NCJ Number
160543
Date Published
1994
Length
53 pages
Annotation
This report describes Massachusetts's programs and activities to address drug law offenses and violent crime between July 1993 and June 1994 in 12 of the purpose areas specified by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
Abstract
Criminal justice programs funded by the Massachusetts Committee on Criminal Justice supported law enforcement, prosecution, correction, and crime prevention. They also provided drug treatment for drug-abusing offenders and expanded the criminal justice information system. The programs focused on the following BJA purpose areas: demand reduction, multijurisdictional task forces, community policing and crime prevention, correctional improvement and treatment, improving the courts and prosecution, offender drug treatment, community revitalization and law enforcement, systems improvement, domestic assault, victim and witness assistance, asset forfeiture, and user accountability/drug testing. Crime prevention programs focused in neighborhood safety and youth involvement programs; interviews with participants suggested lower gang involvement and less violence in areas served by the programs. Multijurisdictional Task Forces arrested more than 16,000 offenders for drug and violent crimes, seized more than 14,000 firearms used in crime, and caused forfeiture of more than $2 million in currency and $3 million in assets from offenders. Thirty cities and towns started community policing. List of additional accomplishments, program descriptions, and appended list of funded projects