Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Funding and Resources

Provides formula grant funding to local governments to enhance the functioning of the criminal justice system, with a focus on efforts to address violent crime and serious offenders. Funds may be used for additional personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance, and information systems to support activities that will help prevent, control, or reduce crime; enforce the criminal law; and strengthen the courts, corrections, probation, and parole authorities. Supports drug treatment, enforcement, prevention, and education programs.

Offers a 1-year initiative for rural justice, public safety practitioners, and other community stakeholders seeking to engage in strategic planning to address issues related to substance use and misuse in their communities. Assists participants in developing cross-sector networks and creating solutions to better respond to and serve justice-involved individuals with substance use or co-occurring disorders. Reaching Rural is an initiative of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Provides formula grant funding to states to support efforts to prevent or reduce crime and violence, and to improve the fair administration of the justice system. Funds may be used for additional personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance, and information systems to support activities that will help prevent, control, or reduce crime; enforce the criminal law; and strengthen the courts, corrections, probation, and parole authorities. Supports drug treatment, enforcement, prevention, and education programs.

Provides local jails with the opportunity to participate in a 9-month planning initiative to develop a comprehensive continuum of care that will increase access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment for individuals while in custody and in the community post-release. Seeks to reduce recidivism and the risk of overdose for the target population by increasing their engagement in evidence-based OUD treatment services. Offers a range of options for expanding access to OUD treatment to meet the needs of local jurisdictions, especially those in rural and tribal communities. This opportunity is an initiative of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Supports state, local, and tribal efforts to plan, implement, and enhance prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) in order to prevent the misuse of prescription drugs, such as opioids. Strengthens the ability of law enforcement and public health agencies to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data and to track prescribing across providers and states by integrating PDMPs with electronic health records (EHRs), pharmacy dispensing software (PDS) systems, health information exchanges (HIEs), and other healthcare facilities and systems. Promotes the development of innovative, evidence-based PDMP strategies that can serve as models for other states.

Offers grants and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments for demonstration projects that develop, implement, and test affordable, safe, and secure housing options for individuals reentering the community after incarceration. Supports proposals for a range of evidence-based or innovative reentry housing models designed to improve reentry and reduce recidivism by increasing access to housing for adults in reentry. Provides program participants with access to wraparound services, such as case management, substance use disorder (SUD) and/or mental health treatment, and other services to support successful reentry.

Offers funding to develop and implement residential and jail-based programs to provide treatment and recovery supports for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring disorders (COD) in state, local, and tribal correctional and detention centers. Aims to reduce substance use and overdose deaths in prisons and jails. Supports aftercare services to ensure continuity of care and help program participants successfully reenter the community upon release from incarceration.

Awards grants for re-entry services and programs focused on enhancing education and employment outcomes for individuals currently incarcerated with 2 years or less before release into the community. Aims to develop pathways and networks to implement fair chance opportunities for the target population to increase access to in-demand jobs and meaningful careers and reduce recidivism.

Awards funding to 2 nonprofit organizations that will serve as financial intermediaries to community-based re-entry programs. Intermediary organizations will make subawards to community-based organizations operating at smaller scales to build their programmatic, financial, and organizational capacity to provide quality re-entry services to people leaving incarceration. Supports the implementation of incubator model learning communities to engage organizations in training and technical assistance to enhance the delivery of re-entry services focused on community and family reintegration, building strengths-based assets, and reducing recidivism.

Supports collaborative efforts to decrease opioid, stimulant, and other substance misuse and overdose deaths by offering financial and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal government entities. Helps provide treatment and recovery services for individuals involved with the criminal justice system resulting from substance misuse and their families. Seeks to enhance public safety and support underserved and rural populations through prevention and harm reduction activities and diversion programs.

Supports efforts by state, local, and tribal governments to establish and enhance community courts designed to enhance public safety and build trust between communities and law enforcement. Promotes the community court model, which utilizes partnerships between communities and the justice system to address local issues that lead to crime, including substance use and mental health conditions, and connect individuals committing lower-level offenses to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, alternative sanctions, and community-based support services. Rural and tribal applicants are a priority.

Funds to assist medical examiner/coroners, forensic pathologists, and medical and legal death investigation systems in efficiently handling the increased need for services resulting from the proliferation of opioids and synthetic drugs. Seeks to provide accelerated and improved forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services by funding expenses related to personnel, training, equipment, infrastructure, and more.

