Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, 2021

• NCJ Number: 304372
• Author(s): Alexia D. Cooper
• Date Published: June 2022
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Technical Reports
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication

Abstract

This report describes the steps used to calculate the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) formula-based award amounts and presents summary results of the fiscal year 2021 calculations. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 merged two grant programs to establish the JAG program. The Bureau of Justice Assistance administers the program, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics calculates the award amounts. The JAG program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of criminal justice areas. States and localities receive funds based on their resident population reported by the U.S. Census Bureau and on violent crime data reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

Highlights:

• The total allocation for the 2021 JAG funding was approximately $283.5 million, of which $277.2 million went to states and $6.3 million to U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
• The five states with the largest total allocations were California ($32.4 million), Texas ($23.3 million), Florida ($16.8 million), New York ($14.6 million), and Illinois ($10.5 million).
• A total of 1,557 local governments were eligible for awards, either directly or through a joint award with other governments within their county. The five local governments eligible to receive the largest awards were New York City ($4.1 million), Los Angeles ($2.3 million), Chicago ($2.2 million), Houston ($1.9 million), and Philadelphia ($1.5 million).
• Two states had 100 or more local governments eligible to receive award funds either directly or through a shared award: California (216) and Florida (120).