BJA FY 20 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Violent Crime by Improving Justice System Performance | BJA 2020 17093

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2020 17093

The BJA FY 20 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Violent Crime by Improving Justice System Performance is a discretionary federal grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It is designed to help jurisdictions develop and carry out practical, research-based strategies that reduce violent crime while improving how the justice system functions from end to end. The opportunity is built around the Justice Reinvestment approach, which treats public safety as a shared responsibility across the entire justice system. Instead of focusing on one agency or one intervention in isolation, it encourages coordinated changes that can prevent crime, improve case processing and decision-making, and strengthen community safety outcomes.

At its core, the program funds innovative and evidence-informed responses to a wide range of criminal justice challenges. The emphasis is not just on enforcement, but on performance and effectiveness across key points in the system: prevention and deterrence, investigation and apprehension, prosecution, court operations, pretrial practices, sentencing, treatment and supervision, and overall community security. The Justice Reinvestment framework recognizes that bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or outdated practices at any stage can contribute to higher costs, weaker outcomes, and missed opportunities to reduce violence. Applicants are therefore expected to use data and analysis to identify the drivers of violent crime and justice system inefficiencies, then implement targeted reforms or programs that measurably improve results.

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2020 17093) was released on March 2, 2020, with an original application closing date of May 1, 2020. Awards were expected to support a limited number of selected jurisdictions, with BJA anticipating about 14 total awards. Individual awards could be as large as $1,000,000, indicating that funded projects were intended to be substantial enough to support planning, implementation, and system-level improvements rather than small pilot efforts without staying power.

Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The listing also notes that additional categories may be eligible depending on the specific clarifications provided in the solicitation under the eligibility section, which is typical for BJA programs that sometimes allow certain nonprofits, research partners, or regional collaborations to participate under defined conditions.

In terms of the types of activities supported, the program sits at the intersection of law and justice, research and development, information and statistics, and related public-sector performance work. It is associated with CFDA 16.827, which is commonly used for Bureau of Justice Assistance initiatives that promote system improvement, evidence-based practices, and cross-agency collaboration. While the public description is broad, the central theme is consistent: use data-driven, research-backed methods to diagnose what is fueling violent crime and system failures in a particular jurisdiction, and then implement coordinated reforms that make the justice process more efficient, fair, and effective while improving public safety.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at jurisdictions that are ready to move beyond isolated programs and instead commit to justice system performance improvement as a strategy for violence reduction. The grant supports the idea that lasting reductions in violent crime often depend on better decision-making and stronger coordination across law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, pretrial services, corrections, supervision, and treatment providers, with accountability measured through evidence and outcomes rather than assumptions.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the education, employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), information and statistics, law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Violent Crime by Improving Justice System Performance" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.827.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 01, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for BJA 2020 17093

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