The Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP), under the Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant Program, provides financial assistance to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and to improve the criminal justice system.  The JAG program places an emphasis on violent crime, drug offenses, serious offenders, and justice system improvement.

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program provides funding to units of government in developing and implementing residential substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional and detention facilities.  RSAT programs provide individual and group treatment activities for offenders and must meet the following requirements:  Correctional Facility - last between 6 and 12 months or Jail – last at least 3 months; be provided in residential treatment facilities set apart from the general correctional population; focus on the substance abuse problems of the inmate; include drug/alcohol testing of participants including periodic and randomized testing; and develop the inmate's cognitive, behavioral, social, vocational, and other skills to solve substance abuse and related problems.

Funding for this solicitation is available through Iowa’s Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant and Residential Substance Abuse Treatment allocations.  Approximately $1,900,000 will be committed through this competitive grant process for use in State Fiscal 2022.  Of the JAG program funds, federal guidelines currently require a minimum of 56.8% to be passed through to local jurisdictions and a maximum of 43.2% to be passed to state agencies. 

JAG applications within six federally-approved “Program Purpose Areas” and addressing at least one of the state-established “Priorities” will be considered for funding. 

Byrne-JAG Program Purpose Areas

A. Law Enforcement Programs

B. Prosecution and Court Programs

C. Prevention and Education Programs

D. Corrections and Community Corrections Programs

E. Drug Treatment Programs

F. Planning Evaluation and Technology Improvement Programs

Priorities

Funding will be prioritized to projects which employ strategies that positively affect the broad goals outlined in Iowa’s Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Strategy and at least one of the more targeted goals in the 2021 Iowa’s Drug Control Strategy. 

Iowa Byrne-JAG Strategy  

• Strengthen Efforts that Lead Iowans to be Healthy & Drug Free
• Safeguard Iowa Communities from Illegal Drug Activities
• Break the Cycle of Drug Use, Crime, Delinquency, and Incarceration

2021 Iowa Drug Control Strategy

• Reduce the number of drug-related deaths involving Iowans
• Reduce the number of drug-related injuries involving Iowans, including those involving electronic smoking/vaping
• Reduce the number of Iowa youth who are current users of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
• Increase the number of Iowans who find employment during or after substance use disorder (SUD) treatment
• Reduce the number of Iowans incarcerated for drug-related offenses, and the disproportionate number of minorities represented in the criminal justice system

The Iowa Byrne-JAG Strategy and the 2021 Iowa Drug Control Strategy are available for review on the ODCP website.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Those eligible to receive grant funds from ODCP include state and local units of government, Indian tribes, faith based organizations and nonprofit entities.  A local unit of government is defined as a city, county, town, township or other general purpose political subdivision of a state and includes Indian tribes that perform law enforcement functions as determined by the Secretary of the Interior.  A city or county must be the legal applicant and recipient on behalf of city and county departments.  Iowa faith based and nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive grant funding, but applicationmust be made through a state or local unit of government.  

“NEW” AND “CONTINUATION” GRANTEES

The Office of Drug Control Policy requires different information from new applicants and those applying for continuation funding.  The emphasis for new applicants is on the need for and the quality of the proposed project, including projected community impact.  For continuation applicants the emphasis is on demonstrating measurable results. 

 Two Byrne-JAG/RSAT funding opportunities are posted to www.iowagrants.gov:

• New Applicants are required to use the opportunity titled SFY 2022 Byrne-JAG/RSAT – New Applicants.
• Continuation Applicants are required to use the opportunity titled SFY 2022 Byrne-JAG/RSAT – Continuation Applicants.