BJA FY 22 Extreme Risk Protective Order and Firearm Crisis Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Initiative

Description

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. On June 25, 2022, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 into law to reduce gun violence and save lives, and to make progress toward keeping guns out of dangerous hands. In signing the bill into law, the President noted that this historic act "invests in antiviolence programs that work — that work directly with the people who are most likely to commit these crimes or become victims of gun crimes." The law created a new state crisis intervention program designed to support extreme risk protection order programs, as well as other programs and initiatives designed to address risk factors for gun violence. An extreme risk protection order is a common-sense, effective measure to empower family members, health care providers, school officials, or law enforcement officers to petition a court to temporarily prevent a person from accessing firearms if they are found to be a danger to themselves or others (see the Statement of Administration Policy, June 7, 2022). The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act requires that extreme risk protection order laws and programs are implemented fairly and within constitutional guidelines. These programs must ensure the accused has the right to an in-person hearing, the right to know opposing evidence, and the right to be represented by counsel at no expense to the government. This solicitation seeks three training and technical assistance (TTA) providers to support grantees selected through a companion solicitation, entitled "BJA FY 2022 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) Formula Solicitation." The companion solicitation provides funding to states and subrecipients for the creation and/or implementation of state crisis intervention court proceedings, extreme risk protection order (ERPO) programs, and related gun violence reduction programs/initiatives. These programs can include efforts to leverage the capacity and expand the scope of existing problem-solving courts such as drug courts, mental health courts, and veterans' treatment courts to assess the risks and needs of persons with gun offenses and provide research-driven approaches to address their underlying needs to prevent further violence. In addition, this TTA program will also support recipients of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program, as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 modified the JAG program statute to include a program area for the implementation of state crisis intervention court proceedings and related programs or initiatives including, but not limited to, mental health courts, drug courts, veterans courts, and extreme risk protection order programs, and it added a reporting and evaluation component for grants awarded for crisis intervention programs or initiatives.

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