Funds to assist states in improving the quality and efficiency of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services in order to meet the increased need for forensic investigation due to the proliferation of opioids and synthetic drugs. Offers funding by formula to enhance personnel, training, equipment, infrastructure, and other components of forensic examination.

Provides funds to support planning, implementation, and enhancement of veteran treatment courts by offering grants and technical assistance to states, state and local courts, local governments, and federally recognized tribal governments. Funds activities centered on preventing overdoses, increasing access to treatment and recovery services, and decreasing recidivism for veterans in the criminal justice system with substance use, mental health, and/or co-occurring disorders .

Supports efforts to reduce violent crime by developing and implementing comprehensive community-based violence intervention and prevention programs focused on youth and adults at highest risk for violence. Encourages community partnerships between residents, local government, victim service providers, law enforcement, hospitals, and other stakeholders to engage in strategies and activities to address risk factors related to violence, including substance use disorder (SUD), housing instability, and history victimization or perpetration.

Provides funds to help and support law enforcement, correctional officers, probation and parole, and sheriff's departments partnering with mental health, substance use, and community service professionals and agencies to promote public safety and ensure appropriate responses are provided to individuals in crisis with behavioral health, conditions, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or traumatic brain injuries. Funds activities focused on planning, developing, enhancing, and evaluating a Collaborative Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT) program.

Offers funding and technical assistance to probation and parole agencies to build capacity and increase the effectiveness of community supervision programs. Promotes best and evidence-based probation/parole practices, with the goal of increasing success rates for individuals under supervision, reducing recidivism, helping to lower crime, and enhancing community safety. Assists in the development, implementation, and testing of innovative strategies and facilitates collaboration between agencies and officials working in areas related to community supervision.

Offers funds and technical assistance to states, local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes to plan, implement, or expand comprehensive collaboration programs to improve outcomes for people with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders who are involved with the justice system. Aims to develop collaborations across the criminal justice system that will provide healthcare, treatment, social services, and other supports to enhance public safety and public health, and reduce recidivism among the target population.

Strengthens the ability of corrections systems and community-based service providers to support individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), including parents of minor children and pregnant/postpartum women, during the pre-release phase of incarceration and continued through reentry into the community. Works to establish, expand, or improve SUD treatment and recovery programs to increase access to evidence-based, culturally relevant services, reduce recidivism, promote long-term recovery, and decrease overdose among the target population.

Provides funds to support the planning, implementation, and enhancement of adult substance use treatment courts for local, state, and federally recognized tribal governments. Funds activities centered on preventing overdoses, increasing access to treatment and recovery services, and decreasing recidivism.

Supports cross-system collaboration initiatives between law enforcement and behavioral health providers to improve responses to and outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders (MHDs) or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUDs). Promotes public health and public safety by helping entities develop and implement collaborative projects to enhance crisis response programs focused on individuals with MHDs or MHSUDs who come into contact with law enforcement.

Offers funding, training, and technical assistance to help build capacity in community supervision agencies, with the goal of reducing recidivism and improving outcomes for individuals under supervision, such as adult probation, parole, or pretrial supervision or their equivalents. Engages agencies and other stakeholders in a collaborative problem-solving process using data and research-informed strategies to improve outcomes for individuals, ensure fairness in supervision, and enhance public safety.

Funds nonprofit organizations and Native American tribal organizations to develop or expand comprehensive, evidence-based reentry services and programs to help individuals who have been incarcerated. Aims to decrease recidivism, enhance community safety, and improve reentry outcomes by offering case management and other services for individuals both prior to and after release from incarceration to help them successfully reintegrate into their communities.

Supports collaboration between justice agencies, behavioral health providers, and community organizations to improve crisis stabilization care for individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders (SUDs), and co-occurring disorders who are currently involved with the justice system or are reentering the community. Seeks to reduce the number of individuals experiencing crisis during the pretrial period, confinement, and upon release while ensuring continuity of care and supporting recovery during the transition to the community by providing clinical behavioral healthcare and other reentry services.

