The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) was created in 1984 to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform our Nation’s criminal justice system. BJA’s mission is to provide leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support state, local, and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities. BJA works with communities, governments, and nonprofit organizations to reduce crime, recidivism, and unnecessary confinement, and promote a safe and fair criminal justice system.
The grant program aims to support the planning, implementation, and enhancement of Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs) by offering financial and technical assistance to various levels of government and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. Its core objectives include integrating evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health disorder (MHD) treatments, along with treatments for co-occurring disorders, in court settings supervised by the judiciary. This initiative emphasizes reducing recidivism, increasing access to treatment and recovery services, mandatory drug testing, applying incentives and sanctions, and facilitating transitional services to prevent overdose among veterans with treatment needs.