U.S. Department of Justice Approves $50 million in Recovery Funding for Illinois

CHICAGO – September 1, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) Acting Executive Director Jack Cutrone today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice approved $50.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Justice Assistance Grant funding for Illinois.

“We’re putting federal Recovery dollars to work in Illinois by funding important violence prevention efforts that will help keep our communities safe and strong,” said Governor Quinn.

The Illinois Department of Human Services will receive nearly $4 million of the award to continue evidence-based programs that have suffered budget cuts in recent years, including child welfare, youth violence prevention, and juvenile delinquency prevention and reduction programs.

Other allocations include: $2.8 million for the Department of Corrections’ Day Reporting Program for parolees; $581,000 to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault for rape prevention initiatives and to increase victim service accessibility; and $566,000 to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice for residential substance abuse treatment and a center to help paroled juveniles transition back into the community. The Illinois Violence Prevention Authority will receive $500,000 to support Ceasefire, a non-profit violence prevention organization.

In addition, funding will be provided to eligible law enforcement agencies who applied for equipment grants. ICJIA also is requesting proposals from state, local, and community agencies that are in need of funding support. Detailed information can be found at www.icjia.state.il.us. Illinois Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) support law enforcement, prosecution and court programs, prevention and education efforts, corrections and community corrections initiatives, drug treatment and enforcement, and criminal justice planning, evaluation, and technology improvement. The state’s JAG program is administered by ICJIA.

“This increased funding will help us continue to provide needed services to victims and at-risk youth, maintain effective supervision of parolees, and provide updated and reliable law enforcement equipment to police agencies that otherwise couldn’t afford it,” said ICJIA Acting Executive Director Cutrone.