National Assessment of the Byrne Formula Grant Program: The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988; A Comparative Analysis of Legislation; Report 2

• NCJ Number: 163382
• Author(s): T Dunworth; A J Saiger; S Green; P Jacobson
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 70 pages
• Grant Number(s): 91-IJ-CX-K024
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis

Annotation

This second in a series of five reports produced from the National Assessment of the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program focuses on the consequences of the conceptual framework that the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, under which the Byrne grant program is authorized, imposes.

Abstract

The analysis focuses entirely on the Federal level and examines the criminal justice component of the legislation. Other block grant programs are introduced for illustrative purposes. A longitudinal analysis of criminal justice grants-in-aid is provided, with emphasis on the Safe Streets Act of 1968 and the resulting activities conducted by the Justice Department's Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. This helps to establish a framework for documenting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the current authorizing legislation for Federal criminal justice assistance and for assessing the extent to which successful elements of other models might be incorporated into future anti- drug crime programs. The most important areas of the legislative framework addressed are its goals, programmatic substance, coordination, and feedback. Regarding goals, this report concludes that Federal procedures for assimilating, analyzing, and disseminating information about Byrne projects have, to date, been inadequate to make much of a case for the program. Regarding programmatic substance, the report advises that although the legislation establishes purpose areas to which State planning must conform, these are so generally framed that they exclude almost nothing from consideration; consequently, they do not constitute a guide for State planning. Regarding coordination, the report concludes that coordination across agencies cannot be presumed to occur because coordination across the various components of the legislation does not occur. Finally, Congress lacks convincing feedback about the operation and effects of the Byrne program due in no small measure to the shortcomings of the legislation itself. For other reports in the National Assessment, see NCJ-163381 and 163383-85.