The mission of the Drug, Gang, and Violent Crime Control (DGVCC) program is to enhance and coordinate the funded efforts to deter, investigate, prosecute, adjudicate, and punish drug, violent crime, and criminal street gang offenders.
This program uses funding from federal, state, and local sources to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on local needs and conditions.
The program administers the federally funded Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG Grant Program), a congressionally consolidated local law enforcement program, previously known as Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program (LLEBG). The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) is designated as the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for this federal grant. ACJC also utilizes state revenue from the Drug and Gang Enforcement (DGE) Fund, which are monies derived from fines for felony drug offense convictions. Funding from these sources are used to provide grants to state, county, and local agencies to support activities that combat drug, gang, and violent crime.
In 1996, ACJC was also designated as the SAA for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Program (RSAT). RSAT enhances the capabilities of states and units of local and tribal governments to provide residential substance abuse treatment for incarcerated inmates, as well and reintegration and reentry services.
This program also administers some non‐grant criminal justice projects such as Fill the Gap funds for distribution to counties.
DGVCC currently supports the following grant programs: Drug Control RSAT Fill the GAP
Program Funding
The DGVCC program is supported by multiple funding sources to meet its mission. The following represents a detailed description of the grant program funding sources associated with the program:
Drug Control Grant Funding
Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG): The Byrne JAG Grant, authorized under 42 U.S.C. § 3751(a), is the primary source of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. The grant program was established by the federal government to streamline justice funding and grant administration. Issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Byrne JAG grant supports a wide range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution and court programs, prevention and education programs, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, crime victim and witness initiatives, and planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. Allocations to states are based on an annual congressional appropriation and statutory formula. States are also required to pass through a percentage of Byrne JAG funds to local governments based on a proportionate share of state and local criminal justice spending amounts. ACJC must apply for this grant annually.
Drug and Gang Enforcement Fund (DGE): The DGE fund generates revenue through mandatory fines and surcharges from convicted drug offenders that are collected under A.R.S. § 41-2402. DEA funds are to be used for the purpose of enhancing efforts to deter, investigate, prosecute, adjudicate and punish drug offenders as well as members of criminal street gangs. The allocation of monies from this fund cannot exceed 50 percent to law enforcement agencies, 50 percent to state, county, city or town prosecution agencies, 30 percent to courts, 30 percent to county or state corrections agencies, and 30 percent to criminal justice records integration.
Matching funds: The Commission has elected to require recipients to provide matching funds to leverage the federal and state dollars committed to the program. Matching funds build buy-in and ownership for local criminal justice initiatives and increase the overall size and effectiveness of the program.
RSAT Grant Funding
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Grant: Congress established the RSAT program under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The RSAT Grant is a federal grant issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance for purposes of developing and implementing substance abuse treatment programs in state, local, and tribal correctional and detention facilities and to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for offenders. Funding is distributed to states based on a formula that includes a base amount and the ratio of the state’s prison population to the total prison population of all the states. ACJC must apply for this grant annually.
Matching funds: Under the requirements of this federal grant, each project must provide a 25 percent match share of the total project costs.
Arizona State Crisis Intervention Program (AzSCIP)
Building Safer Communities: Empowering Arizona with Strategic Solutions to Gun Violence and Crime." Welcome to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission’s Arizona State Crisis Intervention Program (AzSCIP) page. The Commission, through funding provided by the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, will implement AzSCIP to provide resources to local, county, and state entities to tackle gun-related crime head-on, foster safer communities, and enhance the functionality of our criminal justice system.
Through financial support for innovative, evidence-based projects at all levels of the state, AzSCIP will work to mitigate gun violence, preserve lives by diminishing gun-related fatalities, and decrease the frequency of gun-related injuries.
Fill the Gap Funding
Legislative appropriation consisting of a 15.44% allocation of a 7% penalty assessment on fines, penalties, and forfeitures imposed by the courts for criminal and civil motor vehicle violations, and a 21.61% allocation of a 5% portion of fines and fees collected by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
Legislative appropriation consisting of a 14.66% allocation of a 7% penalty assessment on fines, penalties, and forfeitures imposed by the courts for criminal and civil motor vehicle violations, and a 20.53% allocation of a 5% portion of fines and fees collected by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
Funding for Other Projects
When additional resources become available, the Commission can allocate those funds to appropriate projects. For example, in 2015 the Commission had the opportunity to collaborate with the Arizona Department of Health Services to fund substance abuse prevention programs throughout the state and Laws 2017, Chapter 286, appropriated $2.75 million to ACJC to distribute to county attorney offices for felony pretrial intervention programs.