Monroe to receive portion of $60 million in grants from Justice Department
MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The Justice Department announced Friday, September 29 that it is awarding over $4.4 billion to support state, local, and Tribal public safety and community justice activities. Several parishes in Louisiana, including Monroe, will receive nearly $60 million in grants from the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.
These grants will help build community capacity to curb violence, serve victims and youth, and achieve fair outcomes through evidence-based criminal and juvenile justice strategies.
“The fact that nearly $60 million in grant money is being pumped into the Western District of Louisiana alone is staggering,” said United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “These grants will provide much-needed funding for our local agencies to continue their work in making our communities a safer place to live. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with these local agencies in that effort.”
“Everyone in this country deserves to be safe in their communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why, in addition to continuing our efforts to identify and prosecute the most violent criminals, the Justice Department is putting every available resource to work to support the efforts of our law enforcement and community partners nationwide. This significant investment will go directly to state and local programs that support the victims of crime, support officer safety, and wellness, build the public trust in law enforcement essential to public safety, and help make all of our communities safer.”
The Justice Department says funding from these grants will expand partnerships between criminal justice professionals and behavioral health experts, help people safely and successfully transition from confinement back to their communities, improve the management of sex offenders, and support a wide range of research and statistical activities that will help justice system professionals meet community safety challenges.
Grants will support five major community safety and justice priorities:
- Promote safety and strengthen trust. Awards totaling more than $1 billion will support innovative and evidence-based strategies designed to prevent and reduce violent crime, support the health and safety of law enforcement and public safety professionals, promote rehabilitation and reentry success, and address the rise in hate crimes across the country.
- Accelerate Justice System Reforms. More than $437 million in grant awards will expand access to services among historically underserved and marginalized communities, reduce counterproductive involvement in the justice system, increase opportunities for diversion, and build pathways to treatment for people with substance use and mental health disorders.
- Improve the fairness and effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. Over $192 million will ensure that young people are served at home in their communities whenever possible, are equipped to transition to a healthy adulthood free of crime, and are protected from violence and abuse.
- Expand access to victim services. More than $1.7 billion will support thousands of local victim assistance programs across the country and victim compensation programs in every state while helping these programs build their capacity to reach those disproportionately affected by crime and victimization.
- Advance science and innovation. Over $418 million in awards will support research and data collection on a wide range of public safety issues, help maintain timely and accurate criminal history records, and improve the capacity of crime labs and forensic analysts to solve crimes, absolve the innocent, and deliver justice to victims.
OPJ is also awarding more than $611 million to continue its support of other previously funded programs and congressionally directed spending. More information about the awards can be found here.
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