FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? OJP
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2001??????????????????????????????????????????? ????????? ????????????? ??????????? 202/307-0703
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OVER
$87 MILLION? IN 2001
WASHINGTON, DC -- In Fiscal Year 2001, the Department
of Justice (DOJ) awarded more than $87 million to the District of Columbia 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 district through the Department?s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and
the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).????????
The District of Columbia?s 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 $87 million demonstrates our solid
commitment to the District of Columbia?s significant local efforts.?
More than $57 million awarded to the District of
Columbia went to law enforcement, by far the largest funding category.? $23.6 million went to juvenile justice
programs, $3.1 million to community-based initiatives, $2 million to victims?
programs and $1.5 million to substance abuse programs.? The summary includes both large grants
awarded by formula to the District of Columbia 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.?
The District of Columbia?s 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 the District of
Columbia?s funding contact the District of Columbia 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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