Please describe how your agency is structured (standalone agency, within DPS, housed somewhere else etc.)  

The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet (JPSC) serves as the State Administering Agency for U.S. Department of Justice federal grant programs. It is the largest cabinet in state government, with more than 8,000 employees. JPSC oversees four departments with unique missions: the Kentucky State Police, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Criminal Justice Training. The cabinet also oversees the Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Office of Drug Control Policy while supporting the Department of Public Advocacy, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, the Kentucky Parole Board, the State Corrections Commission, and the Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel.  

The Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center (CJSAC) and the Grants Management Division (GMD) oversee state and federal criminal justice grant programs. Both entities are both housed directly under the Office of the Secretary within JPSC. 

Please list the federal and state grants your agency administers. 

CJSAC and GMD administer the following grant award programs:   

• Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) 

• Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program 

• National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) 

• Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Reallocation Funds Program 

• Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) East and West Districts 

• Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) Program 

• Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)  

• Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) Reallocation Funds Program 

• State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) 

• State Justice Statistics (SJS) Program 

• Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) 

• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution (STOP) Formula Grant Program 

• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) 

• Since taking office, the Beshear-Coleman administration has awarded more than $189 million in grant subawards to victim service agencies across the commonwealth and more than $12 million to support law enforcement agencies in Kentucky. 

Please list your top three current priority or focus areas. 

Improve reentry outcomes, reduce recidivism, and reduce ongoing costs of incarceration. The Beshear administration has seen recidivism rates decrease for two years in a row and secured the lowest-ever recidivism rate in the history of Kentucky in 2020. The goal is to keep this momentum moving forward. 

Improve access to quality medical and mental health treatment, including addiction treatment programs. Team Kentucky has increased access to healthcare and addiction treatment across the commonwealth, which has directly led to three years of declines in overdose deaths in Kentucky. 

Improve the collection and analysis of criminal justice data to improve outcomes for victims and families across Kentucky. 

What is the main thing you would like other NCJA members to know about your agency?  

The mission of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet is to ensure the safety and security of Kentucky communities through a fair and impartial administration of taxpayer resources. The cabinet's approach centers on protecting citizens, restoring victims and reforming wrongdoers – all in a focused environment where everything is measured for accountability and performance. The cabinet also seeks the best possible return from our public safety investment by using evidence-based programs, fiscal discipline and data-driven strategies. Likewise, JPSC is committed to holding offenders to the highest standards of personal accountability and responsibility.  

JPSC aims to enhance public safety through state-administered grant programs. Kentuckians rely on public safety professionals, like police officers and correctional officers, to protect them from crime and to achieve justice. Similarly, community leaders, local organizations, and non-traditional partners play key roles in communicating the needs and concerns of citizens, supporting survivors, providing integral pathways to success for at-risk populations, and promoting the health and safety of their communities. Together, public safety professionals and local partners promote security, healing, and the wellbeing of individuals across the commonwealth. 

What Gov. Beshear, the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, and Team Kentucky is doing is working, and it’s building a safer New Kentucky Home. Since the administration took office, Kentucky has seen: 

• Recidivism rates decline for two years in a row, and the lowest-ever recidivism rate recorded in 2020. 

• Declines in overdose deaths in the commonwealth for three straight years. 

• A nearly 8% decrease in reports of serious crime in the commonwealth in 2024. 

• An increase in the amount of public schools adhering to mandated safety requirements. 

• An over 100% increase in the number of school resource officers protecting Kentucky schools since 2019. 

The work of the Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center and the Grants Management Division is supporting Team Kentucky’s public safety priorities, supporting victims and helping to rebuild their lives, and creating a safer place for all Kentuckians to call home. More than $200 million in public safety grant funding is enhancing the safety of the commonwealth’s communities and improving outcomes for victims of crime in Kentucky. Together, Kentucky is safer in part because of the collaborative work grant funding in supporting vital public safety efforts.