FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? OJP
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2001??????????????????????????????????????????? ????????? ????????????? ??????????? 202/307-0703
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS MASSACHUSETTS OVER $105
MILLION? IN 2001
WASHINGTON, DC -- In Fiscal Year 2001, the Department
of Justice (DOJ) awarded more than $105 million to the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts to fight crime, promote public safety, prevent juvenile
delinquency, equip and train emergency responders and assist crime
victims.? DOJ?s first annual funding report
highlights the funds provided to the state through the Department?s Office of
Justice Programs (OJP) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS).???????????
Massachusetts? funding was part of a total of more
than $5 billion that the Justice Department awarded to all 50 states, the District
of Columbia and the five territories.?
?The Justice Department is an active partner with
state and local governments and non-profit agencies in making communities safe
places to live and work,? said Attorney General John Ashcroft.? ?This $105 million demonstrates our solid
commitment to Massachusetts? significant local efforts.?
Nearly $82 million awarded to Massachusetts went to
law enforcement, by far the
largest
funding category.? $12 million went to
juvenile justice programs, $8.9 million to victims?
programs,
$1.8 million to community-based initiatives and $900,000 to substance abuse
programs.? The summary includes both
large grants awarded by formula to Massachusetts and discretionary grants that
are most often awarded on a competitive basis to non-profit or community
agencies.? Because many of the formula
programs use population as a determining factor, heavily populated states
received larger awards than less populated states.
? ????????? The
law enforcement category includes funding for a range of needs, from hiring
police officers to training emergency first responders to purchasing
equipment.? Juvenile justice funds
include money for improving states? juvenile justice systems, promoting
delinquency prevention through programs such as mentoring and funding in areas
as diverse as preventing child abuse and reducing gang violence.? The majority of funding for victims?
programs goes directly to the states to provide compensation and assistance for
crime victims or to combat domestic violence.
Substance abuse funds are used for prevention and drug treatment
programs, including drug courts, while a large portion of community-based
funding is provided through the neighborhood-focused Weed and Seed initiative.
?This report is a useful tool that allows state and
local policymakers to see what federal resources are available within their
states to promote public safety,? continued Ashcroft.? ?They can then determine additional needs or tap into existing
programs.?
Massachusetts? Fiscal Year 2001 funding report and the
reports for other states are?
available
only on OJP?s Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fy2001grants/.? For more information about Massachusetts?
funding contact the Massachusetts State Administering Agencies located on OJP?s
Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/state.htm.? Information about OJP and its programs is
available on OJP?s Website or by calling the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service at
1-800/851-3420.? Media should contact Linda Mansour in OJP?s
Office of Congressional and Public Affairs on 202/616-3534.
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