State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Adult Criminal Justice Policy & Planning

Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program

The Edward Byrne Memorial JusticeAssistance Formula Grant (JAG) Program is a federal formula grant program authorized under 42 U.S.C. §3751(a) and administered by the U.S. Department of Justice.  The JAG program assists states and local governments with the prevention and control of crime and improvement of the criminal justice system. (CFDA#16.738)

The FEDERAL JAG program includes multiple funding streams available to either State government or Local governments.  The federal agency awards the JAG Formula grant to the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM); a portion of the JAG Formula grant must pass-through to local governments.  A separate JAG funding stream, the Local Direct JAG program, enables a specific set of local jurisdictions to receive a JAG grant directly from the USDOJ; the program is limited to jurisdictions with high violent crime rates.

I.  JAG Formula Grant

Only States may apply for the JAG Formula program.  The federal agency awards JAG funds to each state based on a formula weighted for violent crime and population.  The federal agency awards the JAG grant to the State Administering Agency (SAA) which is responsible for identifying funding priorities, managing a multi-disciplinary planning process and oversight of sub-recipient projects.

The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) is the State Administering Agency (SAA) for Connecticut’s State Justice Assistance Grant program.   As the SAA, OPM is responsible for coordinating a transparent planning process and allocating grant funds to support structural reforms that improve the administration of justice, while saving taxpayer money. OPM is also responsible for assuring that sub-recipients are in compliance with applicable federal and state financial and programmatic requirements and verifying that funds are expended within federal program policies. 

The JAG Formula grant includes three mandatory funding categories:

1) Local Variable Pass-Through Funds (LVPT):   The federal program requires the State’s Administrative Agency (SAA) to “pass-through” a federally-determined percentage of the State’s JAG award to local governments (Local Variable Pass-Through LVPT).  The SAA determines the allocation process and award cycles.

2)  Less Than 10K (LT10K):  The SAA must allocate funds for small-size units of local government, referred to as “less-than-$10,000 jurisdictions” or “less than 10K”.  USDOJ determines the amount of “less than 10K” funds available for each state.  The State must sub-award the LT10K funds to State police departments that provide criminal justice services to the “less-than-$10,000 jurisdictions” within the State and/or sub-award the funds to such jurisdictions.
3) State Level Funds:  The funds remaining may be allocated to “state-level” or “state-wide” projects operated by a state agency.  The “state level” projects are a critical component of the JAG Plan given the structure of Connecticut’s criminal justice system.  All components of the criminal justice system, except for local law enforcement, are administered through state agencies.

II.Local (Direct) JAG (available to specific set of local jurisdictions):

Only units of local governments are eligible for the Local Direct JAG.  The federal agency determines the specific set of eligible jurisdictions based on violent crime rates and population.  For FY2021, the USDOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ BJA) determined that sixteen Connecticut local governments were eligible to apply for the Local Direct JAG: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2021-135004  Eligible jurisdictions must apply directly to the USDOJ for the Local Direct funds.
 

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Chidi Nwuneli 860-418-6341 Chidi.Nwuneli@ct.gov