National Assessment of the Byrne Formula Grant Program, Research in Brief

• NCJ Number: 162203
• Author(s): T Dunworth; P Hayes; A J Saiger
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research in Brief
• Grant Number(s): 91-IJ-CX-K024
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsored a national assessment of the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program in 1993-1994, emphasizing legislative foundations of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act and funding levels provided, the level of interagency cooperation the program generated, the extent to which resources were more rationally used, the potential for permanent adoption of innovations stimulated by the program, and the extent to which monitoring and evaluation systems satisfactorily assessed the program and its projects.

Abstract

The Byrne program makes Federal aid available to State and local criminal justice agencies. Established by the 1988 Anti- Drug Abuse Act, the program is designed to help criminal justice agencies control violent and drug-related crime. The NIJ assessment showed the program was well-implemented at the State level. States generally complied with statutory requirements for strategic planning and for Federal review of plans, and regulatory constraints were observed. The strategic planning process resulted in better use of resources and provided a valuable opportunity for States to introduce long-term considerations into their criminal justice systems. The program fostered advances in coordination and cooperation, in particular multijurisdictional task forces. Structural factors in the program, however, made it difficult to meet program evaluation requirements. 28 references, 7 notes, and 2 exhibits