Prosecutors, judges, and court personnel are continuously looking for new approaches to clearing cases, decreasing dockets and preventing recidivism. Throughout the U.S., experts have found that crimes involving drugs, gun violence and mentally ill and disabled populations respond to special efforts to help hold accountable the individuals who have committed the crime, while also ensuring those individuals return to the community with the services and supervision they need to help them stop their negative behavior. Local court personnel may choose methods unique to their communities to meet these needs, and OJP is committed to providing the resources, tools, and support needed to help them test their ideas.
Several OJP bureaus provide programming and research support to address court-related issues:
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers programming designed to assist prosecutors in several ways, including enhancing their ability to address gun crimes. BJA also provides assistance to adult drug courts and mental health courts across the country.
- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) contributes to the reduction of youth crime and violence through its support of juvenile and family drug courts.
- The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsors criminal court research and court-based program evaluation to identify tools, programs, and policies that satisfy criminal justice goals including public safety, cost-efficiency, and fair and equitable treatment of victims and defendants.
Funding Opportunities
See the Current Funding Opportunities page to learn about opportunities available from the OJP program offices related to this and other topics. Also see Grants.gov for opportunities from other federal agencies.
Programs/Initiatives
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
- Court Statistics Project
- Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project
- Judges' and Psychiatrists' Leadership Initiative
Also see the Courts page on the CrimeSolutions website for ratings of related programs.
Training and Technical Assistance
- Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA): National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC)
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS): Justice Events
- National Institute of Justice (NIJ): Events
- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP): Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines