary Grant Program. The Byrne Formula Grant Program Each year, Congress appropriates Byrne Formula Grant funds for BJA to distribute to State and local criminal justice systems; the funds are distributed according to the population of the State. Use of the Byrne Formula Grant funds is governed by the approved legislative purpose areas (see Appendix Table 3), but States can assign amounts to be applied for specific purposes to respond to local crime patterns. In addition to such State programs, BJA-administered Byrne Formula Grant funds support thousands of local programs, such as multijurisdictional task forces, community policing initiatives, illegal firearms abatement, and drug prevention programs. The 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible to apply for Byrne Formula Grant funds. Each area must develop a strategy, in consultation with State and local officials engaged in law enforcement and the administration of justice, to improve system function, educate people about drug abuse, and control drug trafficking, violent crime, and serious offenders. The strategic plans have to be submitted to the public for comment. At least 25 percent of program costs must be paid with non-Federal funds, and matching funds must add to what is already available to the recipient for law enforcement or the administration of justice. States (or territories) give priority to jurisdictions with the greatest need and must follow congressional mandates, including measures established for the following national initiatives: o Immigration and Naturalization (INS) Plan--notification and provision of records to INS on convictions of aliens. o Criminal Justice Records Improvement Plan--at least 5 percent of awards must go to improvement of records. o Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Testing--victim-requested HIV testing of sex offenders. o Jacob Wetterling Sexual Offender Registry--establishment of 10-year registries within the States of persons convicted of violent sexual offenses or certain crimes against minors. ------------------------------- Exhibit 1: Examples of Training Programs Funded by Local Law Enforcement Block Grants TECHNICAL o Information/Case Management Design. o DNA Testing for Prosecutors or Defenders. o Forensic Lab Operations. o Drug-testing Procedures. PROCEDURAL o School Security Procedures. o Specialized Courts Such as Drug Courts. o Techniques for Evidence Presentation in Domestic Violence Cases. CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNING o "What Works" and Information Sharing. o Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) and Task Forces. o Assessing Neighborhood Environmental Risks. o Using Resident Associations To Prevent Crime. o Identifying Performance Measures and Evaluation Methods. ------------------------------- The Byrne Discretionary Grant Program This program allows BJA the flexibility to respond with appropriate funding to specific crime problem areas. The Discretionary Grant Program awards are used to directly support programs of proven merit, as well as innovative solutions, from either the private or public sector, to fight crime- and drug-related problems in the Nation. These awards focus on new practices in crime prevention, national-scope programs, training and technical assistance, and illegal drug control. To improve the comprehensive administration of criminal justice, BJA also seeks, through these funds, to replicate, codify, and disseminate successful innovative programs. BJA funds supported more than 7,000 active programs during FY 1997. The Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program The BJA director sets aside funds to be used by units of local government within each of the States. The amounts are proportionate to the particular State's average annual quantity of Part-I violent crimes, as reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), compared to the similar figure for all other States during the 3 most recent calendar years. The Local Law Enforcement Block Grants (LLEBG) Program requires matching funds of at least 10 percent of the total program costs. To make recommendations on the use of funds, the chief executive of a grantee jurisdiction must establish an advisory board, including at least one member from each of the following: local law enforcement, the prosecutor's office, the court system, the school system, and a nonprofit group active in crime prevention or drug-use prevention. Each recipient establishes a trust fund for program funds. Federal funds that are not expended for program purposes within 2 years of the initial award from BJA are to be returned. All recipients must maintain clear records showing sources, amounts, and timing of matching contributions. BJA's LLEBG program funds may be used for: o Law enforcement support for hiring and training law enforcement officers and support personnel, paying overtime to officers and support personnel, and procuring equipment or technology directly related to basic law enforcement functions. o Enhancing security around schools or facilities that the local government considers at special risk for criminal activity. o Establishing or supporting drug courts that offer continuing supervision of nonviolent offenders who have substance abuse problems. o Enhancing adjudication of persons charged with violent offenses, including cases involving violent juvenile offenders. o Establishing multijurisdictional task forces, especially in rural areas. o Establishing cooperative community crime prevention initiatives. o Defraying the cost of indemnification insurance for law enforcement officers. The funds are not to be used simply as a supplement to State or local funds to construct new facilities, retain consultants, or buy or lease vehicles. Units of local government, such as counties, towns, villages, cities, parishes, or Indian tribes, may apply for an award. Eligibility is determined on the basis of the jurisdiction's number of Part-I violent crimes, as reported to the FBI UCR. See Appendix Table 1 for LLEBG funding allocations for State Administrative Agencies (SAAs) and local governments in FY 1997. Earmarked Funds and Special Programs Each year, Congress places line items in BJA's appropriations for special initiatives or ongoing programs. This year, these include funding for the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program, the National Night Out (NNO), Boys and Girls Clubs of America (B&GCA), the National Judicial College, Project Return (for former offenders), the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTIS), the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program, the National White Collar Crime Center, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), the Watch Your Car Program, the Prosecutor Investigative Training for Telemarketing Fraud Against Senior Citizens Program, and the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program. ------------------------------- Exhibit 2: Overview of Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Technical Assistance Initiatives Initiative Purpose Eligible Recipients State and Local Training and Education. Criminal justice education and training. All SAAs. Grants Management Workshop Series. Training on LLEBG programmatic and fiscal requirements. LLEBG grantees. Replication of BJA's Automated Application and Award System. Efficient automated application and award system for State administrative use. 8-12 SAAs; determined by survey results. Investigative and Surveillance Technology Training. Training for specialized equipment; support hotline. Administrative and detective-level law enforcement personnel. Law Enforcement Equipment Procurement Program. Agency purchasing at competitive prices [U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and General Services Administration (GSA) ordering systems]. State, local, and Indian tribal law enforcement agencies. Criminal Justice Information. Systems development and software training. Criminal justice practitioners. Tribal Criminal Case Management. Development of automated case tracking and incident-based crime reporting. Two Indian tribal jurisdictions; selected through solicitation. Drug Courts. Planning and implementation. LLEBG grantees who are funding drug courts. Adjudication Supplement. Expert assistance for court improvement. To be determined. ------------------------------- State Identification Systems Formula Grant Fund In FY 1997, the FBI transferred $9.5 million to BJA to administer the State Identification Systems (SIS) Formula Grant Fund, which will (1) develop, upgrade, or update computerized information systems compatible with the FBI's National Crime Information Center; (2) develop the capability to analyze DNA in ways that are compatible with the FBI's Combined DNA Index System; and (3) automate fingerprint identification systems to be compatible and capable of integration with the FBI's Automated Fingerprint Identification System. To receive SIS funds, a State must require every person convicted of a felony of a sexual nature to provide appropriate officials with a sample of their blood, saliva, or any other specimen necessary for performing DNA analysis. The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program This complex hybrid of a discretionary and a formula grant program helps States with management costs related to incarcerated criminal aliens. Application kits for this assistance were released to the States in July 1997. The program does not create entitlements to the States, but any State that houses qualifying criminal aliens may apply. In FY 1997, the criteria were expanded to also cover aliens convicted of two misdemeanors or a felony. After applications are received, a certain portion of the States' costs (relative to such aliens) can be reimbursed. The increase in the number of applications in FY 1997 led to smaller individual payouts under the program, but total support to the States reached $500 million. ------------------------------- Exhibit 3: Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 1997 Enacted Funding Levels Program