STRATEGIC GOAL THREE: Prevent and Reduce Crime and Violence by Assisting State, Tribal, Local and Community-Based Programs

To provide leadership in the area of crime prevention and control, the Department of Justice (DOJ) continually searches for ways to strengthen the criminal and juvenile justice capabilities of state, local and tribal governments. Three DOJ components are at the forefront of the Department's efforts to fortify community safety across the nation. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) administers formula and discretionary grant programs, as well as provides targeted training and technical assistance on a wide range of criminal and juvenile justice system improvements. In addition, OJP conducts research, evaluates programs and collects and publishes crime-related statistical information. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) advances community policing by supporting local efforts to put additional officers on our streets and in our schools; by providing funds to enhance technology, combat methamphetamine use, and support police integrity initiatives; and by providing training and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies. And finally, the Community Relations Service (CRS) assists state and local officials and civic leaders to resolve conflicts and prevent violence in communities experiencing tensions due to race, color, or national origin.

In support of Strategic Goal III, OJP works in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal governments to carry out its mission to improve the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims. Its five Bureaus administer a variety of activities:

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) provides leadership and assistance in support of state, local and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities. Its program activities focus on reducing and preventing crime, violence and drug abuse and improving the overall functioning of the criminal justice system.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical arm of the Department, collects and reports on a portfolio of statistics focusing on crime and the operation of the justice system. BJS, through its grant activities, also assists state and local governments with the development of justice information systems and the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistical data.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the principal federal agency for research on crime. Its role is to build knowledge regarding "best practices" and "lessons learned" and to develop tools and technologies to help the criminal justice community prevent and control crime.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to develop, implement, and support effective methods to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and child victimization.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provides federal resources to support victims' assistance and compensation programs around the country. OVC activities enhance the nation's capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing the attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all crime victims.

In addition, OJP's six program offices administer program activities designed to assist state, local, and tribal governments as follows:

The Corrections Program Office (CPO) provides financial and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments to implement correction-related programs, including corrections facility construction and corrections-based drug treatment programs.

The Drug Court Program Office (DCPO) supports the development, implementation and enhancements of drug courts by providing resources, training and technical assistance to states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments.

The Violence Against Women Office (VAWO) coordinates the Department's legislative and other initiatives relating to violence against women and administers a series of grant programs to help prevent, detect, and stop violence against women, including domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault.

The Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS) helps communities build stronger, safer neighborhoods by implementing the Weed and Seed strategy, a community-based, multi-disciplinary approach to combating crime.

The Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education (OPCLEE) provides college educational assistance and professional leadership training to students who commit to public service in law enforcement, and scholarships with no service commitment to dependents of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES

There are no existing material weaknesses that will hinder the achievement of goals in this area in FY 2003.

However, the DOJ OIG's December 2001 list of the top ten management challenges facing the Department includes one management challenge in this area:

Grant Management. Issue description and performance measure are under Strategic Goal VIII.

PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

Evaluations completed during FY 2001:

At the end of FY 2000, NIJ planned to complete the Byrne (Tribal Strategies Against Violence Initiative), High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Assessment, and Violence Offender Incarceration and Truth-in-Sentencing Grants Evaluation FY 2001. However, due to program requirements, it is anticipated that these evaluations will be completed during FY 2002.

Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) - Problem Solving Partnerships - The pioneering approach of the Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) has begun to take hold in other cities across the United States. Several local, state, and federal organizations have begun to model SACSI strategies and embrace its ideology in their respective endeavors to prevent and reduce crime. The development, design, installation, and improvement of data analysis capabilities were vital to such collaborative, information-driven efforts. This evaluation provided early and ongoing documentation of the steps taken toward building an infrastructure that would easily support such a data-driven approach to problem solving.

Information is essential to understanding the dynamics of a multidimensional phenomenon such as crime. Access to this information is critical to collaborative efforts for reduction and prevention. While the Community Safety Information System suffered some setbacks in the beginning of the SACSI process, it is close to being fully operational in two sites. The team believes the Community Safety Information System offers a unique mechanism for data sharing and strategy formulation among agencies

Operation Drug TEST Evaluation
The Objectives of Operation Drug TEST (ODT) are: universal Testing to identify drug-involved defendants before their first court appearance; Effective Sanctions when defendants on release are found to be using drugs; and referral of drug-using defendants to Treatment as needed.

Research on pretrial drug test programs other than ODT has shown that drug testing, when closely linked with sanctions and treatment in response to ongoing drug use, can reduce drug use among defendants on pretrial release. Test capabilities put in place by ODT and its impact on districts' use of treatment, indicate that additional districts may benefit from ODT participation and that sanctioning and treatment innovations are possible if districts place more emphasis on those domains.

