Announcement for 11/30/11

Congress Provides $9 Million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act

On Monday, November 17, 2011, Congress passed the “minibus” appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2012, which included $9 million in funding for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA).

Signed into law in 2004, MIOTCRA created the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), which provides resources to help law enforcement, courts, and corrections agencies, as well as mental health providers, better address the needs of people with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system. To date, 220 grants have been awarded to state and local jurisdictions. To learn more about the JMHCP, click here.

The minibus, a consolidated appropriations bill for several agencies including the Department of Justice, provides $2.2 billion for state and local criminal justice programs, including:

• $9 million for MIOTCRA grant programs;
• $63 million for Second Chance Act grant programs;
• $470 million for Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants;
• $6 million for comprehensive criminal justice reform and recidivism reduction efforts by states, also known as “justice reinvestment;”
• $35 million for drug courts;
• $10 million for residential substance abuse treatment programs;
• $20 million for Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act grant programs; and
• $12.5 million for prison rape prevention and prosecution and other programs.

In addition, the package contains a continuing resolution that funds other federal operations until December 16, 2011 -- or until Congress completes the remaining nine FY 2012 appropriations bills.

To read the bill text approved by Congress, click here.

To read the conference report, click here.

All Announcements for November 2011