Amount Justice Assistance Regional Information Sharing Systems $14,500,000 National White Collar Crime Center $3,850,000 Local Firefighter/Emergency Services Training $5,000,000 Terrorism Training $2,000,000 State and Local Law Enforcement Byrne Formula Grants $500,000,000 Byrne Discretionary Grants $60,000,000 Public Safety Officers' Benefits $32,326,000 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants $523,000,000 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program $330,000,000 Transfer From State Corrections Program to SCAAP $170,000,000 Telemarketing Fraud Prevention $2,000,000 Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention $750,000 Grants for Televised Testimony $550,000 Total $1,643,976,000 ------------------------------- Supporting the Criminal Justice System: Solving Problems Through State and Local Partnerships Law Enforcement: Effectiveness by the Numbers A watershed law enforcement development in FY 1997, showing the Federal emphasis on partnership and collaboration between agencies, was the initiation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning information sharing between the BJA-funded Regional Information Sharing Systems and the FBI. As a matter of practice and policy, the FBI will participate in the Regional Information Sharing Systems Program at national and field levels and will give RISS centers access to the FBI's criminal indexes, excluding only those that are purely Federal in nature, thereby enabling stronger multijurisdictional partnerships to pursue criminal investigations with the best information available. BJA also awarded funding in FY 1997 for the development of protocols and guidelines to be used in partnership operations between law enforcement and private security, an area in which new resources for public safety are becoming available and greater understanding of collaborative principles is needed. To further efforts to combat the illegal trafficking and use of firearms, BJA enhanced programming in two areas in FY 1997. First, through a grant awarded to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), BJA established a technical assistance program for firearms trafficking investigations. Second, the IACP, in cooperation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), provided nationwide technical assistance to State and local law enforcement agencies in strategies to enhance such investigations, using a broad range of techniques and focusing on tracing firearms through the ATF Tracing Center. BJA also expanded and broadened the Firearms Investigations Training Programs administered through the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Initiated as a training program to support the 14 Eastern States' Interstate Firearms Trafficking Compact, the training program was expanded with FY 1997 funding to become a nationwide law enforcement training effort. In FY 1997, the Inaugural Economic Crime Summit held in Providence, Rhode Island, was a highlight of the activities of the National White Collar Crime Center. The summit fostered a lively dialog among diverse constituencies concerning the challenges and impact of economic crime. Approximately 400 attendees discussed topics on problems that require finding effective solutions based on public and private partnerships. State and local law enforcement agencies actively entered the Federal grant process using the methods of BJA's FY 1997 Open Solicitation. For the Law Enforcement Branch, the related broad categories affected by the Open Solicitation were (1) combating witness intimidation, for which a broad demonstration model and national technical assistance program is under development, (2) improving police-prosecutor coordination, and (3) improving access to justice programs for special populations such as seniors, the physically impaired, or non-English speaking people. ------------------------------- Exhibit 4: Law Enforcement Highlights in FY 1997 o BJA Partnership with ATF and IACP for national technical assistance on illegal firearms trafficking. o Operation of National Gang Database. o Public-private partnerships for confronting crime. o New system connectivity between agencies and national RISS database. o MOU with the FBI, allowing cooperative use of FBI indexes and RISS intelligence. o Technical assistance for isolated and underserved small law enforcement agencies. ------------------------------- In a special discretionary initiative in FY 1997, BJA, together with IACP, is supporting onsite technical assistance tailored to the special needs of small police departments within or contiguous to metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and departments that serve a population between 25,000 and 50,000 and are not near an MSA. This work also complements the BJA-funded Rural Jurisdictions Technical Assistance Project of the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement at the University of Arkansas. Such small law enforcement organizations do not enjoy the resources of major jurisdictions and may face significant crime problems. Technical assistance will be offered in the areas of executive development, minority recruitment, technology, emergency transport issues, creation of task forces, relationships with city government, community policing, two-officer police vehicles, and use of Federal grant money. Nationwide Crime Prevention In FY 1997, partnership, cooperation, and receptivity to ideas from the local level formed the themes for BJA's community crime prevention activities. Cooperative agreements have linked U.S. Department of Justice agencies with grantee organizations and their State or local partners. The local-level organization guides initiatives in accordance with its specific needs and characteristics. Through BJA funding and support, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has become a national movement that has grown to more than 2,013 club facilities in metropolitan, suburban, and rural locations. It has also been extended to include children in U.S. military and Native American communities. Innovative club services have also been offered in school facilities and shopping malls. The more than 2,000 support programs of B&GCA are now found in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In FY 1997, B&GCA served a landmark number of youth--2.85 million nationwide. Where appropriate, clubs are supporting relevant municipalwide crime control strategies and employing parental training, as well as training for youth, in conflict resolution skills. B&GCA's outreach provides guidance in discipline and values, constructive youth activities and programs, educational support with awareness of career options, comprehensive violence prevention curriculums, and a hopeful vision of life for youngsters in difficult life settings. For crime prevention strategies among Native American tribal groups, BJA continued to foster cross-site peer assistance in its collaborative partnerships in FY 1997 in seven tribal demonstration sites: Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck, Montana; Rosebud Sioux Tribe of Rosebud, South Dakota; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Suttons Bay, Michigan; Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Belcourt, North Dakota; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Reservation, Owyhee, Nevada; Chickasaw Nation, Ada, Oklahoma; and Puyallup Tribe, Washington State. This BJA program, the Tribal Strategies Against Violence Initiative, is working to institutionalize central strategic planning teams, including tribal service providers (such as law enforcement officers, prosecutors, providers of social services, educators, spiritual leaders, businessowners, and youth), to tackle violent crime and substance abuse. Another related program in FY 1997, the American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Initiative, is working with nine tribal governments (Yupiit of Andreafski Tribe, St. Mary's, Alaska; Pascua Yaqui, Tucson, Arizona; Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, Minnesota; Red Lake Band of Chippewa, Red Lake, Minnesota; Chippewa Cree Tribe, Box Elder, Montana; Pueblo of Jemez, Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico; Eastern Band of Cherokee, Cherokee, North Carolina; HoChunk Nation Department of Social Services, Black River Falls, Wisconsin; and Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, Arizona). It addresses gang issues, cost-effective alternatives to incarceration, and tribal strategies to prevent substance abuse by youth. Partnerships in each area where these efforts are pursued include tribal courts, local prosecutors, and law enforcement, probation, education, and tribal health services. The initiatives foster service learning and cultural recovery among residents and youth to enhance quality of life in Indian Country. Other tribal governments may participate in BJA's FY 1998 Open Solicitation, which will involve similar programming. Since 1987, D.A.R.E. has evolved as a preeminent means of preventing youth involvement with drugs, gangs, and violence. With instructions to more than 8,600 participating law enforcement agencies and partnerships to give young people skills in making the right choices, more than 35 million students around the world (26 million in the United States) benefited from D.A.R.E. in 1997. BJA's FY 1997 Byrne Discretionary Grant Program supported the five D.A.R.E. Regional Training Centers with $1.75 million. Formal cooperative D.A.R.E. partnerships have been established with 10,000 communities in nearly 75 percent of the Nation's public school districts. D.A.R.E. continued to refine the comprehensive K-12 curriculum in FY 1997, and 47 State training centers have been certified to train local law enforcement officers to teach the public the D.A.R.E. curriculum. Through its Communities in Action to Prevent Drug Abuse II Program, BJA provided job counseling and training and coordinated reporting, cleanup, and closure of more than 1,100 drug dealing locations in participating cities. The initiative was also able to generate more than an estimated $500 million in community reinvestment funds from local banks. ------------------------------- Exhibit 5: Community Crime Prevention Highlights o Boys and Girls Clubs of America: Landmark number of youth served, 2.85 million nationwide. o Tribal Strategies Against Violence: Strategic planning, youth development, and cross-site peer assistance provided. o D.A.R.E.: 35 million students (26 million in the United States) benefited in 1997 alone. o Communities in Action to Prevent Drug Abuse II Program: Over 1,100 drug dealing locations closed in participating cities. o National Night Out: Over $2 million contributed by private partners. o National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign: Over 1,300 attended its National Conference on Preventing Crime. o TRIAD: Over 535 TRIAD groups in 46 States, Canada, and England worked to improve information exchange, reduce fear, and deliver law enforcement services to seniors. ------------------------------- One of BJA's particularly cost-effective preventive measures for communities in this fiscal year was the National Night Out program. In FY 1997, NNO was celebrated by more than 30 million people in 9,250 communities. The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) was able to leverage more than $2 million in private funding to add to $250,000 granted by BJA. NATW's activities included building local coalitions and partnerships, working in neighborhoods to disseminate information and materials, and giving technical assistance in crime prevention. NNO strengthens comprehensive community partnerships and innovative local crime prevention. Other prevention highlights in FY 1997 included work of the BJA-supported National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign, which drew more than 1,300 attendees to its National Conference on Preventing Crime. More than $85 million worth of free air time and space for antiviolence public service messages in the national communications media was obtained. Outreach through the World Wide Web, McGruff and Scruff public service announcements, program materials in English and Spanish, cosponsored training assistance, and a Federal match licensing program that raised $600,000 in royalties for prevention work are among the activities of the BJA-funded National Crime Prevention Council. TRIAD, another national-scope program cosponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the American Association of Retired Persons, is devoted to reducing crime that targets senior citizens. More than 535 TRIAD groups in 46 States, Canada, and England work to improve information exchange, reduce fear, and deliver law enforcement services to seniors. As an example of supporting community work, Mississippi passed a law giving $1 of every traffic fine in the State to increase education and assistance for the State's elderly. Adjudication: System Efficiency To Support Justice Goals The continuum of community justice incorporates many concepts and functions critical to State and local prosecutors and judges. Both as part of that continuum and as standalone support for State and local prosecutors, BJA's Community Prosecution Program provides technical assistance and workshops, tailored to various jurisdictions, based on the principles of community justice and the role of the prosecutor as a community leader and problem solver. No single model or template is used universally; rather, key concepts or techniques are individualized into tracks specified by the needs of the involved jurisdiction, sometimes focusing on juvenile justice, formal and informal supervision in the community, or some other aspect of community justice. Prosecutors' roles are often integral and key to successful implementation of community justice as a process. In FY 1997, BJA offered substantial technical assistance to tribal courts through its grant to the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC). The role of NIJC is to help tribal justice systems develop strategic plans, tailored to the specific tribal court's requirements, and to give guidance on issues of gang violence, domestic violence, and child abuse. The BJA grant program for judicial education, operated through the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, provides scholarships to State and local trial judges to attend between 60 and 80 different courses. In FY 1997, BJA grant funds also supported the training of Tribal judges and the development of a community courts curricula with new modules covering key concepts dealing with nonfelony offenses using a team approach. As further assistance for State trial judges, BJA supported the development and production of the soon-to-be-released Sentencing Guide for State Trial Judges, a practical guide on effective sentencing written by Judge Penny J. White in conjunction with the North Carolina Sentencing Advisory Committee. State and local trial judges have also received training on drug-testing issues in substance abuse prosecutions. A major BJA community justice initiative is the establishment of a community court in the impoverished Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The Community Justice Center will adjudicate low-level criminal and juvenile cases occurring within the Red Hood community, hear small claims and landlord/tenant matters, and provide a broad range of services to defenders, troubled youth, and victims of family violence. BJA funds are supporting planning and development of the justice center, including renovation of existing facilities, program planning, and coordination of the essential participation of numerous criminal justice and community agencies. To enhance prosecutors' use of DNA evidence, BJA has supported the DNA Legal Assistance Unit through the American Prosecutors Research Institute by offering national training for more than 500 prosecutors from more than 45 States. This technical assistance provides basic information packets concerning the scientific basis of DNA and its use, court presentation of evidence, admissibility information, expert witness transcripts, and support for State legislatures drafting DNA regulations. A major accomplishment of BJA in FY 1997 was marked by the release of the monograph Trial Court Performance Standards With Commentary and accompanying Trial Court Performance Standards and Measurement System program brief, planning guide, and implementation manual. State and local courts laboring under increasing caseloads and decreasing resources have continued to seek help to increase efficiency and maintain public confidence. These practical publications give State trial courts a new framework for making self-assessments and for systematically using data to improve court performance. BJA has continued to offer, in FY 1997, a unique form of needed technical assistance to State attorneys general through its project on financial investigations of money laundering. BJA supported publication of The Financial Times Report (a newsletter covering money laundering) and regional and national training information. Through conferences and a clearinghouse (and by using a Counsel Connect online service through the National Association of Attorneys General's NAAGNet), BJA supported training for assistant attorneys general in corporate identities and relationships, guidance on the use of Bank Secrecy Act data, model regulatory statutes, and other state of the art financial crimes assistance. Following a meeting of the President's Commission on Model State Drug Laws in FY 1996, BJA supported the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws in an effort to educate policymakers in the States on effective legislation against illegal drugs. The alliance organizes statewide meetings of key stakeholders to encourage comprehensive planning for a statewide strategy for the prevention, control, and treatment of illegal drug problems. The alliance also acts as a clearinghouse on model drug laws and assists States in adapting programs and model laws to the needs of individual States. BJA has supported projects focusing on health care fraud and telemarketing fraud. In FY 1997 Congress appropriated $2 million to BJA to address telemarketing scams that target the elderly. BJA approached the issue by providing training to State and local prosecutors and investigators, as well as collaborating with the Office for Victims of Crime on a public awareness and education campaign. A national training initiative was developed and presented jointly by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), the American Prosecutors Research Institute, and the National White Collar Crime Center, together with the American Association of Retired Persons. Anti-telemarketing fraud initiatives are continuing in FY 1998. The NAAG Health Care Fraud project provides technical assistance and training to three demonstration sites and to other State attorneys general. Project staff provide prosecutors with specialized information on fraud related to private medical insurance and health care service delivery, specifically covering suggested model statutes for development of regulatory schemes in the States. An agenda has been developed for training State prosecutors in health care fraud cases. The project cooperates with the Federal-State Health Care Fraud Working Group sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. Building on experience gained in earlier BJA projects involving RICO and Financial Investigations of Money Laundering (FIML), a number of State assistant attorneys general who are prosecuting health care fraud cases can enhance asset recoveries by using strategies such as asset forfeiture claims. ------------------------------- Exhibit 6: Adjudication--Focal Points in FY 1997 o Technical assistance to tribal courts and judges through BJA's grant to the National Indian Justice Center. o Community Justice Center development in New York. o National training on DNA evidence for more than 500 prosecutors in over 45 States. o Development of the publication, Sentencing Guide for State Trial Judges. o Technical assistance to State attorneys general on