Please describe how your agency is structured.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is a standalone Board. With offices in both Chicago and Springfield, the ICJIA Board is comprised of criminal justice practitioners, service providers, members of the general public, and other stakeholders. The Board is staffed to support ICJIA’s mission of bringing equity, fairness, and opportunity to under-resourced communities and populations and the Illinois justice system.

ICJIA is responsible for criminal justice policy and planning, information technology, research and analysis, and grant administration. During the last fiscal year, ICJIA processed almost 770 individual grants under 16 federal and 16 state programs, with $208 million in disbursements for the fiscal year.

Please list the federal and state grants your agency administers.

ICJIA currently administers 16 state and 16 federal grants. They include:

State

                 Adult Redeploy Illinois

                 American Rescue Plan Act

                 Bullying Prevention

                 Community – Law Enforcement Partnership

                 Community Trauma Recovery Centers

                 Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention

                 Death Penalty Abolition Fund

                 Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Councils

                 Illinois State Crime Stoppers Fund

                 Institute 2 Innovate

                 Less Lethal Alternatives

                 Restore, Reinvest, and Renew

                 Safe from the Start

                 State Violence Prevention

                 Statewide Deferred Prosecution

                 Street Intervention Programs

Federal

                 Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance

                 Improving Reentry Education And Employment Outcomes

                 Justice Assistance Grant

                 Justice Counts Implementation Program

                 National Criminal History Information Program

                 National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act

                 Prison Rape Elimination Act

                 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

                 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act

                 State Crisis Intervention Program

                 State Justice Statistics

                 Victims of Crime Act

                 Violence Against Women Act

                 Violence Against Women Act / Sexual Assault Services Program

                 Violence Prevention And Reduction

                 Violent Crime Witness Protection Program

Please list your agency’s top three current priority or focus areas.

ICJIA priorities include violence prevention, capacity building and expanding reentry services and resources.

Violence Prevention: ICJIA spearheads Illinois' statewide violence prevention efforts. Much of ICJIA's work is aimed at reducing violence and giving historically under-resourced communities the resources they need to rebuild and thrive. These efforts fall within three key capacities:

·    Equity and Inclusion: ICJIA prioritizes equity, fairness, and inclusion in all violence reduction initiatives, helping to address systemic disparities that contribute to violence.

·    Program Implementation: ICJIA continually administers violence prevention program grants and interventions that are based on best practices, research, and community needs.

·    Investment in Youth: Illinois has recognized the significance of providing opportunities for at-risk youth. By investing in education, mentorship, and job training programs, the state has aimed to divert young individuals away from paths that might lead to violence. ICJIA manages a number of violence prevention grant programs and initiatives to support and create safer, more resilient communities. In addition, workgroups are developing the 2025-2029 statewide Violence Prevention Plan, to be released July 1, 2024. Much like the 2021 statewide plan, this framework will prioritize equity, trauma, and restorative justice and inform future violence prevention funding for the next four fiscal years. The goals of the current plan are to:

1.   Stop violence and promote safety.

2.   Promote collaboration across state, municipal, and community-based agencies.

3.   Advance equity by addressing systemic inequities through increased access to grants and other economic opportunities.

4.   Support health, recognizing violence is a public health issue.

Capacity Building: Many small organizations with innovative ideas to solve community problems face funding barriers, needing more capacity to apply for and manage grant funds. To address the issue, ICJIA launched the Institute 2 Innovate (i2i), an innovative capacity-building hub offering tailored support to hyper-local organizations. I2i works with organizations to strengthen infrastructure, increase sustainability, and address their critical capacity needs.

Through an inclusive cohort approach, i2i welcomes organizations at various stages of development, ensuring that everyone benefits from the program. i2i participants receive training in strategic planning, applying for grant funds, budgeting for success, and developing collaborative relationships in their communities.

Program participants are introduced to the PARLOR Process, offering an evidence-informed framework to address each organization’s comprehensive needs. Each PARLOR step strengthens the infrastructure of grassroots organizations, empowering them to navigate challenges and seize opportunities for growth and innovation.



Enhancing Illinois' reentry landscape: With a goal of developing a vision for Illinois reentry, ICJIA spearheads an initiative to improve communication and coordination of reentry services statewide. The Intergovernmental Stakeholders for Reentry (ISR) collaboration explores solutions that help returning residents as they return to their communities after incarceration.    

The ISR's comprehensive strategy integrates Illinois's SAFE-T and Pretrial Fairness Act policies and bridges gaps in communities with disproportionate rates of returning residents. By pooling our resources and expanding our reach, we have the potential to significantly enhance and extend much-needed services to those returning to communities across Illinois. We are gaining a comprehensive understanding of available services, financial investments, and other crucial assets. The need for reentry is always a consideration as we plan funding initiatives that address specific populations and needs across Illinois; while some parts of the state are rich in opportunities and funding, others grapple with very limited resources.

ICJIA's Statewide Violence Prevention Plan, as mentioned above, is designed to decrease vulnerability and increase resiliency across Illinois as we pursue the goals of breaking cycles of violence and incarceration caused by criminal justice policies and economic disinvestment in minority communities. The updated plan's priorities will guide us as we foster a sense of belonging, social connectedness, and resiliency in returning individuals, their families, and their communities. We are committed to smart policy and planning to meet the needs of returning residents in Illinois communities. 

What is the main thing you would like other NCJA members to know about your agency? 

ICJIA prioritizes equity, fairness, and opportunity in our work across all grant programs and decisions. From the celebration of our Institute to Innovate to recognition at the Vice President’s convening on gun violence, ICJIA is shaping national justice reform efforts and helping justice organizations build programs that advance equity for grassroots organizations in under-resourced communities.

Since 2021, ICJIA has made unprecedented investments in Illinois’ most disenfranchised communities. The Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) Program has invested $234 million statewide in over 400 hyper-local organizations. These funds support programs in the areas of economic development, civil legal aid, reentry, violence prevention, and youth development.

On March 1, ICJIA launched its third R3 Funding opportunity. $30 million is now available for local organizations in designated R3 areas across Illinois to provide prioritized services. We also are working to address funding gaps in violence prevention with an anticipated decrease in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC) is an unprecedented intergovernmental collaboration between state, Cook County, and Chicago leaders, Established in 2021, these government units have aligned funding solicitations and unified capacity-building efforts surrounding community violence interventions.

The alliance includes ICJIA, the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, the Cook County Office of the President/Justice Advisory Council, and the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Community Safety. GASC coordinates efforts to maximize the effect of historic ARPA funding across the state, county and city. Coordination is essential to effectively and sustainably reduce gun violence and increase community safety in the communities and municipalities most impacted by the gun violence crisis in Chicago and Suburban Cook County. GASC will help with solicitation alignment to avoid funding overlaps and ensure funds are going to areas of greatest need.