Justice Department Awards Over $273.4 Million Nationwide to Improve Public Safety and Serve Crime Victims in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded over $273.4 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Of that amount, $8,536,419 will go to tribes in the Western District of Oklahoma.
"Violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities remain at unacceptably high levels, and they demand a response that is both clear and comprehensive," said Attorney General William P. Barr. "We will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to guarantee they have the resources they need to curb violence and bring healing to the victims most profoundly affected by it." "My office is thrilled that tribes will be receiving funds to support public safety in Indian Country," said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with federal, state, and tribal officials to keep tribal members safe and promote health and well-being in Indian Country."
The following amounts have been awarded to Western District of Oklahoma tribes for the programs indicated:
* Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma - $2,142,292
Public Safety and Community Policing - $499,549
Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse - $750,000
Tribal Youth Programs - $392,743
Addressing Violent Crime in Tribal Communities - $500,000
* Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes - $1,050,000
Comprehensive Tribal Justice Systems Strategic Planning - $150,000
* Citizen Potawatomi Nation - $171,757
Public Safety and Community Policing - $171,757
* Comanche Nation - $1,142,023
Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse - $749,467
Tribal Youth Program - $392,556
* Kaw Nation - $1,619,868
Violence Against Women Tribal Governments Program - $899,955
Tribal Victim Services Program - $719,913
* Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians - $562,122
Violence Against Women Tribal Governments Program - $562,122
* Chickasaw Nation - $1,676,597
Public Safety and Community Policing - $776,597
Violence Against Women Tribal Governments Program - $900,000
* Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma - $171,760
Public Safety and Community Policing - $171,760
Nationwide, 236 grants were awarded to 149 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $118 million awarded via CTAS, just over $62.6 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, about $33.1 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $23.2 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. A portion of the funding will support tribal youth mentoring and intervention services, help native communities implement requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and provide training and technical assistance to tribal communities. Another $5.5 million was funded by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to provide training and technical assistance to CTAS awardees.
The Department also announced awards and other programming totaling $167.2 million in a set-aside program to serve victims of crime. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand, and improve services to victims by supporting programming and technical assistance. About $25.6 million of these awards were awarded under CTAS and are included in the $118 million detailed above.
CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs. The awards cover 10 purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; violent crime reduction; and tribal youth programs.
The Department also provided $6.1 million to help tribes to comply with federal law on sex offender registration and notification, $1.7 million in separate funding to assist tribal youth, and nearly $500,000 to support tribal research on missing and murdered indigenous women and children and other public-safety-related topics.
Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination, and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/awards.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