health care and telemarketing fraud. o Trial Court Performance Standards With Commentary, a new framework for self assessments, using data to improve courts. ------------------------------- Corrections: Improved Options for the Future All BJA correctional options demonstration projects have four basic goals: reduced incarceration costs, relief of prison and jail crowding, reduced recidivism rates for youthful and other offenders, and advancement in correctional practices. BJA supports the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of demonstration projects that test a broad range of alternatives to traditional modes of incarceration. These projects assist offenders in their transition to the community following release by providing security, discipline, and services--including diagnosis, counseling, substance abuse treatment, education, job training, and placement assistance--while the offenders are under correctional supervision. The projects also provide linkages to similar services in the community. BJA is sponsoring the Vera Institute of Justice's effort to develop a New York neighborhood storefront drug crisis center that will improve the effectiveness of nonresidential services for addicts. The central objectives of the initiative are to provide direct services to support addicts through recovery and assist families and addicts in their interactions with the courts. Planning for a study of juveniles in adult prisons and jails was formalized in FY 1997. BJA is sponsoring an assessment of juveniles being housed in adult jails and prisons, examining the types of youth in such facilities, how they are being housed, their access to programs and services, and any legal concerns they have that must be addressed. Project Return has been developed and implemented with BJA's support through Tulane University to serve as a cost-effective correctional option program that reduces reliance on incarceration and that provides treatment and services to assist youthful and former offenders in being law-abiding and productive. BJA is also providing technical assistance through Criminal Justice Associates, which is coordinating the delivery and documentation of BJA's Correctional Options Demonstration Program (CODP). Another CODP project, the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, has focused on drug-abusing offenders who return to their communities. With the New Horizons Community Service Board in collaboration with the Randolph County Board of Commissioners in Georgia, BJA's Life Choices Program helps individuals with mandated referrals for substance abuse services. The BJA-funded national impact evaluation of corrections options demonstration sites was completed in FY 1997. This evaluation identified model projects for other communities to emulate. The national CODP evaluation has shown that the pilot programs had success in achieving their implementation goals, though there were considerable obstacles to be overcome to optimize delivery of treatment services. Most significantly, the findings show that a prudently managed range of front- and/or back-end alternatives is feasible and that incarceration alternatives can cost-effectively free additional prison bed space for serious and violent offenders, without jeopardizing public safety. BJA is studying emerging issues in the privatization of correctional services by sponsoring a national assessment and conference on privatization in the corrections field. ------------------------------- Exhibit 7: Examples of Outreach to Corrections at the Local Level Through BJA's FY 1997 Open Solicitation o Community Diversion Teams for Tribal Communities. o Project Return--Aftercare for Ex-offenders. o Life Choices Referral System From the New Horizons Community Service Board in Randolph County, Georgia. ------------------------------- The National Sheriffs' Association and the American Correctional Association are developing the Direct Education Television for Corrections project to produce a telecommunications distance-learning medium introducing inmates to healthy and productive lifestyles and integrating a new management tool into correctional institutions. Comprehensive Communities Fiscal year 1997 has marked the transition of BJA's Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) to more locally supported programming. Experience from these collaborations is being transformed into more integrated local community approaches to crime control and prevention. As the sites examine lessons learned from this far-reaching effort, communities and States are formalizing strategic planning processes and sustainment plans to continue management and administration for community justice goals and objectives formed under CCP. Infrastructures are being put in place to sustain partnerships and cross-agency activities. CCP programs are institutionalizing their citywide crime prevention and control strategies. Particularly successful sites are metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Columbia, South Carolina; Denver, Colorado; East Bay, California; Fort Worth, Texas; Hartford, Connecticut; Omaha, Nebraska; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; and Wichita, Kansas. The national evaluator and BJA staff are capturing exciting results that are contributing to a decrease in crime and an increase in the quality of life in these communities. Some observations are as follows: o Strong coalitions have been established and are developing beyond expectations. Businesses, religious communities, foundations, and local governments are partners in all of the sites studied. o Problem solving, which actively engages residents as partners, has transformed many targeted communities into viable neighborhoods. o Crime strategies developed in the sites have become the foundation for changes and improvements across the jurisdictions. o Sites have used CCP as a means to accelerate decentralization of policing and other government services and are more responsive to meeting community needs. With BJA's help and guidance on evaluation principles, citizen and nonprofit partnerships have been well tested in many areas. Local justice practitioners and community members have used creative problem solving, "moving outside the box," in their thinking about crime strategies. From the beginning, CCP strategies have helped the sites plan and direct their own activities to address specific local crime problems. Some strategies involved working through difficulties, neighborhood by neighborhood, whereas other strategies were broader in nature, covering a whole city. The sites incorporated the required principles of community policing and community mobilization in their neighborhoods. BJA supports continuing cooperative sustainment plans that use peer-to-peer technical assistance and seek to replicate best practices from successful programs. Model sustainment plans will be shared among jurisdictions along with videos, monographs, and other aids to training from exemplary collaborative programs. The documentation work goes even further: It points the way for successful jurisdictions to help other local government groups needing similar reform of crime control and public safety initiatives. A statewide initiative, "Maryland HotSpot Communities," took shape at the Maryland CCP site (where the targeted southwest Baltimore community of Boyd Booth, for example, experienced a 56-percent reduction in violent crime over a 2-year period). This core group of CCP-style strategies encompasses community mobilization, community policing, community probation, order maintenance in the community, youth gang crime prevention, and local managerial coordination. The comprehensive 16-city, anticrime strategy endorses the research insight that more than half of violent crime incidents occur at only 3 percent of addresses, usually clustered together. Using grant procedures modeled by BJA, the unified HotSpots grant application process in the State of Maryland streamlines an approach to better meet local requirements. The State's HotSpot Communities Initiative seeks to be a prototype for other States and reflects an increasing trend in State governments toward requiring local-level strategic planning and collaborative structures, which are to be meshed into the State strategic planning process. In May 1997, BJA invited presentations from representatives of the East Bay Public Safety Corridor, a BJA-sponsored regional collaboration in northern California, which enlists the efforts of 50 public and private groups, including cities, counties, school districts, higher educational institutions, and law enforcement agencies. The East Bay Partnership described strategic planning and implementation in diverse area communities, which taught the member organizations to establish and adopt formal agreements among themselves; to be flexible, fair, assertive, and consistent with the work teams implementing the strategies; and to restrain negative competition among the participating groups. Two of the counties in the East Bay Partnership have operated a juvenile offender aftercare program, and one county operates a SafeFutures Program for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The partnership framework integrates funding, policies, and procedures relative to the youth programs. Regionwide implementation of community policing principles, establishment of youth academies, and development of domestic violence protocols were among the successes attributed to the East Bay Partnership. Two regional information-sharing initiatives also supported the collaborative effort: the COPNet Information Network for Law Enforcement and the Public Policy Data Library. COPNet is being designed to support real-time data access across 23 jurisdictions and will provide a wealth of crime analysis capabilities. The Public Policy Data Library identifies trends in youth violence, gang membership, hospital admissions, drug abuse, and other information important to community and family well-being. Exhibit 8: Exemplary Comprehensive Programs Maryland HotSpot Communities o Geographic Strategies Against Violent Crime HotSpots. o Rapid Responses to Public Nuisances. o Community Activities to Reclaim Public Space. o Intensive Supervision of Adult and Juvenile Offenders on Probation or Parole. East Bay Public Safety Corridor o Youth Focus Steps. o Truancy Prevention. o Extended Day Initiative (3-6 p.m.). o Safe Passage Home Program. o The Public Policy Data Library--Building a Better Picture of Crime and Services. o Community Mobilization: 19 Community Policing Programs. o Domestic Violence Protocol. ------------------------------- Comprehensive Community Justice Planning: Partnership Protection Programs Across the Nation, governments and administrators are turning to community justice concepts as a means for managing and resolving the problems of low-level crime and neighborhood disruption. BJA focused its efforts in FY 1997 on expanding and disseminating expertise in this field. Based on its past support of the Midtown Community Court in New York City and the Red Hook Community Justice Center, BJA has established the Community Justice Assistance Center Project at the Center for Court Innovation, offering new options to court administrators, law enforcement officials, district attorneys, and offenders. