Bureau of Justice Assistance
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| Bureau/Office overview | |
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| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | 810 7th Street NW Washington, D.C., United States |
| Bureau/Office executive |
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| Parent department | Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice |
| Website | www.bja.gov |
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, within the United States Department of Justice. Its mission is to provide leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities. BJA is the Department of Justice's primary criminal justice grant agency. BJA provides funding, training, and technical assistance to state and local governments to combat violent and drug-related crime and help improve the criminal justice system. It also administers the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program (42 U.S.C. 3750).[1]
On Monday, December 13, 2010, President Barack Obama sent to the U.S. Senate the nomination of Denise O'Donnell, of New York, to be the Director of the Bureau, in the place of Domingo S. Herraiz, who resigned.
The BJA's overall goals are to (1) reduce and prevent crime, violence, and drug abuse and (2) improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. To achieve these goals, BJA programs emphasize enhanced coordination and cooperation of federal, state, and local efforts. BJA's objectives in support of these goals are to:
- Encourage the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to reduce and prevent crime and violence.
- Encourage the active participation of community organizations and citizens in efforts to prevent crime, drug abuse, and violence.
- Provide training and technical assistance in support of efforts to prevent crime, drug abuse, and violence at the national, state, and local levels.
- Reduce the availability of illegal weapons and develop strategies to address violence in our communities.
- Enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to reduce crime.
- Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of all aspects of the adjudication process, including indigent defense services.
- Assist states in freeing prison space for serious and violent offenders through the design and implementation of effective correctional options for nonviolent offenders.
- Enhance the ability of criminal justice agencies to access and use new information technologies.
- Encourage and support evaluation of the effectiveness of funded programs and dissemination of program results.
Organization
BJA has four primary components: Policy, Programs, Planning, and the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Office. The Policy Office provides national leadership in criminal justice policy, training, and technical assistance to further the administration of justice. It also acts as a liaison to national organizations that partner with BJA to set policy and help disseminate information on best and promising practices. The Programs Office coordinates and administers all state and local grant programs and acts as BJA's direct line of communication to states, territories, and tribal governments by providing assistance and coordinating resources. The Planning Office coordinates the planning, communications, and budget formulation and execution; provides overall BJA-wide coordination; and supports streamlining efforts.
Programs Administered
- Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
- Second Chance Act (SCA)
- Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI)
- Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI)
- Field-Initiated Program
- Smart Policing Initiative (SPI)
- Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global)
References
- ^ "U.S. Attorneys' Manual". U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. federal government. 1997.
- This article incorporates text from Volume 61, Number 91 of the Federal Register, a publication in the public domain.