COPS - 311 Evaluation - COPS provided funding to the National Institute of Justice to conduct a comparative systems study for handling non-emergency calls for police services. The study includes an examination of the COPS funded 311 systems operation in Baltimore, MD and Dallas, TX and the seven digit non-emergency phone number systems in Phoenix, AZ and Buffalo, NY. The report, "Managing Citizen Calls to the Police: An Assessment of Non-Emergency Call System" is being finalized for publishing by the National Institute of Justice.

COPS - Youth Firearms Violence Initiative Evaluation - The Youth Firearms Violence Initiative was launched in 1995 to provide up to $1 million to the police departments of 10 participating cities to fund interventions directed at combating the rise of youth firearms violence. The initiative encouraged these jurisdictions to employ community policing approaches to develop or enhance youth-focused programs designed to decrease the number of violent firearms crimes, reduce the number of firearms-related gang offenses, and reduce the number of firearms-related drug offenses.

Applicant agencies implemented street-based activities, school-based activities, and community-based activities that encompassed the broad areas of enforcement, prevention, and technology systems enhancement. Across all 10 jurisdictions, 60 percent of resources were used for law enforcement personnel; approximately 25 percent were budgeted for local evaluation, civilian consultants, and community-based organizations and activities; nearly 15 percent was budgeted to purchase computer hardware and software or to develop information systems.

Five of the 10 grantees were funded for intensive strategies resulting in impact evaluations, and the remaining five implemented less intensive strategies delivering helpful process assessments. Two intensive sites experienced a significant drop in gun crime; one site's gun crime returned to its pre-initiative level after the initiative concluded, and another site's gun crime reduction continued through the end of the initiative's observation period. In the fifth intensive site, gun crimes fell significantly in both the target areas and non-target areas.

Methamphetamine Initiative Evaluation - To assess the effectiveness of the strategies employed by the various jurisdictions funded by the COPS Office to combat methamphetamine, the COPS Office awarded a cooperative agreement to the Institute for Law and Justice and 21st Century Solutions to conduct an external evaluation of the sites awarded grants in FY1998. In July 2000, an edited version of the interim report was submitted to the COPS Office and is now available for downloading from the COPS website. The final report was submitted in August 2001 and is currently under review.

Evaluations to be completed in FY 2002:

At the end of FY 2000, NIJ had planned to have the evaluation of the Community Prosecution Initiative completed by FY 2002. NIJ issued a solicitation for the project, but did not receive any fundable applications. Instead, NIJ is organizing a national forum on community prosecution during FY 2002. A summary document is slated for production in the Fall of 2002.

Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) - A process and impact evaluation will exam the utilization of block grant funding including decision making models, level of innovation and effectiveness of the electronic application process.

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) -

Evaluation of Services, Training, Officers & Prosecutors - Examination of STOP purpose areas including prosecution, law enforcement, victim services, and services to Native Americans.

Evaluation of the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program The process and impact evaluation will provide an analysis of program characteristics and effectiveness.

Evaluation of Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies Grant Program - Study will document local programs funded, examine grantee planning and implementation, evaluate the need for and adequacy of special conditions pertaining to victim confidentiality, and determine the effectiveness of these programs.

Byrne -

Evaluation of Tribal Strategies Against Violence Initiative - Study will document the processes used by tribal communities to develop and implement strategies to reduce violence at seven sites and analyze and document differences and similarities related to the development and implementation of local strategies.

Evaluation of the Impact of Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force - This process and impact evaluation will attempt to assess the effectiveness of this approach to crime reduction.

Violent Offender Incarceration/Truth in Sentencing (VOI/TIS) Grants Evaluation - This process evaluation will examine legislative actions, sentencing patterns, correctional populations, systems costs and crime rates in all 50 states.

Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) Evaluation - This national process and outcome evaluation will collect manage, and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, provide evaluation technical assistance, and develop reports.

Combating Underage Drinking Program Evaluation - This national process and impact evaluation will determine how states and communities are using the Combating Underage Drinking funds and evaluate the impact of the program in communities.

OJJDP Comprehensive Strategy Evaluation - This process evaluation will document the lessons learned and factors associated with successful Comprehensive Strategy planning and implementation processes.

Safe Kids/Safe Streets (SKSS) Evaluation - This process and impact evaluation will 1) document and explicate the process of community mobilization, planning, and collaboration that has taken place before and during the SKSS awards and 2) determine the effectiveness of the implemented programs in achieving the goals of the SKSS program.

Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant Evaluation - A national study is being conducted to determine how the program has been administered, how the grants have been used, the types of programs funded as well as program access and utilization. The study will assess local satisfaction with training and technical assistance and attitudes toward the program.

Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Program Evaluation - This process evaluation will assess victim assistance and compensation programs.

