The territory will receive $240,734 for fiscal year 1999 to provide substance abuse treatment to prisoners.
The money was an awarded from the Justice Department's Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners program.
The V.I. Law Enforcement Planning Commission will use the grant to provide sub-awards to the Bureau of Corrections for eligible female and juvenile RSAT program proposals.
In making the announcement Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen said she hoped that the funding would be used to implement effective programs. "Many of the criminal offenses that take place in our community are drug related and if we continue to ignore the prisoner's need for treatment, we will never stop this vicious cycle of crime."
The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Formula Grant Program was created under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 provides funding for the development of substance abuse treatment programs in State and local correctional facilities. The program encourages States to adopt comprehensive approaches to treatment for offenders, including relapse prevention and aftercare services. Prisoners in these facilities must be incarcerated for a period of time sufficient to permit substance abuse treatment.