District of South Dakota Awarded $16.3 Million in Grant Funding from the U.S. Department of Justice in FY23

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that in FY23, the U.S. Department of Justice, through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), awarded 33 grants totaling $16.3 million in funding to the State of South Dakota, various tribal and local governments, and other local entities to support public safety and community justice activities. Nationally, the Justice Department awarded more than $4.4 billion in similar grant funding.

Of the $16.3 million awarded in South Dakota, over $8 million was given to the State of South Dakota, including the Attorney General’s Office, Department of Corrections, and Department of Public Safety. Over $5.4 million was awarded to tribal governments, including the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Yankton Sioux Tribe in the form of grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) grants. Additional grants were awarded to city and county governments, South Dakota State University, and local organizations.

“The money awarded to the State of South Dakota, tribal and local governments, and community organizations has the capacity to fund truly impactful work in the area of public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “We look forward to collaborating with these entities to grow the impact of their grant funding and improve the quality of life in communities throughout our state.”

The more than 3,700 OJP grants awarded in FY23 will support state, local, and community-based efforts and evidence-based interventions that reduce violence, crime, and recidivism while delivering treatment and services to those at-risk of justice system involvement. Funding will expand partnerships between criminal justice professionals and behavioral health experts, help people safely and successfully transition from confinement back to their communities, reach crime victims in underserved areas, steer young people away from justice system contact, 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:

• Awards totaling more than $1 billion will promote safety and strengthen trust, helping communities tackle the proliferation of gun violence in America and restore bonds of trust between community residents and the justice system. Grants 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.
• More than $437 million in grant awards will accelerate justice system reforms designed to achieve equal justice and fair treatment for all. Grants 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.
• Over $192 million will improve the fairness and effectiveness of the juvenile justice system by supporting developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive interventions for youth. Funding 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.
• More than $1.7 billion will expand access to victim services by investing in programs that provide trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to victims. Funding will support thousands of local victim assistance programs across the country and victim compensation programs in every state and U.S. territory, while helping these programs build their capacity to reach those disproportionately affected by crime and victimization.
• Over $418 million in awards will advance science and innovation to strengthen the base of knowledge that policymakers and practitioners can use to design and deploy effective community safety strategies. 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.

In addition, OJP awarded 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 by visiting www.ojp.gov/funding/fy23awards.

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The Office of Justice Programs is the largest grantmaking component of the Department of Justice and houses the Department’s criminal and juvenile justice-related science, statistics, and programmatic agencies. OJP provides federal leadership, funding, training and technical assistance, research and statistics, and other critical resources to advance work that strengthens community safety, promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, and builds trust between law enforcement and communities.