Justice Department Awards More Than $333 Million to Fight Opioid Crisis

INDIANAPOLIS – The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs and United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler today announced awards of more than $333 million to help communities affected by the opioid crisis. $2,446,664 will help public safety and public health professionals in the Southern District of Indiana combat substance abuse and respond effectively to overdoses. OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan made the announcement during a visit with local, state and federal officials in West Virginia, one of the states hardest hit by the epidemic.

"The opioid crisis has destroyed far too many lives and left too many Americans feeling helpless and hopeless," said PDAAG Sullivan. "This epidemic—the most deadly in our nation’s history—is introducing new dangers and loading public health responsibilities onto the public safety duties of our law enforcement officers. The Department of Justice is here to support them during this unprecedented and extremely challenging time."

With more than 130 people dying from opioid-related overdoses every day, the Department of Justice has made fighting addiction to opioids—including heroin and fentanyl—a national priority. The Trump Administration is providing critical funding for a wide range of activities—from preventive services and comprehensive treatment to recovery assistance,

forensic science services and research—to help save lives and break the cycle of addiction and crime.

"The U.S. Attorney’s Office is pleased to provide support to agencies in the Southern District of Indiana through the Department’s Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program," said Minkler. "This grant supports the Department’s criminal justice priorities of reducing opioid abuse and opioid overdose-related deaths."

The awards announced today support an array of activities designed to reduce the harm inflicted by these dangerous drugs. Grants will help law enforcement officers, emergency responders and treatment professionals coordinate their response to overdoses. Funds will also provide services for children and youth affected by the crisis and will support the nationwide network of drug and treatment courts. Other awards will address prescription drug abuse, expand the capacity of forensic labs and support opioid-related research.

The following awards were made to organizations in the Southern District of Indiana:

The City of Indianapolis and Marion County were awarded $500,000 and $653,408, respectively, under the BJA’s Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to facilitate collaborations between criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse treatment systems to serve individuals with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse issues.

The City of Evansville was awarded $1,000,000 under the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative, which helps states, local governments and tribal jurisdictions develop data-driven responses to opioid abuse.

Hancock County Community Corrections was awarded $231,544 under the Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to states, state courts, local courts, units of local government and tribal governments to develop, implement and enhance drug courts and Veterans Treatment Courts.

The Marion County, Indiana Coroner’s Office was awarded $61,712 under the National Institute of Justice Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program, which addresses the extreme shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists in the United States and aims to improve medical examiner-coroner services by supporting efforts toward agency accreditation.

Information about the programs and awards announced today is available here. For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.