School Resource Officer (SRO) Program Assessment - This national assessment will provide a description of various models implemented under the SRO concept and measurement of the impact of various SRO programs on selected indicators of school safety. Some of the programs to be evaluated were funded by the COPS Office through its COPS-in-Schools program.

Evaluation of School Based Partnership Grants - The national evaluation will examine the effectiveness of this COPS program, which was funded in 1998 and 1999.

Justice Base After-School Pilot Program - The primary goal of the Justice Base After-School Pilot Program pilot program is to develop a preventive approach to juvenile crime and victimization, especially in high-crime neighborhoods, in order to improve the overall quality of life in these communities. An evaluation of the COPS sponsored pilot program will be conducted in FY 2002.

Evaluations conducted during FY 2003:

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) - Grants to Combat Violent Crimes Against Women on Campuses Evaluation - This process and impact evaluation will provide an analysis of program characteristics and effectiveness.

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) - Domestic Violence Victims Civil Legal Assistance Program Evaluation - This process and impact evaluation will document local programs funded, examine grantee planning and implementation, evaluate the need for and adequacy of special conditions pertaining to victim confidentiality and determine the effectiveness of these programs.

Tribal Youth Program Evaluation - This process and outcome evaluation will examine the relationship between federal, state, local and tribal systems.

Title V National Evaluation - This process and outcome evaluation will examine the viability and effectiveness of the comprehensive, locally-defined risk and protective factor focused prevention models in preventing delinquency in 12 sites in 6 states.

Community Assessment Centers Evaluation - This process and impact evaluation will determine the degree to which two program sites, Denver, CO, and Orlando, FL, implemented the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Community Assessment Centers concept and its effect on the local juvenile justice and delinquency prevention systems and on the juveniles.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) continues to invest significant resources in establishing partnerships with state, local, and tribal governments. Through its program activities, OJP provides federal leadership regarding matters of crime and the justice system.

Advances in technology have greatly increased criminal intelligence, information sharing among jurisdictions, and the ability to track and analyze local crime trends. Technology has provided valuable tools to help criminal justice agencies enhance their ability to lower crime and improve their operations. In addition, OJP is developing other law enforcement applications, including investigative and forensics tools, less-than-lethal devices, crime mapping, and vehicle stopping devices. Through OJP programs, states and local jurisdictions have interstate and national access to criminal records and have improved the quality of data in these systems. Accurate state data helps to improve the FBI administered national criminal record systems, such as the Interstate Identification Index, the National Protection Order File, the National Sex Offender File, and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which provides pre-sale record checks pursuant to the Brady Act. OJP is also promoting integrated criminal justice information technology and design to facilitate and assist state and local integration efforts. The goal is to achieve a national integrated justice information environment that will facilitate the development of information sharing systems by federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies.

OJP is working to ensure that tribal governments are included in efforts to improve access to and integration of criminal justice and information technology. To do this, OJP has increased its efforts to channel justice-related resources to make existing programs, traditionally available to states and local entities, more relevant to the needs of tribal governments.

A DOJ priority is to assist tribal governments in building comprehensive and effective law enforcement and public safety systems to provide a foundation for healthy communities through comprehensive problem-solving based on indigenous justice practices and systems. For example, the goal of the Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement Project is to enhance tribal governments' response to public safety and to improve the quality of life in three tribal communities.

Dollars/FTE

Skills
OJP requires skilled administrators with expertise in program development, grant administration, technical assistance, evaluation and implementation. In addition, OJP seeks staff with expertise in social science research including the collection and analysis of statistical data.

Information Technology
FBI programs in this area rely upon: NICS (a national name check system that compares the identity of firearm purchasers against several databases to determine eligibility for firearm purchase), IAFIS (identifies individuals through name, date of birth, and fingerprint comparisons), and QSIS (tracks all training conducted at Quantico). The OJP program is supported by the NCJRS system. OJP relies upon data from the Program Accountability Library (PAL), which is an internal, automated grant cataloging system.

Background/Program Objectives:
OJP's Tribal Court Program is one method to reduce crime and improve the criminal justice systems and operations in Indian Country. In the last 10 there years has been an unparalleled growth in Tribal courts due to a number of factors including economic development. This growth has increased the need for reliable means of settling disputes that arise in the ordinary course of business. For example, the need for annual adjudication in tribal courts is spurred by managing complex issues such as regulation of gaming, air and water pollution control, mining, banking, and toxic waste disposal.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
BJA will continue to support the development, implementation, enhancement, and continuing operation of tribal court systems through direct grant awards under this program. BJA expects to use a competitive process in FY 2003. Planning grants will target development of both single-tribe court systems and inter-tribal court systems. Implementation/enhancement grants will be broken into five population-based categories, to provide equitable competition among tribes of similar size, BJA will also work with national Indian constituency groups to provide training and technical assistance to tribal court personnel and promote cooperation among tribal justice systems.

