WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Department of Justice has granted $273.4 million to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Attorney General William P. Barr announced the award of grant in a video teleconference with the Alaska Federation of Natives.
He said the mass funding comes at a stage where violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities remain at unacceptably high levels.
He vowed that the Justice Department will continue to work closely with the tribal community to guarantee they have the resources they need to curb violence and bring relief to the worst-affected victims.
This is a follow-up to a presidential proclamation against acts of violence targeting American Indian and Alaska Native people, particularly women and children.
In all, 236 grants were awarded to 149 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs.
A portion of the funding will support tribal youth mentoring and intervention services, help native communities implement requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and provide training and technical assistance to tribal communities.
The Department also announced awards and other programming totaling $167.2 million in a set-aside program to serve victims of crime.
CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems' response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities' public safety needs.
The Department provided $6.1 million to help tribes to comply with federal law on sex offender registration and notification.
$1.7 million was earmarked to assist tribal youth and nearly $500,000 to support tribal research on missing and murdered indigenous women and children and other public safety-related topics.
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