Lauren Moye, FISM News

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$1.6 billion has been earmarked by the Department of Justice to help American cities and communities to help stop surging crime rates. The funds were announced yesterday and will be distributed by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

“The Department of Justice is committed to supporting our state and local partners to combat crime across the country,” said Attorney General Garland. “This latest round of funding will deliver critical public safety resources, helping public safety professionals, victim service providers, local agencies and nonprofit organizations confront these serious challenges.”

The press release acknowledged the wide variety of challenges that law enforcement face today “from violent crime to human trafficking to retail thefts.” Accordingly, the funds are meant to help provide “additional tools to advance violence intervention activities and evidence-based police and prosecution strategies” by providing funds in a variety of ways.

“This money will help address the surge in gun violence that we’ve seen over the last two years and will bolster steps that the administration has already taken to crack down on violent crime,” said White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki during yesterday’s briefing.

In addition to funding strategies to counter gun violence and other violent crimes throughout the U.S., the grant will also provide awards to help prisoners transition back into communities and increase support for crisis responses involving drug overdoses or mental illness episodes. One focus of the grants is to reduce the rate of repeat criminal offenders.

The Justice Department subtly admitted a flaw in the criminal justice system by providing funds to keep people out of prison after serving one initial sentence. The latest Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows that roughly 66% of released prisoners are arrested again within three years. The data additionally shows that in 10 years, 82% are rearrested.

Psaki listed the grant as “the latest example of the historic levels of funding” that President Joe Biden has directed towards addressing crime. This includes an earlier $1.2 billion towards victim assistance and compensation programs, funds to help address victim services and public safety in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, and the COPS community policing grants that have helped 183 police stations hire additional patrol officers this year.

The OJP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy Solomon said, “These investments reflect a commitment that extends across this administration to invest in our neighborhoods, building bonds of civic trust and ending the cycle of trauma and violence that destroys too many lives and keeps far too many Americans from realizing their potential.”

The announcement comes amidst a recent crime surge, highlighted by smash and grab robberies and record murder rates across the country. The grant program also further reveals how detrimental the “defund the police” trend that was pushed by the progressive left was. Many cities who were posterchildren of the movement have now reversed course as their communities have instead become a warning of how the movement in fact encourages crime.

A full list of recipients of the grant can be found on the Office of Justice Department’s grant awards page. The page will be updated as the $1.6 billion is dispersed throughout the nation.