Crosscutting Activities:
OJP is responsible for programs affecting Indian Country and meets on a regular basis with representatives from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs and DOJ's Office of Tribal Justice.

Background/ Program Objectives:
Interstate availability of complete computerized criminal records is increasingly vital for criminal investigation; prosecution; sentencing; correctional supervision and release; and community notification. This information is also necessary to conduct thorough background checks for those applying for licenses; firearm purchases; and work involving the safety and well-being of children, the elderly, and the disabled. Interstate exchange of data is critical to ensure that states have access to records maintained by other jurisdictions. The Interstate Identification Index (III), administered by the FBI, provides interstate access to information about offenders at the state and federal level and facilitates this exchange. To ensure compatibility, all state-level record enhancements are required to conform to FBI standards for Interstate Identification Index participation.

The OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) provides direct financial and technical support to states through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP). Under the NCHIP program, direct funding and technical assistance is provided to improve the quality, timeliness, and immediate accessibility of the Nation's criminal history records; support the development and enhancement of state sex offender registries and records of protection orders; flag records of domestic violence and stalking; and promote the participation in national systems including the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, Interstate Identification Index (III), and the National Sex Offender Registry. Currently, all states receive NCHIP funding to improve criminal history records and record systems.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
In FY 2003, BJS, will continue to support states in the expanding range of areas which pertain to criminal history record systems, identification systems, communications, and support for the national record systems maintained by the FBI, including the III and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Crosscutting Activities:
BJS works closely with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and with key representatives of the state law enforcement and court systems.

Background/Program Objectives:
The National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) Crime Lab Improvement Program (CLIP) is one example of how OJP resources are supporting law enforcement efforts to more efficiently manage crime. CLIP improves capacities and capabilities in state and local forensic labs to conduct all types of forensic analyses. CLIP provides funds to assist states to rapidly accelerate the analysis of the DNA samples of convicted offenders across the nation. This accelerated process will allow states to provide Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) compatible data for state and national DNA databases, which is then accessible to law enforcement to help focus investigations and solve crimes.

The DNA Identification Act of 1994 authorized the FBI to establish a national DNA database for law enforcement purposes. As a result, the FBI developed the Combined DNA Index System to facilitate electronic comparison and exchange of DNA profiles among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The National DNA Index System (NDIS) is the highest database level in CODIS and is maintained at the national level. NDIS began operations in October 1998. Participating states can upload and search DNA profiles from across the country on a weekly basis.

In addition to technical support, the Department provides training critical to successful law enforcement. The FBI Academy is responsible for providing five general areas of training. The National Academy Program, serves as the foundation for the FBI's comprehensive training assistance to local, county, and state law enforcement. This program targets law enforcement managers. Its goal is to render training assistance regarding investigative, managerial, technical, and administrative aspects of law enforcement. The FBI Academy also provides in-service training to local, county, and state law enforcement in many areas, such as forensic science. FBI staff located in field offices throughout the country also provide, upon request, education and training programs, thus, contributing to the enhanced professionalism in American law enforcement.

Through support of Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the National White Collar Crime Center provides a national resource for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of multi-jurisdictional economic crimes. This includes a national training and research institute focusing on economic crime issues. One component, The National Cybercrime Training Partnership, serves as a centralized, operational focal point for assessment, design and delivery of federal, state and local training and technical assistance regarding computer crime investigation and prosecution.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
The FBI will begin redesign of CODIS. System architecture and operations changes will make data storage and search capacities sufficient to meet all future needs, and provide immediate electronic access to information in the national DNA database.

BJA will continue to support the National White Collar Crime Center by providing technical assistance and training to local law enforcement and regulatory personnel. NIJ will continue to support CLIP efforts that improve technology capabilities and capacity of state and local forensic DNA labs through forensic DNA testing capabilities; monitoring improvements in the ability of state DNA labs to meet national standards for DNA quality assurance and proficiency testing; and fostering cooperation and mutual assistance among forensic DNA laboratories by funding laboratory compliance with the Combined DNA Index System.

Crosscutting Activities:
CODIS represents a partnership among the FBI, state, and local law enforcement agencies to prevent or reduce additional acts of violence, and pursue justice for those already harmed by such acts. OJP, in coordination with other federal, state, and local agencies, provides training and assistance in implementing statewide strategies to improve criminal justice systems. This includes interactions with the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center system and the National Cybercrime Training Partnership.

Background/Program Objectives:
OJP's Violence Against Women Office (VAWO) administers a combination of two formula and nine discretionary grant programs that support the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386), which are designed to stop domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. One notable VAWO program, the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Program provides opportunities for rural jurisdictions to draw upon their unique characteristics to develop and implement policies and services designed to enhance intervention and prevention of domestic violence and child victimization.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
VAWO will continue to target grant funds to rural areas to help eliminate obstacles such as fewer law enforcement resources, shortage of victim services, geographical isolation, and an inability to keep locations of shelters confidential. Program resources will augment available resources by developing partnerships with nonprofit and governmental agencies, as well as local volunteers to enhance the capacity of rural jurisdictions to respond to domestic violence.

