§10251 General provisions

Summary

Defines key words people use in this chapter and lets state or local leaders pick public agencies to run programs. It also says the Office can update some word meanings using recent federal data. "criminal justice" — activities to prevent or deal with crime, like police, courts, corrections, and programs for drug or juvenile problems. "State" — the 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands; for section 10156(a) American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands count as one state and 67 percent of the money goes to American Samoa and 33 percent to the Northern Mariana Islands. "unit of local government" — cities, counties, towns, certain law enforcement or judicial districts with independent budget and tax power, Indian Tribes that do law enforcement, and for eligibility some DC or federal agencies that do law enforcement in DC or Trust Territories. "construction" — building, fixing, or adding to facilities and buying or installing initial equipment. "combination" — two or more States or local units working together on a program. "public agency" — any State, local unit, combination, or a department or instrumentality of them. "correctional facility" — a place that confines or helps rehabilitate offenders. "correctional facility project" — building or changing a prison or jail to reduce crowding or poor conditions. "criminal history information" — records used by law enforcement about arrests, charges, sentences, confinement, rehabilitation, and release. "evaluation" — studies to see if a project works. "neighborhood or community-based organizations" — local groups, including faith-based, that represent communities. "chief executive" — the top official of a State or local area. "cost of construction" — all needed construction expenses found necessary by the Director, including architect and engineering fees, but not land costs. "population" — total resident population based on Census data for the same time. "Attorney General" — the U.S. Attorney General or their designee. "court of last resort" — the State's highest final appellate court, or the highest court with rulemaking or administrative control when there are several. "institution of higher education" — as defined in title 20, section 1001, with possible Office adjustments. "white-collar crime" — illegal acts done by trickery or concealment to get money, property, or advantage. "proven effectiveness" — shown by performance and results to make a significant contribution to the goals. "record of proven success" — shown by evaluations or data to work in many places or over time. "high probability of improving the criminal justice system" — a reasonable review shows the idea likely would produce clear improvements. "correctional option" — nontraditional punishments like community incarceration, weekend or boot camp programs, electronic monitoring, or intensive probation. "boot camp prison" — a facility with strict discipline, physical training, hard work, and rehab plus education and job or drug help. "young offender" — a non-violent first-time or minor-record offender who is 22 years old or younger, including juveniles. "residential substance abuse treatment program" — a 6- to 12-month residential program separate from the general prison population that focuses on substance abuse and related skills. "Indian Tribe" — as defined in title 25, section 5304(e). "private person" — any individual or private business, group, or entity. "hearing examiner" — includes medical or claims examiners. "de-escalation" — actions or words to calm a potential use-of-force situation so less or no force is needed. "mental or behavioral health or suicidal crisis" — when someone's behavior risks self-harm or harm to others, stops them from caring for themselves or functioning, may involve drugs or alcohol, suicidal thoughts, or mental illness symptoms or strong emotional or behavioral reactions. "disability" — as defined in title 42, section 12102. "crisis intervention team" — a team of specially trained law enforcement, mental health workers, and community partners who respond to mental-health calls, use de-escalation, and decide on referrals or transport. "covered mental health professional" — a mental health worker on a crisis team who is either employed by a law enforcement agency or working under a legal agreement with one. Definitions should use the most recent Census and OMB data available ninety days before each fiscal year when appropriate, and the Office can change terms to match technical updates. A State or local chief executive may name one or more public agencies to run a program or project in whole or in part.