NCJ Number
171697
Date Published
1998
Length
59 pages
Annotation
This 1997 fiscal year Annual Report of the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance focuses on the activities of BJA's mission to provide leadership, funding, training, and technical assistance to support local criminal justice strategies to achieve strong neighborhoods and safe communities.
Abstract
BJA's goals encompass the following: effective new approaches to crime control and prevention; replication and maintenance of successful, collaborative crime control programs that use strategic planning methods and public-private partnerships to improve criminal justice, and a responsive and dynamic work environment and an organizational structure geared to serve needs at the local level. Following an overview of BJA funding opportunities, this report describes the specific ways in which BJA has assisted in solving crime prevention and crime control problems through State and local partnerships. BJA's Open Solicitation Announcement reached out across the country to collect short, clear concept papers that delineate problems and present ideas for locally crafted public-private partnership strategies from more than 40,000 agencies. BJA also implemented its Resident Practitioner Program, which gives selected criminal justice practitioners from States and local agencies an opportunity to work at BJA. Each local practitioner chosen for this program participates in projects in his/her area of expertise, learns methods of securing Federal support for sound local programs, and gives BJA a "reality check" in its effort to monitor the daily challenges of criminal justice systems and settings. BJA's leadership is increasing awareness and understanding of community court practices for more than 70 jurisdictions in the United States that are working cooperatively to create community courts. 10 exhibits and appended BJA legislative purpose area descriptions, BJA grant awards to States and U.S. Territories, and a list of BJA publications