Article archive / November 2020
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 11. Source pages: 3.
City of Baton Rouge, State Police, LSU receive grants Graves Announces DOJ Grants
U.S. Congressman Garret Graves announced on October 22 that he obtained grants totaling $6,251,041 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Among these were a $721,293 grant to the city of Baton Rouge for The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. According to the announcement, "The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) FY20 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) supports cross-system collaboration to improve public safety responses and outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses (MI) or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse (CMISA) who come into contact with the justice system. This program supports public safety efforts through partnerships with social services and other organizations that will enhance responses to people with MI and CMISA."
Also among the grants is a $655,435 award to the Louisiana Commission On Law Enforcement for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program. "The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program assists states and local governments to develop and implement substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional and detention facilities and to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for offenders. The goal of the RSAT Program is to break the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for, use, and trafficking of illegal drugs. RSAT enhances the capability of states and units of local government to provide residential substance abuse treatment for incarcerated inmates; prepares offenders for their reintegration into the communities from which they came by incorporating reentry planning activities into treatment programs; and assists offenders and their communities through the reentry process through the delivery of community-based treatment and other broad-based aftercare services."
Another award for the city of Baton Rouge supports the OJJDP FY 2020 Family Drug Court Program, a $233,910 award.
"The OJJDP Family Drug Court Program seeks to build the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized tribal governments to sustain existing family drug courts or establish new family drug courts. Category 1: Enhancing Family Drug Courts will support courts that are fully operational (for at least 1 year) to enhance services of existing family drug courts. The East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP) Juvenile Court, Family Preservation Court (FPC), will enhance and expand services to participants by providing two peer support specialists. The project will also provide a Strengthening Families Program that would provide a second layer of services for FPC participants by offering an evidence-based program for the entire family at the EBRP juvenile court facility. Further, the project will provide transportation aid for the participants who need it as well as incentives for participant program compliance."
The Louisiana State Police will receive $2,998,794 for the Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) Program and Louisiana State University and A&M College School Safety Project will receive $88,229. "The Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) awarded more than $536.7 million in Fiscal Year 2020 to increase law enforcement hiring and to improve school safety, combat opioids and methamphetamine, advance community policing efforts, provide training to the law enforcement field, and protect the health of our nation's officers and deputies," noted the announcement.
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