Crosscutting Activities:
VAWO's work prevents violence against women and improves intervention programs along with several components within the Department of Health and Human Services. VAWO also coordinates efforts within DOJ and has regular contact with other federal entities such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Defense (i.e., U.S. Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence), the Department of Labor, and the Department of State.

OJP will help states and communities implement initiatives to prevent, intervene in, and suppress crime by juveniles, as well as to protect youth from crime and abuse. OJP's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) works to address youth crime through a comprehensive program of research, evaluation, program development, and information dissemination. This multi-faceted approach targets youth who experience risk factors for delinquency as well as youth arrested, processed, and sentenced in the juvenile justice system. OJP also focuses on status offenders and juvenile offenders who have been diverted from the system into alternative programs. OJJDP also addresses juvenile offenders who have been waived or transferred out of the juvenile justice system into adult criminal court, typically for the most serious and violent crimes.

Dollars/FTE

Skills
OJP requires skilled administrators with expertise in program development, grant administration, technical assistance, evaluation and implementation. OJP also seeks staff with expertise in social science research including data collection and statistical data analysis.

Information Technology
OJP relies on data provided by its Program Accountability Library (PAL), which is an internal automated grant cataloging system.

Background/ Program Objectives:
OJJDP administers the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program. The CASA program funds local programs to support court appointed special advocates in their efforts to assist overburdened court officials and social workers. This program not only serves as a safety net for abused and neglected children, but also as an essential ally in delinquency prevention. Research shows that abused and neglected children are at increased risk of repeating the same violent behavior they experience, and are therefore at increased risk of becoming delinquents and adult criminals.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
The CASA program will continue to provide grants nationwide in the areas of: (1) new program development; (2) urban program expansion; (3) program expansion of state organizations; (4) program expansion; and (5) urban demonstration sites. Through the grant award process the National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association will select existing CASA organizations that demonstrate continuing community need and support, and quality administrative and management practices, in order to build the capacity to recruit, train and supervise CASA volunteers as well as start-up programs that demonstrate the need for a CASA program in terms of under-served children and the capacity to implement a program. The National Court Appointed Special Advocates will also provide training and technical assistance to the local grantee programs, as well as CASA programs, nationwide.

Crosscutting Activities:
OJJDP coordinates with other OJP Bureaus and Program Offices as well as COPS, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators.

Background/Program Objectives:
Mentoring programs link at-risk youth with responsible adults to provide guidance, promote personal and social responsibility, discourage gang involvement and encourage participation in community service and activities. Also included are programs to reduce the illegal use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, decrease truancy, and increase healthy child development. The mentoring program is designed to support youth at risk of educational failure, dropping out of school, or involvement in delinquent activities; including gangs and drug abuse.

OJJDP completed a Report to Congress on the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP), including preliminary results indicating that JUMP shows promise as a preventive measure to reduce delinquency and give participating youth a better chance at success. OJJDP also funded a National Mentoring Center that provides training and technical assistance to mentoring programs through a variety of service, resources and conferences. In addition, OJJDP supports mentoring through the Safe Futures initiative, which assists communities in combating delinquency by developing a full range of coordinated services and formula grant funding to individual states.

Strategies to Achieve FY 2003 Goal:
In FY 2003, JUMP will continue to link at-risk youth with responsible adults to provide guidance, promote personal and social responsibility, increased educational participation, and discourage use of illegal drugs, violence, and other criminal activity. Each JUMP will match an at-risk youth with an adult mentor. At many sites, youth are provided services, which may include after school programming, recreational services, tutoring, etc. OJJDP will also provide technical training visits; on-site assistance to struggling mentoring programs with significant program operational needs; as well as training conferences at the local, state, regional, and national levels. A self-evaluation workbook and training were provided to assist sites in collecting data on project operation and effectiveness. Results are expected to enhance grantee reporting.

Crosscutting Activities:
OJP is coordinating with internal program offices as well as with the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Background/ Program Objectives:
OJJDP administers the Missing and Exploited Children's Program. This program coordinates activities under the Missing Children's Assistance Act, including preventing abductions, investigating the exploitation of children, locating missing children and reuniting them with their families, and addressing the psychological impact of abduction on the child and the family. Program funds are used to enhance the efforts of state and local communities in their comprehensive response to missing and exploited children issues through direct assistance in planning and program development; developing and disseminating policies, procedures and programmatic information related to search teams, investigations, and crisis intervention activities; reunification of youth with their families; and issues related to victimization of families and youth involved in the missing and exploitation problem.

