Anchorage - U.S. Attorney Schroder announced awards of $3,204,331 in Department of Justice grants to fight drug abuse and addiction in Alaska. The grants were awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and are part of more than $341 million going to communities nationwide.
“The addiction crisis has taken an enormous toll on America’s families and communities, eroding public health, threatening public safety and claiming tens of thousands of lives year after year," said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Through comprehensive measures taken by this administration, we have been able to curtail the opioid epidemic, but new and powerful drugs are presenting exceptional challenges that we must be prepared to meet. The Justice Department’s substantial investments in enforcement, response, and treatment will help us overcome these challenges and work towards freeing Americans from abuse and addiction."
Illegal drugs and illicit drug use have claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 Americans since the turn of the century. Powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl are exacting an enormous toll on families and communities, and an emergence in the use of methamphetamines and other psychostimulants is drawing drug traffickers and driving up overdose rates. Three years ago, President Trump declared a Public Health Emergency and initiated a whole-of-government approach dedicated to ending this national tragedy. The Department of Justice has invested unprecedented levels of funding in combating the addiction crisis. The awards announced today build on those earlier investments.
“If we hope to defeat an enemy as powerful, persistent and adaptable as illicit drugs, we must be at least as determined and versatile, focusing our ingenuity and resources on curbing abuse and fighting addiction," said OJP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “These grants will enable criminal justice officials and substance abuse, mental health and other medical professionals to pool their assets and bring the full weight of our public safety and treatment systems down on this epidemic that has already caused so much harm."
Authorized by the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program encourages and supports the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to the opioid and stimulant epidemics that expand access to supervision, treatment and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for non-violent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by the opioid and stimulant epidemics. All projects are expected to involve multiple agencies and partners.
The following organizations received funding:
* Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian tribes was awarded $599,673
* Koyukuk Native Village was awarded $312, 953
Drug courts have been demonstrated to reduce recidivism and substance abuse among high-risk, high-need participants and increase their likelihood of successful rehabilitation. These courts integrate evidence-based substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in judicially supervised court settings. BJA’s Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program provides financial and technical assistance to states, state courts, local courts, units of local government and tribal governments to develop, implement and enhance drug courts and veterans treatment courts.
The following organizations received funding:
* Alaska Court System was awarded $736,129
* Tanana Chiefs Conference was awarded $400,000
BJA awarded $28 million to support the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program, which helps states develop and implement residential substance abuse treatment programs within state and local correctional facilities.
The following organizations received funding:
* The Alaska Department of Corrections was awarded $141,718
In addition, BJA awarded $28.1 million to 17 states to fund the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which enhances the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data and other scheduled chemical products through a centralized database administered by an authorized agency. Prescription drug monitoring programs help state and local governments to detect and prevent the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutically controlled substances such as opioids and other prescription drugs.
The following organizations received funding:
* State of Alaska Division of Public Health was awarded $1,013,858
Funding is made available through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
