FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE???????????????????????????????????????? ??? ??????? ??????????? Contact:? ????????? Office of Communications

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2003?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ??????????? Office of Justice Programs

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/

Linda Mansour 202-616-3534

??????????? ??????????? Main Office: 202-307-0703???????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DRUG COURT FUNDING AVAILABLE

Jurisdictions Can Now Apply for FY 2003 Grants

WASHINGTON, DC ? The Justice Department?s Office of Justice Programs? Bureau of Justice Assistance has just released its Fiscal Year 2003 drug court grant solicitations.? States, state and local courts, units of local government and tribal governments can now apply for over $20 million in drug court funding. Applications for adult, juvenile, and family drug court implementation grants and single jurisdiction and statewide drug court enhancement grants are due May 22.? Other funding will be used for technical assistance and training for jurisdictions planning drug courts.?

The Drug Court Discretionary Grant (DCDG) Program provides financial and technical assistance to implement treatment drug courts that effectively integrate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in a judicially supervised court setting.? Programs funded by DCDG are required by law to target nonviolent, substance-abusing adult and juvenile offenders and must implement a drug court based on 10 key components.? These components can be found in the publication Defining Drug Courts: The Key Components, which is available on OJP?s Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bja.?

Implementation grant applicants may apply for a total of up to $500,000 for up to three years to establish a drug court.? For the first time this year, grants also can support the implementation of Family Drug Courts.? Enhancement grant applicants may apply for a total of up to $300,000 for up to two years and must demonstrate the effectiveness of the drug court programs they propose to enhance.

The five Fiscal Year 2003 drug court solicitations, a new Resource Guide for Drug Court Applicants, and information about drug courts are available on OJP?s Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bja.? All applications must be submitted via the OJP Grants Management System no later than 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. on May 22.? Awards will be processed and mailed to the recipients by October 2003.?

Additional information about drug courts is available from the Drug Courts Clearinghouse at http://www.american.edu/justice/drugcourts.html, or 202-885-2875, or from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service web page at http://www.ncjrs.org/drug_courts/facts.html.

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