Provides funding to state, local, and tribal governments to contract with organizations to provide clinical services, permanent supportive housing, and other reentry supports for individuals leaving incarceration, with a specific focus on the needs of individuals with mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorders. Aims to increase public safety and lower recidivism rates by helping formerly incarcerated individuals successfully rejoin society. Services funded through this opportunity must be performance-based or outcome-based, making payment dependent upon reaching agreed upon goals.

Enhances the work of medical examiners and coroners in the U.S. by providing funds to agencies accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduated Medical Education (ACGME) to recruit qualified applicants for fellowship programs. Improves medical and legal death investigation services by assisting medical examiner and coroner agencies seeking to achieve or maintain accreditation through an independent accrediting organization.

Funds to support the renovation and expansion of existing facilities and building prefabricated or permanent modular facilities for tribal justice systems. Supports infrastructure in locations that lack permanent or sufficient structures for staff, resident, and inmate safety and security issues. Seeks to improve the physical infrastructure and tribal justice system facilities to increase their functional capacity to reduce recidivism, provide staff training and support other activities impacting staff health, wellness, and fitness. Part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS).

Funds to tribes to develop, support, and improve adult tribal justice systems. Seeks to support tribal and law enforcement efforts to prevent and reduce crime, including crime related to opioid, alcohol, stimulant, and other substance use disorders (SUD). Part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS).

Funds to support strategic planning and development to improve tribal justice systems, public safety, and community wellness. Supports strategies to address violent crime, murder of Indigenous people, domestic violence, substance misuse, substance use disorder (SUD), overdose, drug-related crime, and human trafficking. Offers training, technical assistance, and other supports to assist communities and law enforcement with planning and processes to proactively address conditions and issues that lead to crime, social disorder, and fear of crime. Part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS).

Offers funding and technical assistance to state and local corrections agencies to build their capacity to implement and expand services and support for individuals re-entering the community after incarceration or those on probation or parole. Promotes reentry and supervision success through programs designed to identify and meet individual needs of the target population and the use of technology to track outcomes and inform decision making.

Funds for demonstration projects to support statewide adoption of the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) mobile tool. ODMAP helps states quickly track and analyze fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses and the administration of naloxone by first responders. Works to establish coalitions in local communities to use ODMAP data to inform public health and safety interventions for specific geographic areas or populations at high risk for overdose.

Provides training and technical assistance to help meet the needs of state, local, and tribal criminal justice practitioners and agencies on a variety of justice topics including adjudication, corrections, crime prevention, justice information sharing, law enforcement, mental health, substance use, tribal justice, and capacity-building.

Provides training and technical assistance to government agencies, justice systems, and communities to plan and implement strategies to reduce recidivism and substance use among justice involved individuals and promote community health and safety. Includes assistance to Second Chance Act and other Office of Justice Programs (OJP) grantees.

Provides training and technical assistance to communities to enhance their ability to respond to individuals in the criminal justice system with mental and/or co-occurring substance use disorders. Focuses on developing and implementing best practices and policies designed to divert people from the criminal justice system and connect them to treatment and other support services.

Provides training and technical assistance to organizations, communities, and individuals involved with the justice system, including judges, attorneys, justice officials, community organizations, and others working to create a more fair, effective, and humane justice system. Offers hands-on support to help plan, implement, research, and evaluate new policies, programs, practices, and technologies to achieve systemic change, resulting in safer communities, reduced incarceration, and improved community perceptions of and relations with law enforcement and the justice system. Focuses on the following areas of reform: preventing crime, rethinking incarceration, strengthening families, engaging communities, improving decision-making, aiding survivors, and advancing fairness.

Provides training and technical assistance to jurisdictions to develop, implement, and expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support individuals impacted by the use and misuse of opioids, stimulants, and other substances. Promotes access to treatment and recovery services in the criminal justice system, data collection and sharing, leveraging resources and funding, and efforts to prevent substance misuse.

Summarizes key focus areas, needs, and recommendations of underrepresented rural and tribal law enforcement leaders in 5 states that were the result of a series of listening sessions with federal agencies. Includes topics such as substance use, mental health, and homelessness; illicit drugs; trafficking from the southern border; relationships with tribes; and funding, among others. Provides individual state summaries and U.S. Department of Justice resources to support local efforts to enhance public safety and reduce crime in rural and tribal areas.