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of community court practices and to assist jurisdictions around the country that are creating community courts. In FY 1997, the Community Justice Assistance Center served over 470 people from 68 U.S. jurisdictions and 14 countries. The project also established relationships with eight cities chosen to participate in DOJ's Community Justice Initiative and brought together the community court planning teams of the eight cities for a joint problem-solving workshop. Through the Community Justice Assistance Center's Web site (http://www.communitycourts.org), information was provided to 1,500 users, and presentations on community justice concepts were made at 30 conferences and judges' retreats in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The broad base of national interest indicates that a variety of problems, from open drug and liquor use to car thefts and prostitution, may be affected by the establishment of community courts. In another BJA technical assistance program this year, citizens of rural and tribal communities are learning to contribute to common definitions of local public safety problems and to be responsible for tackling those problems. Selected rural and tribal courts are in the process of implementing their own visions of the community justice strategy in their locales. A manual for national distribution, which illustrates critical lessons for community justice initiatives, is under development. ------------------------------- Exhibit 9: Joining Forces for Community Justice Assistance The following partners form a consortium of technical assistance providers helping jurisdictions assimilate the community justice strategies: o Fund for the City of New York. o Center for Effective Public Policy. o American Prosecutors Research Institute. o National Center for State Courts. o American Probation and Parole Association. o National Legal Aid and Defender Association. o National Institute of Corrections. o National Association of Drug Court Professionals. ------------------------------- Special Programs: Funding Support BJA's special programs provide funding support for specific large-scale or ongoing problems in the Nation, such as manmade disasters, interjurisdictional coordination, high numbers of motor vehicle thefts, public safety officer deaths, or devastating crimes like terrorist bombings, serial murders, or multiple church arson events. In FY 1997, the director of BJA signed a new Statement of Understanding, First Responder Training for Terrorism Consequences Management with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This ground-breaking effort formalized a nationwide training program for emergency response to terrorism. DOJ had received funding under the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to develop a national first-responder training program for the Nation's firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS). With FEMA and the National Fire Academy (NFA), BJA developed emergency response information for terrorism training curriculums in targeted jurisdictions. BJA worked with the FBI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Counter-Terrorism Section, DOJ's Criminal Division, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) in this effort. Additionally, BJA produced and distributed 65,000 copies of a short video ("Surviving the Secondary Device: The Rules Have Changed") on the dangers of a secondary explosive device at a terrorist scene, provided funding support for four demonstration sites demonstrating the effectiveness of existing innovative first-responder training programs in New York City, Albuquerque, the County of Los Angeles, and the State of Michigan, and planned for a national conference for first responders and replication of materials for other jurisdictions. Grants for the Church Arson Prevention Program had been awarded in FY 1996, but the work was undertaken in both FY 1996 and FY 1997. A cooperative agreement was established between BJA and the National Sheriffs' Association to conduct a series of conferences on church arson prevention (organized in partnership with each of the 13 States involved in BJA's Church Arson Prevention Program). In addition, another cooperative agreement was formed with FEMA and Community Research Associates to conduct training and technical assistance in church arson prevention, interdiction techniques, and community responses, with a broader scope that reached out not only to the 13 States involved in the special program, but across the country. Two training videos were created in connection with the Church Arson Prevention Program: "The Burnings," intended to help local law enforcement develop community-based prevention measures, and "Fighting Church Arson," with information for the clergy. More than $6 million was available to county governments in 13 States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. In connection with the Emergency Response to Terrorism Basic Concepts Course (ERTBC), in 1997 BJA also developed curriculums for and delivered training to law enforcement personnel and fire and first aid responders in 120 targeted jurisdictions. The training was organized to fit the local fire and emergency service population's needs and was certified through NFA for continuing education or in-service requirements. In FY 1997, BJA trained 400 trainers in ERTBC course delivery. Through the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program, BJA recognizes the courage and selflessness demonstrated by public safety officers in dangerous situations. As a society, America wants to support these professionals, and the PSOB Program accomplishes this by supporting officers, their families, and their agencies before, during, and after a tragedy. The PSOB Program is designed to provide financial assistance to the spouses, children, or parents of public safety officers killed in the line of duty and to public safety officers who are permanently and totally disabled (unable to perform any gainful work) in the line of duty. Since the program's inception in 1977, more than 4,000 families have received assistance. In FY 1997, PSOB increased its case closures from the previous year and approved 172 cases giving substantial financial assistance to the families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty. In addition to financial support, PSOB provides moral support and referrals to organizations such as Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), which offer crisis intervention and long-term support for surviving family members and coworkers of deceased officers. In FY 1997, BJA made $300,000 available to COPS to support crisis intervention and grief counseling services and to conduct regional trainings for law enforcement representatives on line-of-duty deaths. The PSOB Program office also administers the Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance (FLEDA) Program, which provides financial support for higher education to the spouses and children of Federal law enforcement officers killed or permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty. BJA's Denial of Federal Benefits Program and Clearinghouse is in its seventh year of operation. This program clearinghouse is composed of two separate elements: the Denial of Federal Benefits (DFB) to Drug Offenders Program and the Defense Procurement Fraud Debarment (DPFD) Program. The infrastructure for the clearinghouse includes an information dissemination component, a system management component, and a program management and program coordination component. DFB, established under Section 5301 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides judges in both Federal and State courts with a sentencing option to deny Federal benefits such as grants, financial aid, and professional licenses to persons convicted of trafficking or possessing drugs. The program has increased participation over the last fiscal year by approximately 20 percent, with 2,774 total active cases. BJA's Data Matching Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has been renewed for a period of 1 year. Under this agreement, records from ED's Federal Student Aid Application File are cross-referenced with the DFB system to determine whether an applicant for education benefits is subject to a court sanction denying such benefits under the DFB Program. DPFD, established under the National Defense Authorization Act of 1989, prohibits individuals convicted of fraud or felony against DoD from engaging in employment and investment activity, both directly with DoD and with its contractors, for a period of 5 years. The program has experienced an increase in participation of 20 percent over the last fiscal year. Motor vehicle theft is the Nation's number one property crime. The approximate value of vehicles stolen in the course of 1 fiscal year is $7.5 billion, or, on average, $5,372 per stolen vehicle. The 32 percent of vehicles that are never recovered suggest that motor vehicle theft is big business, conducted largely by organized crime. Thieves have learned to exploit the inability of State motor vehicle departments to communicate quickly with one another. The National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTS) focuses on preventing title washing, a form of theft in which thieves illicitly obtain a second, or washed title, then sell the vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer. This 5-year project, which will run through the year 2001, will establish a national electronic switching system linking State department of motor vehicle computers into a network. NMVTIS will enable States to verify the validity of existing titles prior to issuing new titles, obtain information on whether a vehicle has been stolen, prevent odometer tampering, obtain information from the manufacturer's certificate of origin (MCO) to help create a vehicle's first title, automatically notify the previous States of record when a new title is issued, reduce the use of paper MCOs and replace them with an electronic database, and access junkyard and salvage yard information to help prevent title washing and other consumer fraud involving misrepresented vehicles. Eventually, NMVTIS will enable private citizens to check all vehicles they are considering purchasing. BJA, in cooperation with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), is providing financial assistance to Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Virginia to participate in a pilot project to implement and test NMVTIS. During FY 1997, BJA entered into a cooperative agreement with AAMVA providing $1 million to initiate the program in the five pilot States. In its FY 1998 appropriations, BJA has received $2.8 million in funds earmarked to help make the program operational nationwide. An increasing number of State governments are applying to participate in the nationwide Watch Your Car auto theft prevention program initiated by BJA under the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act (MVTPA) of 1994. Characteristic of the program are two nationally recognized decals or icons designed to help law enforcement spot stolen vehicles because they are driven either at an unlikely time (1 a.m. to 5 a.m.) or in the vicinity of U.S. borders or ports. The decals are tamper-resistant and reflect light from the headlights of oncoming traffic or from vehicles following behind. The main advantage of the national Watch Your Car Program is that it uses a decal that will eventually become instantly recognizable to police everywhere. In many instances, a stolen car is driven to a chop shop or across State lines before the owner awakens to discover the theft. Participating States maintain a computerized database of vehicles enrolled in the Watch Your Car Program. Officers can access the database not only to check whether a stolen vehicle report has been filed, but also to search for a potential stolen vehicle in the State Watch Your Car Program database. The program provides for intrastate and interstate enforcement on vehicles with differing license plates. State governments may elect to participate in the program solely at their option. Motor vehicle owners sign a consent form and obtain program decals. The consent form authorizes law enforcement officers to stop the motor vehicle if it is being driven under certain specified conditions and to take reasonable steps to determine whether the vehicle is being operated with the owner's consent. In FY 1997, BJA made awards totaling approximately $900,000 to Arizona, Florida, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Watch Your Car Program grants of up to $150,000 are awarded on a competitive basis to those States that submit statewide strategies to prevent motor vehicle theft. These strategies include effective training of law enforcement personnel, prevention initiatives such as vehicle identification number etching of auto glass, marketing campaigns, and public outreach efforts. Before BJA's Special Programs activities began in 1984, there was no coordinated Federal response to manmade disasters or extraordinary crime emergencies. The Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance (EFLEA) Program was enacted as part of the Justice Assistance Act of 1984 to mitigate the damage resulting from a law enforcement emergency and to provide financial support for actions to prevent further losses. The program authorizes the Attorney General to provide funds, equipment, training, intelligence information, and personnel to help alleviate extraordinary circumstances in which State and local resources have been completely exhausted or are inadequate to deal with a law enforcement emergency. In FY 1997, the State of Indiana requested a supplementary EFLEA award to its August 1995 award connected with the Vermillion County Suspicious Deaths Task Force. The supplement was used to conduct an epidemiological study of the abnormally high mortality rate at the hospital where the initial homicide investigation took place. Specifically, the study examined the distribution of deaths in the hospital population and assessed what factors were associated with those deaths. The supplement was approved on the basis that it remained within the scope and purpose of the original award and was essential for the successful conclusion of the investigation. The completion of the study in November 1997 proved to be of great importance to investigators. It led to the culmination of an investigation that had begun in March 1995 and resulted in the arrest of a suspect in December. Another EFLEA award was given to partially reimburse the State of Florida, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, and the municipalities of St. Petersburg and Treasure Island for expenses incurred in responding to civil disturbances in St. Petersburg on October 24 and November 13, 1996. Technology and Information Management for the 21st Century BJA is also chartered to help States and local law enforcement agencies build technological and communications capacities. BJA supports partnership programs to provide technical assistance, training, and resource development for local courts and other justice agencies nationwide on integrating key information systems, data interchange on the Internet, and cutting-edge information issues. Fiscal year 1997 brought together several major developments in law enforcement information technology that have a significant impact on State and local jurisdictions. During the past several years, six Regional Information Sharing Systems directors have adopted strategies to utilize advanced systems technology to improve and enhance the RISS network for easier and speedier access to criminal justice intelligence. Two primary goals were established: (1) electronic connection of the six RISS computer systems for direct database access and administrative communication and (2) member-agency electronic connection to each RISS. Throughout 1997, the RISS centers have worked toward installing a secure Intranet, using Internet technology to provide member agency access to each center. There are four components in the RISS Nationwide Intelligence Network: (1) RISS Secure Intranet, (2) RISS Intelligence Database Pointer System (RISSNET), (3) RISS National Gang Database (RISSGANG), and (4) RISS Investigative Leads Bulletin Board (RISSLEADS). Together, these components permit searches of all six RISS center databases. The RISSNET and intelligence databases are protected from unauthorized access by the latest firewall architecture, user passwords, smartcard authentication, and encrypted message transactions. In April 1997, developmental activity was undertaken for RISSGANG. Shortly after the end of the fiscal year (October), this crime-specific database, maintained by RISS, became operational. The database is available to law enforcement agencies nationwide, not just RISS member agencies. Because gang-related criminal activity has been increasing and because such activity frequently spans two or more local jurisdictions, there has been a great need to collect, store, and disseminate information on gangs, convicted criminal gang members, and gang activities on a nationwide basis. Congress mandated the development of a national gang database late in 1996, and BJA's coordination and information collection for gang-related investigations (through RISS) now support nearly 5,000 local, State, and Federal agencies in all 50 States. The RISS nationwide database will be tied into the prison gang information exchange as well. BJA's Web Site and Electronic Support to the Field By means of its home page on the Internet, first created in 1995, BJA offers critical information to practitioners across the country and internationally who are fighting crime and the conditions of crime and seeking to bring justice into communities. Local agencies can find instructions on seeking Federal grant support, fact sheets and research evaluations on current topics of vital interest to the criminal justice field, and briefings and reports on past or upcoming events. Also of great value is the position of the BJA home page as a gateway to other broad resources for criminal justice practitioners. Electronic links have been established to a wide variety of other Federal agencies supporting the field and social service or nonprofit research organizations, as well as other local government Web sites, which may be helpful to law enforcement or justice system professionals. Approximately 1 million citizens and professionals make use of the BJA online services in the course of a year. Policy, Planning, and Communications: Listening to the Field, Responding With Information BJA's Planning and Policy Division (PPD), as a support to the other BJA divisions and adviser to the director, helps identify current issues throughout the body of the criminal justice system and ways to address them. In FY 1997, PPD published 50 monographs, fact sheets, application