Justice Reinvestment Initiative
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.827
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 129 $226,930,365 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- JRI
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 15-0404-0-1-754
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is funding grants under the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (CFDA 16.827) to support states and local governments in improving criminal and juvenile justice system efficiency and cost-effectiveness, with the most recent award dated October 1, 2024, and two active grant opportunities posted in October 2026 with due dates of November 16–20.
The program funds concrete system-improvement activities: data-driven policy development identifying cost drivers in criminal and juvenile justice operations; development and implementation of evidence-based diversion programs, problem-solving courts, and behavioral health interventions; pretrial decision-making reform; reentry and community supervision enhancements; reducing racial and ethnic disparities through equity assessments and structured decision-making tools; facility closure and repurposing; and cross-system data integration and analysis. Recent awards span juvenile system transformation (Mississippi, Michigan, North Carolina focusing on facility assessment and diversion expansion), adult criminal justice improvements (Arkansas developing a criminal justice data hub, Texas implementing reentry coaching for flat-discharge inmates, Ohio implementing mobile-based supervision interventions), and data infrastructure projects (multiple states adopting Justice Counts metrics for transparent system measurement).
The program is dominated by OJP's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), which has awarded 76 grants totaling $179.7 million, with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) contributing 48 grants worth $44.6 million across 129 total awards since 2014. Combined federal dollars obligated total $226.9 million. The assistance-type mix is predominantly Project Grants (58 percent), with significant shares of Cooperative Agreements (29 percent) and Block Grants (12 percent). Recent award volume has fluctuated—26 awards in 2020, declining to 4 in 2023, then rebounding to 14 in 2024.
Recent awards range from $1.3 million to $7.5 million for individual grants. Representative examples include Mississippi's $1.3 million project designing juvenile justice system recommendations through stakeholder engagement and diversion evaluation; Michigan's $1.3 million system assessment combining structured decision-making tools and training; and cooperative agreements supporting national technical assistance, including the Crime and Justice Institute's $7.5 million support for state Phase I and Phase II Justice Reinvestment work and the Council of State Governments Justice Center's $7.5 million to operate the Justice Reinvestment Assessment Center and provide phased state technical assistance.
Two current opportunities posted in October 2026 are open: BJA's FY 2026 Justice Reinvestment Initiative (due November 20) solicits county, city, state, and tribal government projects addressing urgent local justice system challenges across law enforcement, prosecution, courts, sentencing, jails, and reentry; and OJJDP's FY 2026 Juvenile Justice System Enhancements (due November 16) targets state governments implementing targeted solutions to high-cost drivers within juvenile systems. Earlier-posted opportunities from 2025 remain accessible for reference, including OJJDP's FY 25 Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment Initiative (states only) and BJA's Justice Counts State Partnership program supporting metrics adoption.
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Improve criminal and/or juvenile justice system efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ensure sustainability of efforts. Program goal(s) description: Improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness of criminal and/or juvenile justice sy
- Description
his program will support states and/or local and tribal governments to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of criminal and juvenile justice system operations by implementing targeted solutions to high-cost drivers of crime and other public safety and/or justice system challenges. Challenges may include chronic or emerging crime problems, or barriers to justice agencies' ability to address such problems that make it difficult for communities to ensure the security and safety of their residents and drive improved outcomes for youth in the system.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
See the current fiscal year's NOFO available at the Office of Justice Programs web site at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
See the current fiscal year's NOFO available at the Office of Justice Programs web site (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities) and/or https://www.bja.gov/funding.aspx.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. An applicant may find the names and addresses of State Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) at the following website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for selecting proposals is determined as part of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
- Award procedure
All final award decisions will be made by the Assistant Attorney General, unless a statute explicitly authorizes award decisions by another official or there is written delegation of authority to another official. For successful applicants, JustGrants will send a system-generated email to the Application Submitter, Authorized Representative, and Entity Administrator with information on accessing their official award package in JustGrants. The award package will include key information (such as funding amount and period of performance) as well as award conditions that must be followed. The Authorized Representative for the entity should accept or decline the award within 45 days of the notification.
- Time to approval or disapproval
The review procedure for applications is specified in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and generally includes eligibility and responsiveness, merit, programmatic, budget, and risk reviews.
- Renewals
In some cases, award periods may be extended if specific criteria are met. For details, please review the discussion of no-cost extensions in the Criteria for Award Extension section of the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide available at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview
- Appeals
There are no appeal rights for rejection of a discretionary application. Please see 28 CFR Part 18.
Grant opportunities
Show all 42
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 129 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Council Of State Governments LTD. | $87,127,857 | 38% |
| 2 | Community Resources For Justice, Inc. | $32,878,148 | 14% |
| 3 | The CNA Corporation | $5,414,661 | 2% |
| 4 | The Urban Institute | $5,277,988 | 2% |
| 5 | North Carolina Department Of Public Safety | $5,027,347 | 2% |
| 6 | Criminal Justice Commission | $4,141,492 | 2% |
| 7 | Ohio Department Of Rehabilitation And Correction | $3,219,076 | 1% |
| 8 | Oklahoma Department Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Services | $3,112,396 | 1% |
| 9 | Justice Innovation Inc. | $2,958,482 | 1% |
| 10 | Center For Effective Public Policy, Incorporated | $2,747,787 | 1% |
10 of 90 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$363,657 |
| FY2025 | $3,036,665 |
| FY2024 | $28,974,774 |
| FY2023 | $28,219,782 |
| FY2022 | $44,885,724 |
| FY2021 | $17,824,137 |
| FY2020 | $4,776,699 |
| FY2019 | $51,496,516 |
| FY2018 | $1,370,889 |
| FY2017 | $8,363,931 |
| FY2016 | $10,701,650 |
| FY2015 | $23,520,643 |
| FY2014 | $6,710,432 |
Show all 13
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.827?
Assistance Listing 16.827 is Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for Justice Reinvestment Initiative?
Its CFDA number is 16.827: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.827 awarded?
129 grant awards under 16.827 have obligated $226,930,365 in federal funds to 90 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.827?
The recipients obligated the most under Justice Reinvestment Initiative are The Council Of State Governments LTD. ($87,127,857), Community Resources For Justice, Inc. ($32,878,148) and The CNA Corporation ($5,414,661).
How much did 16.827 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.827 obligated $3,036,665 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.827?
2 listed opportunities under 16.827 are open or forecasted. The latest, OJJDP FY 2026 Juvenile Justice System Enhancements, was posted on October 8, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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