BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE
FACT SHEET
EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM
Program Overview
Named after Edward “Eddie” R. Byrne, an officer in the New York City Police Department who was murdered while
protecting a witness in a drug case, the Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is the
leading federal source of criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. Administered by the Bureau of
Justice Assistance (BJA), the JAG Program provides states, territories, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas
including:
• law enforcement;
• prosecution and court;
• prevention and education;
• corrections and community corrections, including
reentry;
• drug treatment and enforcement;
• planning, evaluation, and technology improvement;
• crime victim and witness initiatives;
• mental health programs and related law enforcement
and corrections programs, including behavioral
programs and crisis intervention teams; and
• implementation of state crisis intervention court
proceedings and related programs or initiatives
including, but not limited to mental health courts, drug courts, veterans courts, and extreme risk protection
order programs.
Also see Purposes for Which Funds Awarded Under the
JAG Program May Be Used for more information.
Legislation
The JAG Program is authorized by Title I of Public Law
90–351 (generally codified at 34 U.S.C. 10151-10726),
including subpart 1 of part E (codified at 34 U.S.C. 10151- 10158); see also 28 U.S.C. 530C (a).
Funding and Awards
Since fiscal year (FY) 2005, BJA has funded over 24,000 direct JAG awards, totalling over $7.6 billion. Award
information can be found at Opportunities & Awards | OJP Award Data | Office of Justice Programs.
Formula
For each state and territory, the Bureau of Justice
Statistics calculates a minimum base allocation which,
based on the congressionally mandated JAG formula,
can be enhanced by (1) the state’s share of the national population and (2) the state’s share of the country’s Part 1 violent crime statistics as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Once the state funding is calculated, 60 percent of the allocation is awarded to the state and 40 percent to eligible units of local government. For additional details regarding the JAG formula and award calculation process, with examples, please review the JAG Technical Report.
Eligibility and Program Guidance
All 56 states and territories are eligible as well as units of local government and tribes identified annually in the JAG allocation charts.1
BJA posts the annual JAG Program
1 States must designate a single State Administering Agency (SAA) that has authority to apply on their behalf. Contact information for each SAA can be found at www.ojp.gov/saa.
June 2023
https://bja.ojp.gov
U.S. Department of Justice • Office of Justice Programs • Bureau of Justice Assistance
BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE
FACT SHEET
solicitations (program guidance) and allocation charts
to its JAG web page, which also contains a direct link to JAG Frequently Asked Questions (JAG FAQs) that are
updated regularly.
Areas of Emphasis
BJA recognizes that many state and local criminal justice systems currently face challenging fiscal environments
and that an important, cost-effective way to relieve
those pressures is to share or leverage resources
through cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement. Each year, BJA includes areas of emphasis in the JAG program solicitations, encouraging state and local award recipients to consider coordination with federal law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders, including
communities most impacted by crime and violence, in
addressing these challenges. In FY 2023, the JAG areas of emphasis are:
• Advancing Justice System Reform Efforts;
• Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved
Communities;
• Preventing and Combating Hate Crimes;
• Crime and Violence Reduction Strategies; and
• Community Based Violence Intervention (CVI)
Approaches.
Additional information on each area of emphasis can be
found in the state and local JAG solicitations located on the BJA JAG web page.
How/When to Apply
BJA solicits applications for state and local JAG awards every year in the spring/summer. All JAG applications
must be submitted via Grants.gov and the Department of
Justice’s (DOJ’s) Justice Grants (JustGrants) System.
Award Length
Awards of $25,000 or more begin October 1, the first day of the fiscal year, and are 4 years in length. Awards that are less than $25,000 also begin October 1 and are 2 years in length. Requests for up to 2 additional years to complete performance of the award will be granted automatically
for awards that are less than $25,000. Extensions beyond a 4-year period for all JAG awards may be approved on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of BJA.
Match Requirement
A match is not required.