kits, and other documents to assist BJA divisions and grantees. PPD made more than 450,000 pieces of documentation available nationwide and offered further technical assistance in the form of training and evaluation conferences, seminars, sponsored Web sites, and working group meetings. FY 1997 Open Solicitation In FY 1997, BJA crossed a new threshold in communication and responsive government with an innovative offer to State, local, and tribal governments. The principles of the Open Solicitation stated that local public-private partnerships would identify the problems, propose ways to meet the needs, then present their ideas to BJA in an uncomplicated way. BJA was able to dramatically increase the efficiency of the grant process with the Open Solicitation's broadly categorized requests to local practitioners. More than 1,700 applicants responded to this BJA request, providing a wealth of information on crime and justice topics and many creative suggestions. The use of relatively simple concept papers and peer review for selection--rather than the customary multistep, detailed Federal application process--allowed final decisions to be reached within 2 « months. Parties responded creatively and cooperatively to local justice problems. For example: o The Alaska Court System in Anchorage, together with local partners and BJA support, is forming a pilot initiative to use "cultural navigators," fluent in native languages and trained in crime prevention, social services, and court procedures, to help individuals encountering the criminal justice system in that area. o In San Francisco, the overburdened juvenile court was unable to offer truant and runaway children needed intervention services; a judicially supervised, nonadversarial partnership program (the Family Assessment and Intervention Resource Center) is being formed with the assistance of Open Solicitation funding to offer prompt, community-based prevention, intervention, and treatment in a neighborhood setting for children whose conduct falls within statutory guidelines. o In Orange County, Florida, incarceration of homeless and mentally ill people has grown at an alarming rate, with a great impact on prison system costs. As part of its Open Solicitation grant, the Orange County government is forming a secure treatment center adjacent to the jail that will serve as the intake and assessment, crisis stabilization, day treatment, and case management facility and low-demand shelter supported by local nonprofit organizations and social service providers in Orlando. Under the FY 1997 Open Solicitation, 37 grants were awarded, ranging in value from $50,000 to $150,000, but beyond that, BJA gained for its reference and development a large inventory of new concepts dealing with frontline criminal justice issues. The awards distributed for the FY 1997 Open Solicitation were spread geographically through 23 States and the District of Columbia. The examination of submissions by topic area categories (law enforcement, adjudication process, rural communities, and American Indian and Alaska native communities) provided a clear picture of a pressing need for more community-based coalitions to control or prevent crime, improved coordination between law enforcement and prosecution, and regional consolidation or sharing of resources and technology. Domestic violence programs, foreign language training and assistance, and community-court linkages were among the most frequently proposed initiatives in several topic areas. Also clearly indicated in the Open Solicitation concept papers was the great need for appropriate and effective local alternatives to incarceration, particularly for juvenile offenders, and for better in-custody services for those serious juvenile offenders who are to be tried as adults. The Solicitation targeted many other significant areas, too, such as technological needs (both basic and integrative) in rural and urban areas, rural and tribal school-based programming to mobilize communities and prevent substance abuse, and cross-system integration of justice case processing. Evaluations and Technical Assistance: What Works and What Doesn't With the huge demand placed on public funds, evaluation and assessment of what is working well in justice programs and initiatives are critical. Scarce resources have to be combined effectively with local ones and targeted in a way that gets the best value from their application. Both BJA's discretionary and formula grant funds may be used to implement programs covering any of the 26 legislatively determined purpose areas. (See Appendix.) All programs funded under the Byrne programs of BJA are evaluated for effectiveness. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is an active partner in BJA's evaluation program, jointly developing evaluation guidelines with BJA and undertaking comprehensive evaluations for selected Byrne program activities. Programs with proven effectiveness that are identified through this process can be replicated in other jurisdictions and can influence policy development in local, State, and Federal criminal justice agencies. BJA's Effective Programs Initiative builds and enhances the capacity of local agencies to plan and assess their own justice programs. With 18 awards by BJA in FY 1997, more than 50 projects were examined as part of the Evaluation Partnership Program to support the quality and quantity of evaluation activities and the use of outcome results. Grantees under the new FY 1997 Open Solicitation, as well, were helped with technical support for standard and consistent goal formulation and performance measurement. Also during FY 1997, BJA published the first in its series of Effective Programs monographs, Improving the Nation's Criminal Justice System: Findings and Results From State and Local Program Evaluations, Effective Programs Monograph No. 1. The document covers sample results and findings from successful State and local program evaluations. (See Exhibit 10 for examples.) Solicitations under the Evaluation Partnership, which offered to pay half the cost of evaluation partnerships with local university and research organizations, went to all the Byrne State agencies. The only requirement for these 50-50 evaluation partnership grants was to assess initiatives paid for with Byrne Grant funds. As characterized in BJA's approach to all initiatives, the theme of this new Evaluation Partnership is giving empowerment to State and local governments to conduct the work themselves and allow them to be heard in the decisionmaking process. ------------------------------- Exhibit 10: From Improving the Nation's Criminal Justice System: Findings and Results From State and Local Program Evaluations, Effective Programs Monograph No. 1 California Continuity of Care Project at Donovan Prison o Return rate for program dropout group was twice as high as group that completed program. Colorado Intensive Supervision Probation (ISP) o Full-time employment, counseling, and participation in Alcoholics Anonymous statistically improved probability of an offender's successful completion of ISP. Florida Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Programs for Offenders o Completion of planned course of treatment predicts likelihood of program success. Illinois Gang Violence Reduction Project o Program-targeted age group experienced the lowest rate of increase in gang incidents; neighborhood fear has decreased. Iowa Batterer's Education Program (BEP) o Small improvement observed in likelihood of rearrest for completers of BEP. New York Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison Program o Perception of legal pressure was an important predictor of treatment retention. ------------------------------- In cooperation with NIJ, which is DOJ's in-house research organization, BJA is developing the Assessment and Evaluation Handbook series to provide material and resources to State and local planners, program managers, and evaluators. Additionally, an Evaluation Technical Assistance Web site (under development) will offer online assistance to local agencies in choosing benchmarks and indicators to track for meaningful data development with the Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation. Institutionalization of external, independent evaluations at the local level has already produced gratifying results. The analytical capacities of States, through increased professional staff, have grown significantly, and State funding for evaluation and assessment of justice practices and programs has grown from less than $2 million in FY 1989 to about $20 million today. Hundreds of higher quality studies and evaluation reports have developed out of this Federal sponsorship. BJA's other technical assistance initiatives in FY 1997 has substantially improved State-level capacity to take advantage of Federal procurement channels first made available in FY 1995. After establishment of the partnership among DOJ, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and the General Services Administration (GSA), a publication titled Law Enforcement Equipment and Supplies Program Guide and Catalog was issued. The initial goal was to allow States to acquire equipment suitable for counter-drug activities through Federal procurement channels. All State and territorial governors were contacted to appoint official State point-of-contact personnel to administer activities under this program. With BJA's technical assistance, the creation and staffing of offices in the States have allowed local law enforcement to strategically plan for and use the GSA and DoD vendor schedules. States have been able to buy approximately $3 million worth of equipment and supplies, ranging from batteries, riot control shields, body armor, binoculars, and motor oil to holsters and television surveillance monitors, using the newly available Federal procurement systems. The vendor schedules offered under these contracts guarantee "best customer prices" to the agencies making purchases as well as to the Federal Government. BJA's technical assistance programming this fiscal year has focused on criminal justice training and education, grants management training and planning, investigative and surveillance technology, equipment procurement, criminal justice information systems development, tribal criminal case management, drug courts, adjudication support, and other areas. The parameters for receiving this BJA support come from the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, which illustrates comparative ratios of square mileage of a geographical area, numbers of criminal justice employees, and numbers of Part-I violent crimes. Additional technical assistance has gone into developing better local evaluation capacity and better replication of effective (especially public/private partnership) programs. ------------------------------- Appendixes BJA Legislative Purpose Area Descriptions The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 established 26 purpose areas that define the nature and scope of programs and projects that might be funded under the Byrne Formula Grant Program. These areas, in toto, provide substantial authorization for programs that address drug control, violent and serious crimes, all aspects of criminal justice processing (including incarceration and treatment of offenders), and general improvements in justice system operations. 