Reimagining Criminal Justice: Leveraging Federal Grants to Foster Community-Based Criminal Justice Programs
Joshua Miller
22, October 2024
Discussions about Vice President Kamala’ Harris’ record as a progressive prosecutor have offered an opportunity to consider what the next president could do to help spur equitable criminal justice reform. While recognizing that policing is largely a local endeavor, it is important to identify how the next president can leverage existing federal programs to contribute to larger criminal justice reform and equity efforts. In this paper we propose that the next administration restructure the Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) and Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants in order to support community-based criminal justice programs (CCJP) to achieve equitable criminal justice reform. These programs, which emphasize partnerships between law enforcement, prosecutors, and non-law enforcement organizations, aim to reduce crime and recidivism through rehabilitation, mental health services, and social support. The proposal we offer draws inspiration from Vice President Kamala Harris’s "Back on Track" program, which successfully helped first-time nonviolent offenders avoid incarceration through alternative sentencing that focuses on rehabilitation. The paper argues that similar programs, if federally supported, could help contribute to equitable criminal justice reform by fostering trust between law enforcement and communities, reducing police brutality while also preventing crime and recidivism.
The paper also traces the historical evolution of federal grants and their role in policing, beginning with President Johnson’s social-focused initiatives and later shifts under Presidents Reagan and Clinton, which prioritized punitive measures, including the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs shifted federal funding for CCJP to support drug task force and arrest. JAG and COPs were created with options for CCJP but continue to finance the type of activities that developed during the drug war. Therefore, this paper argues that the next president can unilaterally restructure JAG and COPS grants to allocate funds toward progressive prosecutors and police departments engaged in restorative justice and community-based policing efforts. Finally, the next president, through the Department of Justice, can increase transparency and accountability for these programs to ensure that police officers are hired for community policing and not to support general law enforcement and arrest initiatives. With these changes, the next administration can leverage key federal resources to promote CCJP, leading to an increase in trust for law enforcement and reduction in crime and recidivism.
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