CT Receives $6.4 Million Justice Assistance Grant From Feds

CONNECTICUT — The state will receive $6.4 million retroactively from the federal government in justice assistance funds that were withheld by the Trump-Pence administration and released to Connecticut by the Biden-Harris administration, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.

Under the Trump administration's "unlawful immigration policy," as Lamont called it, the money used for criminal justice efforts was blocked between 2017 and 2020. Attorney General William Tong, who was a critic of Trump's immigration policies, fought on Connecticut's behalf to have the so-called Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program funds released.

"I thank Attorney General Tong for his hard-fought victory with six other states to restore Connecticut’s access to Byrne JAG funds," Lamont said. "I am grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for ending this unlawful immigration-related condition that has been punishing to plaintiff states over the last four years. Connecticut is expected to accept $6.4 million in funding, which had been set aside during the litigation period, to address critical public-safety needs and pioneer new evidence-based strategies in communities across our state."

The governor added, "I am charging my administration with developing bold, innovative plans to use these restored funds to help write the next chapter of data-driven criminal justice policy and practice in Connecticut. Specifically, I am establishing priorities that include achieving safer, healthier outcomes for our at-risk youth and reducing gun violence in communities to save lives and address trauma."

Connecticut administers the funds on a discretionary basis at the state and local law enforcement levels to help with overall crime-reduction efforts.

For example, previously accepted funding helped launch a nationally recognized program at York Correctional Institution to prepare young adult women for brighter futures. It also helped deliver opioid use disorder treatment for people in the criminal justice system, which led to the opioid treatment program currently in operation across several correctional facilities in Connecticut.

"Byrne JAG supports local law enforcement crime-reduction strategies, but Connecticut depends on this federal funding for a broader array of state and local needs," said Marc Pelka, undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning at the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

"The funding will help fill service gaps, spur innovation, and launch new initiatives to help cut crime, reduce recidivism, and save lives," Pelka added. "The impact of this restored funding, following a painful, four-year period that has harmed state and local public-safety efforts, cannot be overstated. I look forward to helping carry out Governor Lamont’s vision for how these funds will make a meaningful difference. The Office of Policy and Management, which administers Byrne JAG, is diligently working with other states, state and federal partners, and stakeholders to prepare to accept the funding and launch planning efforts."