1. Demand-reduction education programs in which law enforcement officers participate. 2. Multijurisdictional task force programs that integrate Federal, State, and local drug law enforcement agencies and prosecutors for the purpose of enhancing interagency coordination and intelligence and facilitating multijurisdictional investigations. 3. Programs that target the domestic sources of controlled and illegal substances, such as precursor chemicals, diverted pharmaceuticals, clandestine laboratories, and cannabis cultivations. 4. Community and neighborhood programs that assist citizens in preventing and controlling drug abuse and drug-related crime, including special programs that address the problem of crimes against the elderly and special programs for rural jurisdictions. 5. Programs that disrupt illicit commerce in stolen goods and property. 6. Programs to improve the investigation and prosecution of white-collar crime, organized crime, public corruption crime, and fraud against the Federal Government--with priority to cases involving drug-related official corruption. 7. a. Programs to improve the operational effectiveness of law enforcement through the use of crime analysis techniques, street sales enforcement, schoolyard violator programs, and gang-related and low-income housing drug-control programs. b. Programs to develop and implement antiterrorism plans for deep draft ports, international airports, and other important facilities. 8. Career criminal prosecution programs, including the development of model drug-control legislation. 9. Financial investigative programs that target the identification of money laundering operations and assets obtained through illegal drug trafficking, including the development of model legislation, financial investigative training, and financial information-sharing systems. 10. Programs to improve the operational effectiveness of the courts by expanding prosecutorial, defender, and judicial resources and implementing court delay reduction programs. 11. Programs designed to provide additional public correctional resources and improve the corrections system, including treatment in prisons and jails, intensive supervision programs, and long-range corrections and sentencing strategies. 12. Prison industry projects designed to place inmates in a realistic working and training environment that will enable them to acquire marketable skills and make financial payments for restitution to their victims, support their families, and support themselves in the institution. 13. Programs that identify and meet the treatment needs of adult and juvenile drug- and alcohol-dependent offenders. 14. Programs that provide assistance to jurors and witnesses, as well as assistance (other than compensation) to victims of crime. 15. a. Development of programs to improve drug-control technology, such as pretrial drug-testing programs; programs to provide for the identification, assessment, referral to treatment, case management, and monitoring of drug-dependent offenders; and programs to enhance State and local forensics laboratories. b. Criminal justice information systems to assist law enforcement, prosecutorial, court, and corrections organizations (including automated fingerprint identification systems). 16. Innovative programs that demonstrate new and different approaches to enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication of drug offenses and other serious crimes. 17. Programs that address the problems of drug trafficking and illegal manufacture of controlled substances in public housing. 18. Programs to improve the criminal and juvenile justice system response to domestic and family violence, including spousal abuse, child abuse, and abuse of the elderly. 19. Drug-control evaluation programs that State and local units of government may use to evaluate programs and projects directed at State drug-control activities. 20. Programs to provide alternatives to detention, jail, and prison for persons who pose no danger to the community. 21. Programs in which the primary goal is to strengthen urban enforcement and prosecution efforts targeting street drug sales. 22. Programs for the prosecution of driving-while-intoxicated charges and the enforcement of other laws relating to alcohol use and the operation of motor vehicles. 23. Programs that address the need for effective bindover systems for the prosecution of violent 16- and 17-year-old juveniles in courts with jurisdiction over adults. (Certain violent crimes, including murder and felonies committed with firearms, are specified.) 24. Law enforcement and prevention programs that relate to gangs or youth at risk for involvement in gangs. 25. Programs to develop or improve the capabilities of forensic laboratories to analyze DNA for identification purposes. (Funding in this area requires adherence to, or the promise to adhere to, regulations developed and disseminated by the Attorney General with the assistance of the FBI and the National Institute of Justice.) 26. Programs to develop and implement antiterrorism training and procure equipment for local law enforcement authorities. Note: Congress has authorized the use of Byrne funds to support programs that assist in the litigation of death penalty Federal habeas corpus petitions. This authorization applies only to current (FY 1998) awards and may or may not be available in future funding cycles. ------------------------------- BJA PUBLICATIONS BJA Documents Published: October 1, 1996, Through September 30, 1997 Document Date of Publication Publication Number Addressing Community Gang Problems: A Model for Problem Solving (Monograph) 1/97 NCJ 156059 BJA Annual Report FY 1995 10/96 NCJ 161417 Byrne Formula Grant Program Guidance for Instructions and Application 8/97 SL 000237 Church Arson Prevention Training and Technical Assistance (Fact Sheet) 4/97 FS 000174 East Bay, California, Public Safety Video 5/97 NCJ 166378 East Bay Public Safety Corridor Partnership (Monograph) 7/97 NCJ 165695 Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Act Application Kit 11/96 SL 000180 Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance Program (Fact Sheet) 5/97 FS 000183 Firefighters and Emergency Services National Training Program for First Responders to Terrorist Incidents: Program Guide and Application Kit 8/97 SL 000234 FY 1996 Discretionary Grant Program Awards 2/97 NCJ 163919 FY 1997 BJA Discretionary Grant Application Kit 7/97 S L 000236 FY 1997 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program (Fact Sheet) 5/97 FS 000182 FY 1997 Metropolitan Firefighter and Emergency Services National Training Program for First Responders to Terrorist Incidents (Fact Sheet) 6/97 FS 000185 FY 1997 Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Program Application Kit 3/97 Not Assigned FY 1997 Open Solicitation Call for Concept Papers 4/97 SL 000208 FY 1997 Program Plan 2/97 SL 000200 FY 1997 Solicitation Announcement for the Adjudication Process 5/97 SL 000209 FY 1997 State Identification Systems Grant Program (Fact Sheet) 4/97 FS 000175 How To Use Structured Fines (Day Fines) as an Intermediate Sanction (Implementation Manual) 11/96 NCJ 156242 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program Annual Written Assessment Requirements 6/97 LT 000280 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program: Program Progress Reports: Local Jurisdictions 6/97 LT 000281 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program: Program Progress Reports: State Administrative Agencies 6/97 LT 000282 A Policymaker's Guide to Hate Crimes (Monograph) 3/97 NCJ 162304 Public Safety Officers' Benefits (Fact Sheet) 11/96 FS 000066 Public Safety Officers' Health Benefits Provision (Fact Sheet) 9/97 FS 000188 Publications List (Fall 1996) 9/96 BC 000189 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (Fact Sheet) 6/97 FS 000152 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program Postcard 7/97 Not Assigned Stopping Hate Crime: A Case History From the Sacramento Police Department (Fact Sheet) 1/97 FS 000161 Systems Integration: Issues Surrounding Integration of County-Level Justice Information Systems (Monograph) 1/97 NCJ 156841 Trial Court Performance Standards and Measurement System (Program Brief) 7/97 NCJ 161569 Trial Court Performance Standards: With Commentary 7/97 NCJ 161570 Urban Street Gang Enforcement Implementation (Monograph) 1/97 NCJ 161845 Watch Your Car Program (Fact Sheet) 11/96 FS 000151 A number of the listed publications are available through the Internet. These documents are provided in full text with graphics using Adobe Acrobat(r) software, which is free to users and can be downloaded from the Justice Information Center (JIC) home page. Publications also are available in ASCII text format. Documents can be accessed through the following home pages: or .