U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announces $600,734 grant from Justice Department for agencies, organizations to support youth

BILLINGS  — U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich today announced that the Department of Justice has awarded $600,734 to the state of Montana to fund agencies and organizations that support youth and their families.

The grant, administered by the Montana Board of Crime Control, is from the Fiscal Year 2023 Title II Formula Grants Program, the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention.

“This grant -- and the organizations it will support—serves an important role in our efforts to help prevent youth from ending up in our criminal justice system and to improve their chances for success if they do. While the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to hold people accountable for their criminal conduct, supporting at-risk youth and their families contributes to the overall public safety and well-being of Montana communities, which is why this grant is so important,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

Montana’s FY23 Title II program will support efforts to advance the mission of the Youth Justice Council, the state’s advisory group, to improve the juvenile justice system. The Montana Board of Crime Control intends to monitor compliance with the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, provide training and technical assistance, improve policies and procedures and award grants to evidence-based promising programs. The Youth Justice Council has prioritized community-based programs; delinquency programs; mentoring, counseling and training programs; school programs; mental health and substance use treatment; and Native American Tribal programs. These activities are expected to prevent delinquency, divert youth from system involvement, reduce recidivism, improve outcomes for youth involved in the justice system and increase public safety.

This grant serves hundreds of at-risk children and youth ages 0 to 17 each year. Many of these youth have experienced poverty, trauma, family dysfunction, substance use and mental health issues.

The Montana Board of Crime Control anticipates awarding funding to 14 agencies: Families First Learning Lab, Missoula; CASA of Missoula; Friendship House of Christian Service, Billings; YWCA of Missoula; Billings Public Schools; Center for Restorative Youth Justice, Kalispell; Chippewa Cree Tribal Court, Box Elder; Bitterroot Ecological Awareness Resources, Hamilton; Big Brothers Big Sisters, Butte, Yellowstone and Kalispell; and Boys and Girls Clubs, Havre, Missoula and Great Falls. The service area will cover eight counties, the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and portions of the Flathead Indian Reservation.

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