Summarizes key focus areas, needs, and recommendations of underrepresented rural and tribal law enforcement leaders in 9 states that were the result of a series of listening sessions with federal agencies. Includes topics such as substance use and addiction; mental health and medical care; illegal drug trafficking and related crime; school safety; and funding, among others. Describes ongoing federal responses to rural law enforcement concerns and highlights several best practices and new ideas to support local efforts to enhance public safety and reduce crime in rural and tribal areas.

Offers technical assistance to state and local agencies and organizations to strengthen justice systems, reduce recidivism, and improve policy and practice to increase equity and access to services for behavioral health, housing, education/employment, victim support, and more.

Provides information to law enforcement, courts, child welfare agencies, and schools on how they can create cross-sector collaborations to reduce the harmful effects of substance use on children and families. Includes 8 strategies for cross-sector collaboration and provides examples of successful collaboration projects. Considers factors related to addressing substance use in rural communities.

Provides an overview and history on the use of peer recovery support services (PRSS) in tribal communities to address high rates of substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs). Offers resources and models on best practices for tribes to develop, implement, and sustain PRSS programming. Draws insights from 9 tribal PRSS practitioners to highlight the importance of including Native American culture and traditions into PRSS delivery.

Offers an opportunity for first responder organizations operating deflection initiatives for people with substance use disorders (SUDs) to apply to become a mentor site to provide peer-to-peer mentoring to other first responder organizations interested in establishing or enhancing a deflection program. Promotes deflection as an innovative model to support individuals in the community with opioid, stimulant, and other SUDs, mental health and/or co-occurring disorders while avoiding involvement with the justice system.

Discusses results of the Rural Justice Survey, which documents the priorities of rural communities related to criminal justice and public safety and the challenges these communities face in accessing federal funding to address these issues. Offers recommendations to make federal funding, technical assistance, and training programs more available and relevant to rural stakeholders, including justice and public safety practitioners, healthcare providers, public health officials, treatment providers, victim advocates, and others. Highlights needs and interventions in areas such as behavioral health, substance use, crisis intervention, supportive services, and others.

Shares the impacts and accomplishments of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project, co-funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the State Justice Institute (SJI). RROE consisted of 21 rural sites, including their partners in public safety, public health, and behavioral health, that planned, developed, implemented, and/or improved programs, practices, and policies to address substance use disorder (SUD) and overdoses in their communities.

Offers jails with established medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs the opportunity to apply to become a mentor site to provide peer-to-peer mentoring to other jails interested in establishing or expanding MAT programs to better meet the needs of individuals in jail with substance use disorders (SUD).

Offers a variety of resources and information to jurisdictions seeking to reduce criminal justice involvement and improve outcomes for individuals with mental health and/or co-occurring substance use disorders. Supports the implementation of best practices, policies, and strategies at every point in the criminal justice system, from pre-arrest through reentry. Provides targeted resources to BJA's Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health program grantees and supports other communities in their efforts to enhance crisis responses, connect individuals to treatment and services, and improve public safety.

Provides training, resources, and technical assistance to improve law enforcement and community responses to individuals with behavioral health conditions or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Supports the development of police-mental health collaborations designed to help officers safely and effectively to people with behavioral health needs and increase their access to services.

Serves as a clearinghouse of resources to assist law enforcement agencies across the country in establishing a naloxone program to reduce the harm and number of deaths associated with opioid overdose. Offers information on a range of topics related to operating a naloxone program, including naloxone medication and its role in law enforcement; acquiring and administering naloxone; training law enforcement; liability and risk issues; and collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders. Provides a variety of tools and materials, such as sample documents and templates for data collection forms, training materials, press releases, community outreach materials, and more. Product of the Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA) National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) funded by a contract through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

Podcast series featuring conversations with individuals currently involved with programs that provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and recovery support in rural jails. Each episode focuses on the unique role the speaker has in their respective MAT program, which includes a jail medical staff administrator, a peer specialist, a community-based medical provider, a MAT program coordinator, and a jail administrator. Offers experience and lessons learned from addressing common challenges to implementing MAT for individuals in jail with opioid use disorder.

Shares strategies to help small or rural law enforcement agencies provide mental health training for their officers. Discusses some challenges small and rural law enforcement agencies can experience when training to provide mental health training.

Provides training and technical assistance to help state administering agencies (SAAs) and local Criminal Justice Planning Boards (CJPBs) administer Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) grant awards to strengthen state and local criminal justice systems. Offers resources and guidance in a range of areas related to the management and effective use of Byrne JAG funding to address criminal justice and public safety needs.

