Unlock Funding for Justice System Innovations

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking proposals that demonstrate innovation in justice; address a demonstrated gap in areas within the justice system or in the knowledge base of justice system practitioners and/or state and local policymakers; and allow for replication nationwide. The purpose of this solicitation is to identify those field-generated innovative strategies that may ultimately be added to the pool of criminal justice evidence-based strategies and promising practices. Applications may be submitted under one of three categories (1) state or local programs that strategically address emerging or chronic criminal justice issues; (2) innovative strategies for addressing these issues; or (3) strategies to sustain innovative of evidence-based programs. Through this solicitation, BJA is looking for the best innovative, field-generated concepts for advancing the capabilities and performance of the criminal justice system, including sustainability planning and the implementation of an evidence-based practice in a novel way or to address a new issue.

Projects will be expected to establish performance measures for success, assess projects based on agreed upon performance measures, and document results that may be reported and replicated elsewhere.This program is funded under both the Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. Authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117), the Byrne Competitive Program helps local communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provides for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs.

The JAG Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a)) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, and JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system. The JAG Program authorization also states that “the Attorney General may reserve not more than 5 percent, to be granted to 1 or more States or units of local government, for 1 or more of the purposes specified in section 3751 of this title, pursuant to his determination that the same is necessary—(1) to combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime” (42 U.S.C. 3756