2019 Abstract and Identifiers Office of Criminal Justice Programs The
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2019 Abstract and Identifiers Office of Criminal Justice Programs The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant assists the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs (“OCJP”) in carrying out a multi-faceted approach to crime and crime victimization in Tennessee by supporting the improvement of the infrastructure of the criminal justice system and by enabling innovation and funding new ideas and strategies to combat crime. Tennessee commits to accomplishing this while staying within the boundaries of the National Drug Control Policy. Through scheduled meetings and other formalized gatherings OCJP has determined the priorities to fund. Priority shall be given to programs across the State of Tennessee that is successfully employing evidence-based strategies. The goal of Tennessee’s project under the 2019 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant will be to improve and enhance Tennessee’s programs in the areas of prevention and education; law enforcement; prosecution and court; corrections and community corrections and planning, evaluation and technology. Strategy 1 System weaknesses tied to domestic violence and sexual assault Strategy 2 Gang intelligence and a coordinated approach to apprehension and prosecution of drug offenses (to include the opioid epidemic) and violent crimes Strategy 3 Data-driven, location-based strategies to crime reduction Strategy 4 Meeting basic infrastructure issues such as law enforcement equipment, domestic violence shelter enhancements and criminal justice and victim service practitioners’ training Strategy 5 Community-based crime prevention & education activities Strategy 6 Case backlog and programs designed to minimize time and maximize effectiveness of court Strategy 7 Improve criminal justice information sharing and integrated systems Strategy 8 Evidence-based programs and personnel found to reduce recidivism of inmates housed locally Strategy 9 Expansion of victim services through Criminal Justice systemic collaborations such as Family Justice Centers OCJP will continue to coordinate with all national, state, and local stakeholders in the implementation of the Byrne JAG program. OCJP has also completely incorporated the Performance Measurement Tool into the comprehensive sub-grantee reporting process. Project identifiers associated with this proposed project activities include the following: Crime Prevention, Drug Market Intervention, Reentry, Justice Information Sharing, Strategic Planning, Evidenced Based Tennessee’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) FFY 2019 Program Narrative The Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP), which is located within the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, continues to serve as the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program in Tennessee. For over two decades the Byrne Program has provided a vehicle for pilot development of new criminal justice programs in the State of Tennessee. The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant assists the Office of Criminal Justice Programs in carrying out a multi-faceted response to crime and victimization in Tennessee by supporting the improvement of the infrastructure of the criminal justice system, by enabling innovation, and by funding new ideas and strategies to combat crime. Tennessee’s implementation of this program is designed to adapt as changes occur to the system. OCJP takes advantage of the wisdom of both state leaders and local stakeholders in determining the direction of strategy. Tennessee’s newly-elected Governor, Bill Lee, is working on outlining the strategies that are needed to fulfill his vision for the State of Tennessee, which includes a criminal justice task force. The task force is currently being assembled. In the interim, OCJP will continue to be aligned with and implement former Governor Bill Haslam’s plan. Under former Governor Haslam’s plan, the Director of OCJP sits on the Governor’s Public Safety Subcabinet Working Group which meets quarterly and is tasked with creating Tennessee’s Public Safety Action Plan. Much of the Public Safety Action plan is incorporated into OCJP’s strategic plan. Under Governor Haslam, through scheduled meetings and other formalized gatherings (round table discussions, strategic planning sessions, data analysis, etc.), OCJP determined the priorities to fund. Emphasis has been placed on and priority given to programs which employ evidence-based strategies. For further information, please see 2017 Tennessee’s Five Year Strategic Plan, and the state FY 2019 update (both are available on the OCJP website along with the other annual updates). This plan includes OCJP Priorities funded in this application, as well as by funding streams other than FFY19 Byrne JAG. Statement of the Problem: The Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP) manages a systematic, year-round cycle for tracking problems surfacing in the criminal justice system, monitoring trends in Tennessee’s communities, assessing the condition of the state’s resources, setting program priorities, making grant allocation decisions, managing those funded projects, measuring the performance of, and evaluating the results of those decisions. Our strategic program management process looks several years ahead of daily grants management activities at the changing needs of Tennessee’s justice system. The process helps OCJP focus its future program descriptions, set its funding priorities, prepare its budget requests, and direct its limited resources into areas that promise the best return for the public’s investment. As in most states, the majority of Tennessee’s criminal justice dollars continue to be raised from local taxes and spent on local and state criminal justice priorities and problems. Crimes are committed locally, and that is where offenders are apprehended, defendants tried, sentences determined and Tennessee’s 2019 Byrne JAG Program Narrative 1 carried out, and where services are provided for both the victims of the crime and offenders. Because the Statewide Multi-year Strategy serves as the blueprint for all coordinated drug and violent crime control efforts in the State and the rehabilitative services for those that commit those crimes and the reparative services for those victimized, it is imperative that the State utilize a strategic planning process that reflects the perspectives of these practitioners. It must be as inclusive as possible. To that end, the Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP) takes a data-driven approach and proactively seeks input from practitioners on the local, state and federal levels to assist in influencing the strategy. OCJP gathers practitioner information through a variety of planned information gatherings, training conferences and seminars, as well as through informal meetings and surveys. This strategy document is a reflection of this information gathered from across the State as well as data from across the Nation. The Strategic Plan provides an overview of the criminal justice system and victim services in Tennessee, outlines the strategic planning process conducted by OCJP, reviews the current data related to crime, victimization and services, and identifies the areas of greatest need tied to systemic weakness and outline the plan moving forward to address those needs. The data contained in the statewide strategic plan demonstrates the following nine areas of need: System weaknesses tied to domestic violence and sexual assault Gang intelligence and a coordinated approach to apprehension and prosecution of drug offenses (to include the opioid epidemic) and violent crimes Data-driven, location-based strategies to crime reduction Meeting basic infrastructure issues such as law enforcement equipment, domestic violence shelter enhancements and criminal justice and victim service practitioners’ training Community-based crime prevention & education activities Case backlog and programs designed to minimize time and maximize effectiveness of court Improve criminal justice information sharing and integrated systems Evidence-based programs and personnel found to reduce recidivism of inmates housed locally Expansion of victim services through Criminal Justice systemic collaborations such as Family Justice Centers In this application, areas of need identified through strategic planning are organized by JAG Purpose Areas. These areas of need are discussed through page ten of this application. Byrne JAG Priority Area: Prevention and Education Programs OCJP Project Description: Community-Based Crime Prevention Services Tennessee's strategy is to prevent crime through the increased coordination and collaboration of communities alongside law enforcement, education, and social service agencies. OCJP intends to address prevention by funding programs that educate and encourage the State’s youth to reject drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and refrain from illegal and gang-related activities. The Community Policing Model is one important approach to crime prevention. Efforts must be made to engage communities in actively ensuring the safety of their citizens. Tennessee’s 2019 Byrne JAG Program Narrative 2 After school programs can offer children a safe and supportive environment that encourages them to reject illegal substances, the pressures of joining gangs, and the temptation to bully other students. Neighborhood Watch and similar programs encourage partnerships and community policing. Priority is given to those programs which include place-based or evidence-based solutions such as crime