Reporting Requirements
For FY 2020 and future years, JAG recipients of less than $25,000 are required to submit quarterly performance
measures in the Performance Measurement Tool (PMT) as
well as quarterly Federal Financial Reports (SF-425s) and annual programmatic performance reports in JustGrants. All other JAG award recipients are required to submit quarterly performance measures in the PMT as well as quarterly
SF-425s and semi-annual programmatic performance
reports in JustGrants. Detailed reporting information can be found in the JAG FAQs.
Statewide Strategic Plans
States are required to submit a comprehensive strategic plan with their applications. Additionally, in any year in which the statewide strategic plan is not fully updated, states must also submit a brief annual report with their applications.
To help ensure that states consider the impact of JAG
funding decisions across the entire criminal justice system, BJA strongly encourages each state to bring all criminal justice system stakeholders together in the strategic
planning process. The strategic planning process should include local governments and representatives of all
segments of the criminal justice system, including judges, prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, and corrections personnel, as well as providers of indigent defense
services, victim services, juvenile justice delinquency prevention programs, community corrections, and
reentry services. BJA offers no-cost training and technical assistance to state JAG recipients to support strategic planning efforts and the implementation of fair, just,
evidence-based and effective policies and practices. To learn more visit: https://bja.ojp.gov/program/jag/trainingtechnical-assistance.
Reductions/Penalties
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act
(SORNA), which is Title I of the Adam Walsh Child
Protection and Safety Act of 2006, mandates a 10 percent reduction in a JAG award to a state that has failed to
substantially implement SORNA. Further, states that have substantially implemented SORNA have an ongoing
obligation to maintain their implementation each year. A JAG reduction will be applied for each year a jurisdiction has failed to substantially implement SORNA. For
additional information regarding SORNA implementation,
including requirements and a list of states that will be affected in the current fiscal year by the 10 percent
reduction to the JAG award, send inquiries to AskSMART@ usdoj.gov. Additional SORNA guidance can be found
within the SORNA FAQs.
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) National Standards are set out at 28 C.F.R. Part 115 and apply to confinement facilities including adult prisons and jails, juvenile facilities, and police lockups. Under PREA, if a state’s chief executive (e.g., Governor) does not certify full compliance with
the PREA National Standards, the state is subject to the loss of 5 percent of certain DOJ grant funds, including JAG award funds, unless the chief executive submits an
assurance to DOJ that no less than 5 percent of such
funds will be used solely for the purpose of enabling
the state to achieve and certify full compliance with the PREA National Standards in future years. See 34 U.S.C. § 30307(e)(2). For additional information concerning PREA implementation, send inquiries to the PREA Management
Office at [email protected] and/or review the
PREA FAQs.
National Incident-Based Reporting
System Compliance
By statute, BJA JAG awards are calculated using summary part 1 violent crime data from the FBI’s UCR program.
Specifically, the formula allocations for JAG rely heavily on the ratio of “the average number of part 1 violent crimes of the UCR of the FBI reported by such State for the three most recent years reported by such State to the average annual number of such crimes reported by all States for such years” (34 U.S.C. 10156(a)(1)(B)). Historically, JAG calculations have been based on data collected by the
FBI through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s Summary Reporting System (SRS).
As of January 1, 2021, the UCR Program phased out
SRS and transitioned to NIBRS-only data collection and
agencies are no longer able to submit SRS data. BJS uses a combination of NIBRS and SRS data in determining
eligibility, with NIBRS data being used from 2021 forward.
In practice, if a jurisdiction has previously reported at least 3 years of SRS data during the prior 10-year period (2012- 2021) and did not begin reporting NIBRS data in 2021,
the jurisdiction will still be potentially eligible for a JAG award, as the jurisdiction still meets the minimum statutory requirement. Agencies that began reporting NIBRS data
in 2021 but have not previously reported SRS data or who reported fewer than 2 years of SRS data during the 2012- 2021 data years will not be eligible for an award. For more information on NIBRS, please see: National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) | Bureau of Justice Statistics (ojp. gov).