The Justice Appropriations Act of 1998, Public Law 105-119, directed OJJDP to create state and local law enforcement cyber units to investigate child exploitation. In FY 2000, 30 regional task forces, that included more than 110 law enforcement agencies, participated in the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program. These regional task forces provide forensic, prevention and investigative assistance to parents, educators, prosecutors, law enforcement and other professionals working on child victimization issues. In FY 2000, OJJDP introduced the Investigative Satellite Initiative (ISI) to broaden the reach of the ICAC Task Force Program by building forensic and investigative capacity of law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
OJJDP will continue to provide grants to enhance state and local community efforts in their comprehensive response to missing and exploited/neglected children. OJJDP plans to continue to offer training and technical assistance to support grantees.

Crosscutting Activities:
OJP's OJJDP works with national, international, state, military, and tribal victim assistance, and criminal justice agencies, as well as other professional organizations, to promote fundamental rights and comprehensive services for crime victims. OJJDP works with federal, international, state and military criminal justice agencies to respond and investigate the sexual exploitation of children online. OJJDP and the technical advisors to the ICAC Task Force Board of Directors include the FBI, U.S. Customs Services, US Postal Inspection Service, Executive Office for the United States Attorneys, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

OJP works to prevent use and abuse of drugs and alcohol through a variety of demonstration, educational, and public outreach programs. Research shows that drug use and crime are closely linked. OJP funds a number of ongoing data collection programs used to monitor the drug/crime nexus, including: the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program and the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey and Surveys of Jail Inmates, State Prisoners, Federal Prisoners, and Probationers. For more than a decade, the majority of detained arrestees tested positive for recent drug use within 48 hours of their arrest. Research indicates that combining criminal justice sanctions with substance abuse treatment is effective in decreasing drug and alcohol use and related crime. In addition, correctional agencies have begun to intervene in the cycle of substance abuse and crime by implementing intervention activities, drug testing, and/or treating this high-risk population while under custody or supervision. Drug courts employ the coercive power of courts to subject non-violent offenders to an integrated mix of treatment, substance abuse testing, incentives, and sanctions to break the cycle of substance abuse and crime. Research reveals that offenders who undergo drug testing and treatment while in prison are almost twice as likely to remain drug-free and crime-free after release as offenders who do not receive drug testing and treatment.

Dollars/FTE

Skills
OJP requires skilled administrators with expertise in program development, grant administration, technical assistance, evaluation, and implementation. Expertise includes social science research and the collection and analysis of statistical data.

Information Technology
OJP relies upon data from the Program Accountability Library (PAL), which is an internal automated grant cataloging system. These systems track and provide detailed, statistical reports.

Background/ Program Objectives:
NIJ manages the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program, provides valuable program planning and policy information on drug use and other characteristics of arrestees through quarterly interviews of incarcerated adults and juveniles in 35 sites across the country. Through interviews and drug testing, these 35 communities continue to assess the dimensions of their particular local substance abuse problems, evaluate programs and interventions with offender populations, and plan policy responses appropriate to these populations.

The ADAM program is the only federally-funded drug use prevalence program to directly address the relationship between drug use and criminal behavior. It is also the only program to provide drug use estimates based on urinalysis results, which have proven to be the most reliable method of determining recent drug use. The ADAM program obtains voluntary, anonymous interview and urine samples from arrestees at selected booking facilities throughout the United States.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
In FY 2003, NIJ will continue to fund ADAM sites in support of obtaining information pertaining to drug use and characteristics of the arrestees for a better understanding of substance abuse patterns in communities across the country.

Crosscutting Activities:
OJP coordinates its substance abuse treatment programs with the Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The FBI, DEA, United States Marshals Service, and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are using ADAM data to determine detailed trends in drug use.

Background/ Program Objectives:
The demand for treatment services is tremendous. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 980,000 of the 1.4 million inmates (about 80 percent) in state prisons have used drugs in the past. However, only about 11 percent of prison inmates, and a smaller percentage of jail inmates, participate in drug treatment programs. About one in six reported committing their current offense to obtain money for drugs. The lack of substance abuse treatment is also a juvenile problem largely because little is known about what types of programs are effective for this population. As a result, very few programs exist.

The drug court movement began as a community-level response to reduce crime and substance abuse among criminal justice offenders. This new approach integrated substance abuse treatment, sanctions, and incentives with case processing to place nonviolent drug-involved defendants in judicially supervised rehabilitation programs. The traditional system had rarely provided substance abuse treatment to defendants in any systematic way and, in many cases, provided little or no threat of sanctions to drug offenders. The OJP Drug Court Program Office was established in 1995 to provide financial and technical assistance to states, state courts, local courts, units of local government and Indian tribal governments to establish drug treatment courts. Drug courts employ the coercive power of the judicial system to subject non-violent offenders to an integrated mix of treatment, drug testing, incentives and sanctions to break the cycle of substance abuse and crime. This community-level movement is supported through drug court grants and targeted technical assistance and training.

