Department Of Criminal Justice Services Virginia

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), an executive branch agency within the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security, serves as a comprehensive planning and technical support entity for the Commonwealth's criminal justice system. Operating from its headquarters at the Washington Building in Richmond, DCJS has been registered to receive federal awards since April 2006 and maintains an active registration in SAM.gov through August 2026. The agency is responsible for planning and implementing programs and initiatives to improve the functioning and effectiveness of Virginia's criminal justice system as a whole, with a mission to enhance public safety across the Commonwealth through evidence-based strategies and collaborative partnerships with state and local stakeholders.

Through its Grants Administration Division, DCJS administers a diverse and substantial federal grant portfolio spanning multiple funding agencies, program areas, and delivery mechanisms. The agency has received significant formula grants from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program, and the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program, with awards totaling millions of dollars for law enforcement training, equipment, technology upgrades, and criminal justice reform initiatives. DCJS has also administered grants from the Office on Violence Against Women, including the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program and Sexual Assault Services Formula Program, directing funding to support comprehensive victim services, prosecution of crimes against women, and law enforcement response coordination. The agency manages grants from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office for school violence prevention, community policing initiatives, and curriculum development for law enforcement crisis response training, as well as awards from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. DCJS serves as the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for multiple programs, coordinating sub-awards to local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, rape crisis centers, detention facilities, correctional institutions, academic institutions, and specialized service providers. Through these grants, DCJS has funded activities including forensic science improvements, juvenile justice system compliance, school safety and threat assessment systems, gun and gang violence reduction through Project Safe Neighborhoods initiatives, substance abuse treatment and aftercare services, victim assistance programs, legal services for prosecutors and public defenders through the John R. Justice Program, and training development for de-escalation and crisis intervention with persons in mental health crises. The agency also manages initiatives addressing opioid epidemic response, law enforcement wellness and suicide prevention, specialty courts including mental health and veterans treatment dockets, and data analysis projects through its Statistical Analysis Center to inform policy and evidence-based decision-making.