Federal law — including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Safe Streets Act of 1968 — prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating against any person on the basis of race, color or national origin. Each year, the Department of Justice provides billions of dollars in grant money and other financial assistance to state and local agencies involved in the justice system, including police departments and sheriffs' offices, correctional and juvenile justice institutions, state and local courts and organizations that provide support to victims of crime.