The OJP's Correction Program Office administers the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program. This formula grant program assists states and units of local government in developing and implementing these programs within state and local correctional and detention facilities in which prisoners are incarcerated for a period of time sufficient to permit substance abuse treatment (6 - 12 months).

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
DCPO will continue to employ the statutory provisions by implementing a comprehensive four-step strategy that provides programmatic guidance and leadership to communities interested in drug courts. This discretionary grant program is designed to provide seed funding for drug courts, not long term direct support, therefore, the overall goal of the DCPO strategy is to build capacity at the state and local level. The four components of the strategy are: providing direct funding to local courts to implement or enhance a drug court; providing an array of training and technical assistance opportunities to implement best practices; supporting the evaluation of drug courts to demonstrate the effectiveness; and partnering with the drug court field to integrate the drug court movement into the mainstream court system.

Crosscutting Activities:
OJP coordinates with other DOJ components, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the State Justice Institute, and the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

OJP's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is dedicated to serving our nation's victims, including those in traditionally under served populations. OVC, in carrying out it's mission, (1) enacts and enforces consistent, fundamental rights for crime victims in federal, state, juvenile, military, and tribal justice systems through a Victims Rights Constitutional Amendment; (2) provides comprehensive quality services for all victims; (3) integrates crime victims' issues into all levels of the country's education system to increase public awareness; (4) provides comprehensive quality training for service providers who work with crime victims; (5) develops a National Crime Victims Agenda to provide a guide for long term action; (6) serves in an international leadership role in promoting effective and sensitive victim services and rights around the world; and (7) ensures a central role for crime victims in the country's response to violence and victimization.

OVC administers a mix of formula and discretionary grant programs. Through its National Crime Victim Assistance program, OVC provides funds for programs that provide direct services to crime victims. OVC's compensation program helps reimburse victims for their out-of-pocket expenses related to crime. In order to more accurately measure the effectiveness of OVC's programs, and provide the appropriate kinds of services victims most need and want, the OVC and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) are funding a study to identify victims' needs (estimated completion in March 2002), the sources of aid they seek to meet those needs, the adequacy of the aid they receive, the role of victim assistance and compensation programs in delivering needed aid, and whether victims are accorded their full rights under applicable statutes. Additionally, OJP's other components offer a wide range of such training programs on a variety of victim-related topics.

Dollars/FTE

Skills
The program requires skilled administrators with expertise in program development, grant administration, technical assistance, evaluation and implementation. Expertise includes social science research and the collection and analysis of statistical data.

Information Technology
OJP relies upon data from the Program Accountability Library (PAL), which is an internal, automated grant cataloging system. These systems track and provide detailed, statistical reports.

Background/ Program Objectives:
OVC is committed to enhancing the Nation's capacity to assist crime victims and to provide leadership through policies and practices that promote justice and healing for crime victims. OVC strives to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of crime, including Native Americans, through the delivery of direct service and funding, training and technical assistance, and through monitoring the implementation of statutes providing victims rights and assistance. In addition, victims who prefer a faith-based service as opposed to a non-sectarian based service will have the option of choosing between faith-based or non faith-based services.

The Federal Crime Victims Division of OVC is responsible for ensuring that all victims of federal crimes receive assistance, rights as victims are protected, and fully participate in the criminal justice process to promote recovery from the impact of the crime. The Crime Victims Fund sets aside funds for FBI victim witness specialists and support for victim witness coordinators and advocates in U.S. Attorneys Offices.

Performance:
OJP is working with OMB and, in turn, the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, to develop an appropriate measure of performance. The measure will focus on efforts to improve access and level the playing field for faith-based and community organizations in the federal grant process. Currently, efforts are underway to improve data collection in this area, to better identify the types of applicants. This information will allow us to determine the effectiveness of our outreach efforts and accessibility to potential grantees.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
OVC will continue to encourage states to provide victims with the option of being served by faith-based organizations via state victim assistance subgrants.

Crosscutting Activities:
OVC will continue to work with and encourage Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant Administrators to provide grants to faith-based subgrantees.

DOJ, through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), will continue to advance community policing by supporting local efforts to put additional officers on our streets and in our schools; by providing funding to enhance technology and encourage interoperability between jurisdictions, combat methamphetamine use, and support police integrity initiatives; and by providing training and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies.

