ICJIA Releases FY21 Annual Report

To the Governor and Honorable Members of the General Assembly:

On behalf of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, I am pleased to present the FY21 Annual Report. This report features ICJIA’s work in Illinois criminal justice policy and planning, grants administration, research, and technology during the fiscal year. This year, ICJIA collaborated with criminal justice practitioners, the legislature, and local communities to begin to achieve a vision that meets the diverse needs of communities while advancing equity in the justice system, integrating anti-racist frameworks, and bringing authentic community voices and individual experiences into research and policy.

This year, ICJIA collaborated with criminal justice practitioners, the legislature, and local communities to begin to achieve a vision that meets the diverse needs of communities while advancing equity in the justice system, integrating anti-racist frameworks, and bringing authentic community voices and individual experiences into research and policy.

While the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for staff, ICJIA was able to operate at a capacity sufficient to administer much-needed funding and meet its other statutory requirements. The agency administered 23 state and federal grant programs in FY21, including the state’s Safe From the Start program, federal Victims of Crime and Violence Against Women acts, and the Community-Based Violence Prevention and Intervention grant program. More than 400 individual grants were processed, with $119 million in disbursements for the fiscal year. In addition, ICJIA led advancements in equitable grantmaking on a national scale as part of the National Criminal Justice Association Board and its Equity in Grantmaking Subcommittee.

ICJIA received a $35-million appropriation to administer the state’s cannabis-revenue-supported Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program during the fiscal year and released a notice of funding opportunity for organizations to apply for grant funds. Nearly 400 applications were received (an agency record), reviewed, and scored by criminal justice practitioners, community stakeholders, and formerly justice-involved individuals. ICJIA awarded grants totaling $31.5 million to 81 organizations to support service delivery and community assessment and planning initiatives. ICJIA also released an additional $3.5 in emergency summer violence prevention grants to provide enhanced services in an R3-supported public health response to increased violence.

Also in FY21, ICJIA’s 2020-2024 State Violence Prevention Plan was created to inform grant efforts to stop violence and promote safety; support children, youth, and families by emphasizing programs that foster social connectedness and belonging; address systemic inequities by increasing access to grants and other economic opportunities; support violence prevention programming that builds, supports, and sustains mentally and physically strong individuals, families, and communities; and promote collaboration across state, municipal, and community-based agencies with data and research support.

ICJIA continued to offer new and innovative grant application training and technical assistance to help smaller, less experienced organizations build capacity to successfully apply for, and become equipped to manage, a grant. In FY21, ICJIA contracted with University of Illinois-Springfield to create an online, module-based, and self-paced training program on how to successfully manage the grant process, create a budget and a program narrative, and what it means to comply with the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act.

In continuation of this work, ICJIA will be launching a new Institute 2 Innovate, or i2i, which will be a resource for prospective and new grantees to increase their capacity for grant management and program implementation and help them create a path to sustainability. These efforts empower organizations to leverage grant funding and create change in their communities.

We look forward to continuing our partnership with the criminal justice community, the legislature, and the general public to ensure the Illinois justice system is fair, equitable, efficient, and effective.

Delrice Adams, ICJIA Executive Director