Frequently Asked Questions

Information about the effectiveness of policing crime "hot spots" can be found on the CrimeSolutions.ojp.gov website. Once on the site, conduct a search for the term "hot spots". The CrimeSolutions.gov site uses rigorous research to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services and includes multiple program evaluations for hot spot policing initiatives.

Additional information on this topic is available on the Hot Spot Policing Can Reduce Crime section of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) website.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) defines dating violence as violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic of intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors:

• The length of the relationship
• The type of relationship
• The frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

For additional information, visit the Intimate Partner Violence section of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) website.

For information specifically about teen dating violence, see our Teen Dating Violence Special Feature.

The Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery (CBOB) Act (the Act) honors federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers for exceptional acts of bravery while in the line of duty. The Act establishes an award to honor exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty by federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. The medals are awarded annually by the U.S. Attorney General and are presented by the recipients' Congressional representatives.

Each CBOB nomination submission period is tied to a specific calendar year. The opening date for nominations is on or around December 15 of each year. When December 15 occurs on a weekend, the opening date for nominations may occur one or two days earlier.

Visit the CBOB website for additional information.

Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement Training, a publication from the National Forensic Science Technology Center was developed by crime scene experts and provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide that leads law enforcement through the crucial, first phase of the justice process. Additional resources are available on the Crime Scene Investigation: Guides for Law Enforcement section of the National Institute of Justice website.

General information on drug treatment programs in correctional facilities is available on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation website.

To learn about programs within a specific correctional facility, contact the facility directly. You can locate facility contact information by visiting the respective state's Department of Corrections website.

The Current Funding Opportunities section of our site captures available opportunities from our bureaus and program offices, including the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). To be notified of new OJJDP grant announcements, including those that relate to mentoring, subscribe to OJJDP's Juvenile Justice (JUVJUST) Electronic Newsletter and connect with OJJDP via social media.

You may also wish to subscribe to the weekly Funding News from NCJRS email message or to JUSTINFO, an email newsletter that is sent twice each month and captures information about funding opportunities from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). In addition to providing funding announcements, JUSTINFO captures recently released OJP publications and resources.

Current funding opportunities from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) can be found on the Open Funding section of the OJJDP website. To be notified of new OJJDP grant announcements, subscribe to OJJDP's Juvenile Justice (JUVJUST) Electronic Newsletter and connect with OJJDP via social media.

You may also wish to subscribe to the weekly Funding News from NCJRS email message or to JUSTINFO, an email newsletter that is sent twice each month and captures information about funding opportunities from OJJDP and the Office of Justice Programs bureaus and program offices. In addition to providing funding announcements, JUSTINFO captures recently released publications and resources, as well as information about upcoming events.

Information about currently available grant opportunities is available on the Current Funding Opportunities section of our website. Also see Grants.gov for access to information about funding opportunities from agencies outside of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

If you would like to receive an email announcement capturing OJP grant release information, sign up for Funding News from NCJRS for weekly updates. Additionally, you can subscribe to JUSTINFO, our electronic newsletter which is sent out twice each month. In addition to providing funding announcements, this newsletter highlights recently released publications and resources from OJP and the OJP bureaus and program offices.

Information about benefits for children of fallen law enforcement officers can be found on the Public Safety Officers' Program (PSOB) website. Through PSOB, the Bureau of Justice Assistance provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders, and disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty.

Visit the Financial Aid section of the Department of Education website for additional information about scholarships and aid for students.

Advocates with the 24 hour-a-day National Domestic Violence Hotline are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information, and referrals to agencies in all 50 States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 100 languages through interpreter services. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your/their relationship, please call the Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

Additionally, if you are a teen in an abusive relationship, please contact the National Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 or 1-866-331-8453 (TTY) by phone, by texting "loveis" to 22522, or via live chat. To learn more, see the National Dating Abuse Helpline website.