To: Board of Supervisors
From: Diana Becton, District Attorney
Report Title: BJA FY2024 National Community Courts Initiative Grant Application
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the District Attorney, or designee, to apply for and accept the FY2024 National Community Courts Initiative Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in an amount not to exceed $900,000, for a Community Court Enhancement Program, for the period October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2028.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The County will receive up to $900,000 over the 48-month grant period. A 25% cash (not to exceed $300,000) or in-kind match of the total project’s cost is required. The required match may be waived upon request.
BACKGROUND:
With the FY2024 National Community Courts Initiative solicitation, BJA seeks to support efforts to establish and enhance community courts. This program furthers the DOJ’s mission by providing resources to communities to enhance public safety and build trust between law enforcement and the community.
Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has an existing community court program known as the Neighborhood Restorative Partnership (NRP). NRP is an alternative resolution to a criminal case. It is a community-based, adult, prefiling program. NRP uses restorative justice principals to resolve low-level, nonviolent offenses outside of the traditional courtroom, and diverts cases out of the criminal justice system. NRP Panelists (volunteers) are residents who live and work in the community and are trained to hear cases and create plans that enable the participant to address harms caused to the community and parties affected by the incident. NRP keeps low-level non-violent offenders out of the criminal justice system, keeps criminal convictions off their record, and aids in preventing obstacles to obtaining employment, education, housing, and meaningful participation in the community. Furthermore, NRP reduces the number of cases making their way through the criminal justice system, saving both time and money for the courts and impacted county agencies. Currently, NRP only reaches the cities of Concord, Martinez, Richmond, and Pittsburg. The NRP program is not currently available in additional cities within the county due to limited program funding and staffing.
With the existing NRP program, the DA’s Office is eligible to apply for Category 2 for program enhancement under the BJA National Community Courts Grant. The DA’s Office proposes to leverage the BJA National Community Courts Initiative Grant to fund additional positions to support the expansion of the NRP program throughout the County in the next few years. Funding from the BJA grant will also be utilized to support additional recruitment and retention efforts and training for NRP panelists. Increased level of interpretation services will be provided to participants of the NRP program as well.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If unapproved, the District Attorney's Office will be unable to apply for and accept the FY2024 National Community Courts Initiative Grant.