Recovery Act Provides $50 Million for ICAC Grant Programs

On March 26, 2009, the Office of Justice Programs issued the following press release:

Washington - The Department of Justice announced today that $50 million is available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) for Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program initiatives, administered by the Department's Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Eligible applicants may access the ICAC funding solicitations and deadline information at http://www.ojp.gov/recovery.

The ICAC program supports a national network of 59 coordinated task forces, representing more than 2,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies engaged in proactive investigations, forensic examinations, and criminal prosecutions. During the past two years, the ICAC task forces have successfully conducted more than 24,371 forensic examinations, identified nearly 1,439 children who were victims of some form of abuse or neglect, and arrested 5,450 individuals. Of the total arrests, 2,073 resulted in the defendant accepting a plea agreement.

The Recovery Act includes more than $4 billion to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement and for other criminal justice activities that help to prevent crime and improve the criminal justice system, with $50 million specifically appropriated for ICAC initiatives. Overall, OJP will administer more than $2.7 billion in assistance for the criminal justice community, which will support the creation of jobs and much needed resources for states and local communities. Visit http://www.ojp.gov/recovery for more information about these and the other OJP grants available through the Recovery Act.

OJJDP, which manages the ICAC program, provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and child victimization. To carry out this mission, OJJDP supports states and communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective prevention and intervention programs and to improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of juveniles and their families.

Resources:

For information about these and other OJJDP funding opportunities under the Recovery Act, visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/recoveryact.html.