FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? OJP
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2001??????????????????????????????????????????? ????????? ????????????? ??????????? 202/307-0703
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
OVER $4 MILLION? IN 2001
WASHINGTON, DC -- In Fiscal Year 2001, the Department
of Justice (DOJ) awarded more than $4 million to the Territory of the Northern
Mariana Islands 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 state through the Department?s
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS).???????????
The Northern Mariana Islands? 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 $4 million demonstrates our solid
commitment to the Northern Mariana Islands? significant local efforts.?
More than $3 million awarded to the Northern Mariana
Islands went to law enforcement, by far the largest funding category.? $650,000 went to juvenile justice programs,
$280,000 to victims? programs and $230,000 to substance abuse programs.? The summary includes both large grants
awarded by formula to the Northern Mariana Islands 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 Northern Mariana Islands? Fiscal Year 2001 funding
report and the reports for other states and territories are? available only on OJP?s Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fy2001grants/.? For more information about the Northern
Mariana Islands? funding contact the Northern Mariana Islands? 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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