Death in Custody Reporting Act
Compliance
In FY 2019, BJA began requiring reporting from states
pursuant to the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA;
Public Law 113–242). DCRA requires states to report to
the Attorney General information regarding the death of any person who is detained, under arrest, in the process of being arrested, en route to be incarcerated, or is
incarcerated at a municipal or county jail, state prison, state-run boot camp prison, boot camp prison that is
contracted out by the state, any state or local contract facility, or other local or state correctional facility (including any juvenile facility). All DCRA data are reported in the PMT. Beginning with FY 2023 awards, States must submit
a DCRA state implementation plan with their applications, which includes its plan for collecting and reporting DCRA program data. The required elements in the DCRA
state implementation plan can be found at: DCRA State
Implementation Plan Guidance. Additionally, in any year in which the DCRA state implementation plan is not updated, states must submit a brief annual DCRA implementation
update with their applications. BJA offers no-cost training and technical assistance to state JAG recipients to
support DCRA data collection efforts. To learn more visit:
https://bja.ojp.gov/program/dcra/training-and-technicalassistance. Additional information on DCRA reporting can be found on the DCRA web page and in the DCRA
Reporting Guidance and FAQs. A state that fails to comply may, at the discretion of the Attorney General, be subject to not more than a 10-percent reduction of the funds that would otherwise be allocated for that fiscal year to the state under the JAG program.
BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE
FACT SHEET
About Officer Byrne
Edward R. Byrne was destined
for a life in law enforcement,
having a father who was an
officer with the New York City
Police Department. Born on
February 21, 1966, Eddie – as
he was known by family and
friends – was an outgoing and
friendly person who had a
strong calling to public service
and wanted to make his city,
New York City, a safer place.
In 1986, Eddie became a New
York City Transit Police Officer, to help ensure the safety of New York City’s subway commuters. In 1987, Officer
Byrne joined the New York City Police Department’s finest, assigned to the 103rd Precinct. Well-liked by his brothers and sisters in blue, Eddie was passionate about his job and loved the opportunities it offered him to interact with the people he had sworn to protect.
In the early morning hours of February 26, 1988, Officer Byrne was on detail protecting a witness who had agreed to testify in court against local drug dealers. Officer Byrne was in his patrol car outside the witness’s home
around 3:30 a.m. when two armed gunmen crept up to
his car from both sides. One of the men knocked on the
passenger-side window to distract Officer Byrne just as a second perpetrator ran up to the driver’s side window and, without uttering a sound, opened fire. Officer Byrne was shot five times in the head. Both gunmen, along with two other perpetrators who served as lookouts, fled the scene.
Officer Byrne was rushed to Mary Immaculate Hospital
where he died of his wounds. He was only 22 years old.
The four assailants were captured six days after the murder and were eventually sentenced to 25 years to life. They were members of a gang who had been instructed by a
jailed drug kingpin to kill a police officer.
NYPD lost one of its finest that day, and Eddie’s family lost a loved and cherished son and brother. Leaving behind
his parents and three brothers, Eddie’s brothers continued the family tradition of law enforcement and justice by
dedicating their careers to the field.
BJA is honored to administer “Byrne” funding to
communities nationwide in memory of Officer Byrne.
ABOUT BJA
BJA helps America’s state, local, and tribal jurisdictions reduce and prevent crime, lower recidivism, and
promote a fair and safe criminal justice system. BJA
provides a wide range of resources—including grants,
funding, and training and technical assistance—to
law enforcement, courts and corrections agencies,
treatment providers, reentry practitioners, justice
information sharing professionals, and communitybased partners to address chronic and emerging criminal justice challenges nationwide. To learn more
about BJA, visit bja.ojp.gov or follow us on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/DOJBJA) and Twitter (@DOJBJA).
BJA is a component of the Department of Justice’s
Office of Justice Programs.
NCJ 307098