Resources: Spread the Word About Byrne/JAG Cuts!

State Press Releases/Letters To Congress/Advocacy Resources/JAG Data

What Can You Do?

Above all else, members of Congress need to hear from the field! Since members of Congress voted on the appropriations bill without realizing the Byrne/JAG program was cut, it has been up to the states and other stakeholders to explain the impact these cuts will have in their districts.

Ask your members of Congress to request that funding for JAG be included in the upcoming emergency supplemental bill. Members of Congress need to make the specific request of the House and Senate leadership and the appropriations committees. Ultimately all this grassroots activity is intended to get enough rank-and-file members engaged so the leadership is forced to respond.

• Activate your press strategy! If you have not yet sent out a release to your local media outlets, please consider doing so now. View press releases from other states
• Ask the governor to write a letter of support to the delegation. View a sample letter
• Compile your data by congressional district. Show members what funding and projects will be lost in their districts if this money is not restored.
• Ask your partners in the field to contact the congressional delegation and the media. Send them a sample letter to use with data and anecdotes about the impact on the state.
Suggested stakeholders include:
       • Legislators
       • District attorneys and prosecutors
       • Corrections agencies
       • Sheriffs and police chiefs (and their statewide association staff)
       • Police unions
       • County officials
       • Mayors and city managers
       • Non-profit service providers
       • Victim services groups

State Press Releases

Many states around the country have put out press releases illustrating the important programs that rely on JAG funds. If your state has not yet done so we urge you to contact your local media outlets and other interested parties and explain the impact of these devastating cuts.

View releases from:  Kentucky/ New York/ Pennsylvania/ Wisconsin

In addition, NCJA has drafted a press release that you can modify. View NCJA's press release. If your local media reports on these funding cuts please send us a link to the article. You may send it to bbroida@ncja.org.

Letters to Congress

NCJA and the JAG Coalition have both sent letters to Congressional leadership expressing our opposition to the Byrne/JAG cuts and urging members of Congress to restore this crucial funding.

View NCJA's letter/ View the Coalition letter

In addition, NCJA urges states to send their own letters to their Congressional delegations explaining the impact of these cuts on their hometown communities and asking them to sign onto a "Dear Colleague" letter circulating in the Senate expressing support for restoring Byrne/JAG funding in an upcoming emergency war supplemental bill.

View sample letters:
   • Letter from NY Gov. Spitzer
   • Letter from CA Gov. Schwarzenegger
   • Letter from CO SAA 
   • Letter from Milwaukee, WI stakeholders

Advocacy Resources

It is very important that members of Congress and their staff understand the important crime prevention and control programs that use Byrne/JAG funds.

NCJA has developed a number of tools to assist in your advocacy efforts:
A one-page summary explaining the crucial role Byrne/JAG funds play in state and local crime control and prevention programs.
View JAG Cuts: What's At Stake 

In addition, NCJA and our coalition partners have created a comprehensive four page brochure that shows the breadth of the impact of these cuts on the states and highlights the all the of the different areas of the criminal justice system that rely on Byrne/JAG funding.  
View the four pager

We have also developed an advocacy checklist to help guide you in your efforts. Use this advocacy checklist to ensure that no avenue is overlooked in your outreach efforts.

To illustrate the importance of this grant program, earlier this year NCJA developed a series of issue papers describing how states have led the nation in developing solutions to national criminal justice problems, like methamphetmine use/abuse; combating gangs; offender reentry; and sex offender management using these Byrne-JAG funds. In addition, these funds have been crucial to the development and implementation of multi-jurisdictional task forces and criminal justice information sharing projects. NCJA members distributed these one-pagers to Congressional staffers on our annual Hill Day and again with our coalition partners last month. We encourage you to use this information in your own advocacy and educational efforts as well. View the One Pagers

Also, NCJA was part of a group that wrote a White Paper examing the role of the federal government in law enforcement and the administration of justice. View the White Paper

Finally, this power point presentation includes charts detailing the history of JAG funding.

Data

On May 31, BJA released the 2008 JAG award totals for the states.
View the chart from BJA
View a chart comparing 2007 to 2008 figures

NCJA is currently collecting and analyzing data to show our partner stakeholder groups and members of Congress how far the JAG program reaches into all corners of the criminal justice system. All SAAs have been asked to send their Bryne program data to NCJA. These data will help tell the story of what JAG funding accomplishes. If you have not yet submitted data to NCJA you may do so by clicking here.

See how each state spends Byrne/JAG money by purpose area. 
View the Chart

NCJA has estimated what each state's FY08 state and direct awards allocations will be based on the total appropriated amount (minus the $4 million in carve-outs, and estimating 2.5 percent for administration and rescissions.) The final allocations from BJA surely will differ somewhat, but this should aid states in explaining to their local media, stakeholders and members of Congress what the impact of this cut will be. Below are two charts that compare the amount of Byrne/JAG money each state received in FY07 with estimates for FY08 and estimates for how much each state would receive if Byrne/JAG was funded at the proposed $660 million.
View the short version of this chart
View the detailed version of the chart