NCJ Number
176914
Date Published
1998
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This 1997 Annual Report of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) provides an overview of its work, including grants provided to units of local and State government, research projects undertaken, and information systems technology developed to improve criminal justice in the State.
Abstract
Created in 1983, the ICJIA is a State agency dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice. The Authority accomplishes its goals through efforts in four areas: information systems, technology, and data quality; research and analysis; policy and planning; and grants administration. ICJIA began administering a new Federal Grant initiative, the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program, in fiscal year 1997. The program provides funds to units of local government for purposes of reducing crime and improving public safety, particularly in rural communities. Other Federal programs, most notably those funded under the Victims of Crime Act and the Violence Against Women Act, have provided significantly increased resources, awareness, and treatment services for victims throughout Illinois. Anti-Drug Abuse Act funds continued to support programs at all phases of the criminal justice system to combat drug and violent crime. In the area of research, ICJIA published "Trends and Issues 1997," a comprehensive book on crime trends and criminal justice issues in the State. Staff also began work on several special research projects. A multiagency collaboration, the Women's Health Risk Project, aims to identify factors related to life-threatening injury or death in situations in which a woman is being abused by an intimate partner. Efforts in the area of information systems continued to received responses from criminal justice agencies. Information systems developed and supported by the Authority now serve more than 300 agencies in Illinois.