Through the Community Relations Service, the Department will continue to provide conflict resolution, violence prevention, police-community relations training, and technical assistance to local communities. Through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the Community Relations Service (CRS), DOJ will continue to provide assistance to state and local governments with community-derived strategies to fight crime, resolve local conflicts, and reduce community violence and racial tension. As part of this strategy, CRS and OJP will engage communities in developing their own strategies that focus on bringing together the energy and willingness of community leaders, organizations, and citizens to work towards crime-prevention and improved race relations, thereby building safe neighborhoods and communities for all Americans. Community policing opens lines of communication between the police and residents. Police officers and sheriffs deputies, as public servants who interact with citizens on a daily basis, have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the importance of police involvement in the community. In turn, they realize their authority and effectiveness are linked directly to the support they receive from citizens.

Dollars/FTE

Skills
CRS requires conciliation specialists, managers, and program specialists in order to meet the performance goals. Conciliation specialists must be skilled in conflict resolution and violence prevention techniques. In addition, the managers and program specialists require skills in needs analysis; technical assistance; and program development, implementation, and evaluation. COPS and OJP require skilled administrators with expertise in program development, grant administration, technical assistance, evaluation and implementation. In addition, OJP seeks staff with expertise in social science research, including the collection and analysis of statistical data.

Information Technology
OJP relies upon data from the Program Accountability Library (PAL). These systems track and provide detailed, statistical reports. In addition, COPS relies on its own grant management system. In FY2002, CRS will begin revamping its old case management system to make it compatible with current recording and reporting needs, including the Congressionally mandated requirement to notify affected Members of Congress of conflict-related deployments of CRS conciliators.

Background/ Program Objectives:
As crime and the fear of crime rose in the 1970s and 1980s, it became apparent that the traditional law enforcement response was not effective. Police were reacting to crime, rather than preventing it and communities felt law enforcement was unresponsive to their concerns. A few cities began experimenting with community involvement in solving problems and addressing the conditions that lead to crime. They found it surprisingly effective. As the practice grew and developed, it came to be known as community policing.

The COPS Office has three primary objectives: reduce the fear of crime; increase community trust in law enforcement; and contribute to the reduction in locally-identified, targeted crime and disorder. Community policing rests on three primary principles: 1) continuous community-law enforcement partnership to address issues in the community; 2) a problem-solving approach to the causes of crime and disorder; and 3) sustained organizational change in the law enforcement agency that decentralizes command and empowers front-line officers to build partnerships in the community and address crime and disorder using innovative problem-solving techniques.

The COPS Office awards grants based on a jurisdiction's public safety needs and its ability to sustain the financial commitment to deploy additional community policing officers beyond the life of the grant. The number of officers that are ultimately deployed can either increase or decrease from the initial award estimate based on many factors including: the success of a jurisdictions' officer recruitment efforts; the actual availability of local matching funds (which could vary from initial estimates based on funding appropriated by local governments); and the number of officers that successfully complete academy training.

In addition, the COPS In Schools program provides funding to hire School Resource Officers (SROs). While the specific activities of an SRO are largely determined by local communities to address the unique needs of their school, SROs are sworn law enforcement officers serving as liaisons to the school community, school-based problem solvers, and law-related educators. They are an integral part of the protective fabric of the school, developing relationships with students, faculty and staff, building respect between law enforcement and schools, and preventing problems before they occur.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
COPS will continue to support existing grants and evaluate the effects of community policing on crime, fear of crime, and trust in law enforcement among its grantees. COPS will continue to support the advancement of community policing through training and technical assistance, community policing innovation conferences, development and sharing of best practices through publications and websites, and pilot community policing programs. To meet critical law enforcement needs, the COPS Office will continue to work in partnership with law enforcement agencies to enhance police integrity.

Crosscutting Activities:
COPS works on joint projects with the Office of Justice Programs and its component bureaus as well as other agencies including the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program, where DOJ, HHS, and the Department of Education pooled resources and created a unified application process.

Background/ Program Objectives:
The Community Relations Service (CRS) will continue to improve and expand upon the delivery of conflict resolution and violence prevention services to state and local officials and community leaders in FY 2002. These services include: direct mediation and conciliation services; transfer of knowledge and expertise in the establishment of partnerships and formal agreements for locally-derived solutions; development of community trust and cooperation; improvement of local preparedness for addressing violence and civil disorders; and assistance in enhancing the local capacity to resolve local conflicts.

Strategies to Achieve the FY 2003 Goal:
CRS will continue providing conflict resolution and violence prevention services to state and local officials and community leaders in FY 2003. In addition, CRS will provide training, technical assistance, and transfer its expertise and knowledge to help state, local, and tribal governments and communities build their own capacities to address local conflicts and violent situations emanating from race and ethnicity.

Crosscutting Activities:
In achieving these crosscutting efforts, CRS collaborates with high level officials from: the Office of U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, Criminal Division, Civil Rights Division, INS, OJP, COPS, Office of Tribal Justice, and state and local governments. In addition, CRS strives to improve communications and cooperation among DOJ components, local law enforcement agencies, and minority communities.