The Montana Board of Crime Control has allocated more than $4 million in federal funding to local and state governmental agencies, law enforcement agencies and community organizations in order to provide resources to address crime and provide criminal and juvenile justice services statewide.
The Board approved $4,010,742 for 104 programs operated by counties, tribal governments and state agencies that will help fight juvenile delinquency and underage drinking, assist victims and provide funding for regional drug task forces.
Federal funding is appropriated annually by Congress to the U.S. Department of Justice for distribution by the Board through a competitive grant process. The grants were made through several federal programs, including the Victims of Crime Act, Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program, the Violence Against Women Act, and the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention.
“As evidenced by these awards, MBCC continues its commitment to Montana’s communities as we work together to implement and sustain programs that prevent crime and ensure public safety,” said MBCC Chairperson Laura Obert. “Despite dwindling state and federal dollars, counties in the state will benefit from the round of grants approved at the June Board meeting.”
MBCC allocates federal and state funds to victims, victim service providers, criminal and juvenile justice agencies, serving as a resource to help communities improve the administration of justice in a variety of ways.
Among its awards, MBCC appropriated $114,048 in federal Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) funds. The program provides communities with money to help reduce juvenile delinquency, improve the juvenile justice system and increase the accountability of juvenile offenders and the system that serves them. Communities can use the money to help offset the costs of state information-sharing initiatives, community corrections programs and police/probation/school partnerships.
In addition to awarding JABG funds, the Board also awarded $777,732 in federal grants from the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. The procedure for allocating JAG grants is based on a formula of population and violent crime statistics in combination with a minimum allocation to ensure each state and territory receives an appropriate share of funding. It’s a critical funding source for cooperative law enforcement efforts that target the manufacture, distribution and use of all drugs. Priority JAG funding has been awarded to regional drug task forces throughout the state in support of their tireless efforts to detect and apprehend drug traffickers and illegal drug offenders.
The following is a breakdown of grant allocations:
Drug task forces – $777,732
Juvenile services – $390,353
Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws - $14,384
Crime victim services – $1,573,600
Sexual assault victim services – $222,582
Domestic violence intervention – $100,000
Violence against women programs – $818,157
A complete list of the grants is attached and also available at: http://mbcc.mt.gov/News&Events/News_Events.asp.
The Montana Board of Crime Control is the designated state agency that annually administers millions of grant dollars dedicated to preventing crime and making justice system improvements statewide. The 18-member board, appointed by Governor Steve Bullock, represents law enforcement, criminal and juvenile justice system stakeholders, tribal communities and citizens. Board members provide critical leadership, oversight and accountability of systems charged with promoting justice and public safety.
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