Offers information on training and technical assistance opportunities for the Office of Justice Programs' Second Chance Act (SCA) program grantees. Highlights resources available to grantees to assist their efforts to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people returning from state and federal prisons, local jails, and juvenile facilities. Includes an archive of searchable SCA tools, including orientation materials and planning and implementation guides.

Serves as a central hub for information and resources to support the establishment and operations of all treatment court types, including adult, youth, and veteran treatment courts, and tribal healing to wellness courts. Offers a range of publications, interactive maps, newsletters, podcasts, and other materials to help jurisdictions design and implement new programs; expand and enhance existing programs; and analyze and disseminate program data.

Interactive map providing state- and county-level data showing the rates of drug overdose deaths, including opioid deaths, in the U.S. Allows users to create maps illustrating connections between overdose deaths and selected demographic, economic, and behavioral health characteristics, including race/ethnicity, age, education, disability status, household income, poverty rates, unemployment rates, the number of mental health/substance use treatment facilities per 100,000 population, and more.

Toolkit sharing guidance and resources for tribal justice system practitioners to develop or enhance existing re-entry programs for American Indian and Alaska Native populations returning from jail or prison. Covers devolving a planning team; identifying and collaborating with partners; engaging clients; measuring program impact; and more. Includes best practices and program examples for tribal justice system practitioners.

Provides resources to support law enforcement agencies in developing police – mental health collaboration (PMHC) programs in which they partner with mental health providers and other community stakeholders to safely and effectively respond to people with mental illness and increase access to services. Offers a PMHC self-assessment tool and modules on key aspects of designing, implementing, and managing a PMHC program that is tailored to meet the unique needs of individual communities.

Provides training and technical assistance to prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), federal partners, and other stakeholders to promote and enhance the use of PDMPs to address the misuse and diversion of prescription drugs. Offers a range of services and resources to strengthen coordination, efficiency, and the use of best practices for PDMPs, with the goal of improving patient safety and public health for communities.

Podcast episode featuring the county prosecutor of rural Navajo County in northeast Arizona discussing efforts to provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery services to individuals in the county jail. Transcript available below description.

Provides training and technical assistance to BJA's Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) grantees in their efforts to address substance use disorders (SUDs) and reduce overdose deaths in jails and prisons. Aims to enhance the capacity of state, local, and Indian tribal governments to provide residential SUD treatment during detention and to plan and deliver community-based treatment and aftercare services upon release from incarceration.

Video recording sharing highlights from a December 13-14, 2018 workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee attended by rural sheriffs and judges. Workshop hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to brainstorm ideas and discuss new methods to address the opioid crisis.

Provides an overview of the Second Chance Act (SCA) grant programs that support state, local, and tribal governments and other nonprofit organization to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for individuals who have been incarcerated. Shares information on the SCA program tracks, success stories, and other opportunities for further assistance. Product of the National Reentry Resource Center funded by a grant through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

Offers training and technical assistance support to jurisdictions seeking to implement swift, certain, and fair response (SCF) approach to community corrections. Promotes policies and practices such as regular random drug testing, immediate arrests, expedited warrants, a motion-to-modify process, noncustodial sanctions, and incentives for positive behaviors, with the goal of reducing recidivism and improving outcomes for individuals on probation, parole, or pretrial supervision.

Provides training and technical assistance to help tribal jurisdictions develop new or strengthen existing healing to wellness courts. Offers up-to-date resources on effective, evidence-based strategies to address alcohol and substance use issues among justice-involved juveniles and adults in tribal areas using a treatment court model that incorporates culturally appropriate services, trauma-informed approaches, and traditional healing practices.

Provides guidance to Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts (THWCs) on effective case management practices and the functions of case management in THWC operations. Offers case management models; resources; and information related to ethics, balancing roles, and data collection and evaluation to assist THWCs in developing or revising the role of case managers in their courts.

Discusses common elements of intergovernmental collaboration, including tribal-state collaborations, intended to assist Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts (THWCs) interested in utilizing collaboration to enhance their court operations. Provides a brief history THWCs, profiles of current collaborations that can serve as models, and shares resources to help new and existing THWCs meet the needs of their communities.