Grants Will Aid In Fights Against Gangs, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Delinquency And Drug Abuse

Gov. Mike Easley today announced that the Governor’s Crime Commission awarded $20.6 million to state and local agencies to make communities safer and assist crime victims. The money will help programs that detect and deter gang activity, assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, prevent juvenile delinquency and fight drug abuse.

“Preventing crime, gang activity, domestic violence and child abuse requires that we work together at the community, state and federal levels,” said Easley. “These grants help our state and local agencies develop programs and get the resources they need to keep our communities safe and secure.”

The commission awarded 187 grants to state and local agencies, including nearly $4.8 million to reduce and prevent gang activity and more than $5.8 million to help domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Most of the grants will support locally-developed initiatives designed to meet the specific needs for that community.

For example, Cumberland County’s comprehensive gang violence reduction project will receive funds to better coordinate and target resources among local law enforcement, social services and public schools to prevent, intervene in or suppress gang activity. Another initiative, the Juvenile Day Treatment Center in New Hanover County provides high school youth who have dropped out or been kicked out of school with a structured environment so they can learn vocational skills. Several local law enforcement agencies will also use grants to purchase equipment for officer safety, upgrade radio communications, install in-car computers and provide overtime staffing.

A portion of the grants will help state agencies with statewide initiatives. More than $930,000 will be used to upgrade the Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification (SAVAN) system that helps notify crime victims of custody status and provides additional court information on offenders. A grant to the state Department of Justice will help develop training for the investigation of high-tech crimes and telemarketing fraud.

The Administrative Office of the Courts received funds for drug treatment courts, federal drug prosecutors and initiatives dealing with domestic violence, child abuse and other family-related issues. The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will be developing partnerships with local agencies to address the disproportionate number of minorities who end up involved with the juvenile court system.

Money for the gang violence prevention programs was provided by the General Assembly through a special appropriation in 2007. Funding for the remaining grants comes annually from the U.S. Congress to the federal Department of Justice for distribution to the states in four categories: Justice Assistance Grants; Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Grants; the Victim of Crime Act; and Violence Against Women Act programs. Federal funds for this year’s Justice Assistance Grants was cut by two-thirds in the 2008 spending bill but may be restored in supplemental appropriations legislation later this congressional session.

The Governor’s Crime Commission, a division of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, administers the federal grants to provide money to establish new programs. Once the new programs are in place, local resources are expected to be used to maintain them. There are 44 members of the commission, some who serve by virtue of their appointed or elected office, some who are appointed by the governor and the others appointed by the leaders of the state Senate and House of Representatives. For more information on the commission, go to: http://www.ncgccd.org