The State Byrne Program Strategy

The Act requires SAAs to develop a statewide strategy for drug and violent crime control programs that intend to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on drug trafficking, violent crime, and serious offenders.

Strategy Timeframe and Updates

This requirement is accomplished through a 4-year strategy the SAA develops to outline the programs it will fund with the Byrne grant and provide data and explanations of the need for those programs. The first full strategy under this format is due along with the application 60 days after the President signs the Fiscal Year 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This means that it will most likely be due in early 2004. Full strategies will then be due each fourth year after that (e.g., 2008, 2012).

In the years between full strategy submissions, the SAA is required to update BJA on its strategy, which can be accomplished either through a letter telling BJA that there are no changes to report or through a more detailed update. If the SAA wishes to update the strategy, it can either provide a fully updated strategy or can simply inform BJA of the changes using the same headings as the strategy (see Strategy Format). If a detailed update is provided, then the SAA must also submit a new executive summary.

The strategy must be constructed using the following format:

1. Executive Summary.
2. Data and Analysis.
3. Resource Needs.
4. Priorities and the National Drug Control Strategy.
5. Selected Programs.
6. Coordination Efforts.

I. Executive Summary

This portion of the strategy is used to provide information to Congress and others interested in a state's activities. As a result, it need not be long, but the SAA should provide a general summary of the strategy.

II. Data and Analysis

In this section, the SAA should provide any data that support the need for the programs selected for funding under the Byrne Program. This discussion might include estimates of the availability of different types of drugs, major sources of drugs, violent crime trends, or any other information that supports the funding decisions. In doing so, the SAA should provide some information for at least a small selection of specific population centers that have major drug or violent crime problems to be addressed through Byrne programs (Sec. 503(a)(1)(A)).

It is not necessary for the SAA to provide data that support a criminal justice records improvement program.

Useful Links for Data

Office of National Drug Control Policy, State and Local Profiles

FBI's Uniform Crime Reports

Crime and Justice Data Online

Bureau of Justice Statistics

III. Resource Needs

After setting out the problems identified through data and analysis, the SAA should use this section to describe in general the resources the state uses to address them and then describe the gaps in those resources that need to be filled. In doing so, the SAA should provide any relevant discussion on the difficulty in providing these resources without Byrne funding (Sec. 503(a)(1)(D)).

IV. Priorities and the National Drug Control Strategy

The Act requires that a state strategy shows the relationship of its priorities to the National Drug Control Strategy (Sec. 503(a)(1)(F)). For this section, the SAA should consult the National Strategy and determine which of the priorities included are also priorities for the Byrne Strategy. To meet this requirement, the SAA must set out the priorities for Byrne funding and, under each, list the national priorities that tie to each (Sec. 503(a)(1)(F)).

The section on Selected Programs (see below) will ask the SAA to connect these priorities to each Byrne program.

Please check ONDCP's web site for the FY 2004 National Strategy.

V. Selected Programs

In this section, the SAA should set out each of the programs that it plans to fund using Byrne funds. A program is not an individual subgrant but a more general statement identifying a solution to address identified problems (Sec. 506(c)).

The SAA should use the following format in this section:

1. Name of the program.
2. Date BJA approved the program, if previously approved.
3. List of the identified national priorities that connect to this program.
4. List of the Byrne purpose areas that connect to this program.
5. Description of the program.
6. List of the performance measures that will be collected related to this program.
7. The evaluation target date for completion or a request for waiver for the evaluation component (see Waiver Requests).

VI. Coordination Efforts

In this section, the SAA should discuss how the Byrne funds connect with or are coordinated with other federal programs and funding sources or plans for how this coordination will happen in future. If relevant, this should include a discussion of coordination efforts with drug abuse education, treatment, and prevention programs. The SAA also may include a discussion of coordination efforts with nonfederal programs (Sec. 503(a)(1)(C)).