CJPA awards 34 grants to agencies

By Marian A. Maraya
Staff Reporter

A number of CNMI community organizations now have the means to start plans to institute various youth and family-oriented programs with the Criminal Justice Planning Agency Supervisory Council’s recent approval of over 31 sub-grant applications to support their respective agenda.

According to CJPA Executive Director Harry C. Blanco, the applications for funds available under the Fiscal Year 1999 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program and Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant amounted to some $409,746.

He added the council has also awarded $161,220 to three sub-grant applications under the federal Victims of Crime Act Program covering Fiscal Years 1999 and 2000.

The grant applications were approved based on several themes in efforts to provide family services, youth development, juvenile rehabilitative services, juvenile justice training, technical assistance, among others.

Recipients of fresh funding include Karidat Social Services, the Division of Youth Services, NMI Canoe Federation, Pacific Way Institute, Tinian Christian Assembly, Para Hita/Ghisch Program, Coalition for Children, Department of Public Safety, Criminal Justice Planning Agency, Marianas High School, Office of the Attorney General, and the Commonwealth Health Center.

“Normally this new money serves as a seed money for the agencies to start their programs. Once their programs are established, we want them to pick up the responsibility to generate their own operational funds through fundraising efforts,” said Mr. Blanco.

Agencies have been given authority to spend their money within a year, he added. Organizations that exceed the spending time frame need to request for an extension from CJPA.

Earlier, the CJPA has been granted by the U.S. Dept. of Justice some $145,444 in total funds for the purchase of bulletproof vests to be distributed among law enforcement agencies in the CNMI.

The award under the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998 is tailored to protect the lives of law enforcement officers by helping states and units of local and tribal governments equip authorities with armor vests.

The Board of Parole and the Office of Adult Probation have already received their share of the grant, according to Mr. Blanco.

Other departments such as the Marshall Division (Judicial), AGO Investigation Unit, Division of Immigration Enforcement Unit, Airport Police, Department of Public Safety Tinian, DPS Rota, DPS Saipan, and Division of Customs Enforcement Branch are in the process of procuring the armor equipment.