Washington, DC – Rhode Island’s congressional delegation today announced that more than $1.5 million in federal funding has been awarded to Rhode Island’s law enforcement community to enhance compensation programs for crime victims, improve the juvenile justice system, and support efforts to crack down on internet crimes against children.
“This much-needed funding will help ensure that victims of crimes receive meaningful compensation, that our young Rhode Islanders are protected from the dangers of internet crimes, and that our juvenile justice system has adequate tools to address delinquent behavior,” said U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and Jim Langevin. “In short, this funding will help our state better protect its citizens.”
The funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the following categories:
$751,000 has been allocated to the Rhode Island Office of the General Treasurer through the Office for Victims of Crime. This grant provides funds to enhance State victim compensation payments to eligible crime victims through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which provides compensative assistance to Federal and State victims of crime.
$600,000 has been allocated to the Rhode Island Public Safety Grant Administration Office through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to support State and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. The allocated funds will be used to continue the improvement of the RI juvenile justice system’s ability to respond to offending behaviors quickly and effectively.
$216,304 has been allocated to the Rhode Island State Police through the OJJDP to support overtime expenses for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) supervisor, detectives, and administrative support, and affiliate agency investigators. The grant will also be utilized to cover lease and utility expenses for the RI ICAC task force headquarters.
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