Durbin Announces Major Investments in Illinois Justice System Programs

Press Release

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has made a major investment in support of important crime prevention research and the enhancement of several justice system programs in Illinois.

"Today's funding represents an important investment in the Illinois justice system, research, and victims' services programs." said Durbin. "These initiatives will help promote the fair and cost-effective administration of justice and will help provide vital assistance and legal representation to those who have been the victims of crimes."

Under this announcement, the National Council of Young Men's Christian Associations (YMCA) headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, was awarded $4,627,342 in funding through the National Mentoring Programs to support mentoring activities within the YMCA's Reach and Rise Mentoring program. This funding will be distributed to YMCA programs in 38 states nationwide. The program aims to reduce juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, truancy and other high-risk behaviors in low-income communities.

The Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory in Vernon Hills, Illinois was awarded $320,580 in funding through the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program to improve the laboratory's ability to utilize DNA technology and reduce DNA backlogs.

The National Opinion Research Center in Chicago, Illinois was awarded $1,000,000 through the Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program (CHRARP) for improving the collection, consolidation and standardization of criminal history records into a format that supports criminal history and recidivism research.

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