BJA FY 23 Field Initiated: Encouraging Innovation

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community.

With this solicitation, BJA seeks to support new and innovative strategies for preventing and reducing crime, improving community safety, and strengthening criminal justice system outcomes. BJA seeks to accomplish this by promoting collaborations with the field to identify, define, and respond to emerging or chronic crime problems or justice system challenges. BJA is looking for strategies that address these issues, including trying new approaches, addressing gaps in responses, building or translating research knowledge, or building capacity.

Applications under this program should not duplicate other BJA-funded solicitations and should have the potential to broadly benefit the field of criminal justice nationally. In particular, BJA is seeking applications that address the following goals, while also building approaches and tools that enhance criminal justice reforms that build public confidence in the criminal justice system and trust between residents and the criminal justice system:

Respond to precipitous increases in crime, including violent crime, and improve system capacity to track and respond to increases in these kinds of crime.
Address substance use disorders and/or efforts to prevent or respond to drug overdoses and fatalities.
Improve outcomes for justice system involved individuals, including those who are currently or formerly incarcerated.
Respond to an increase in hate crimes and/or increase access to justice and supportive services.