Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today announced that New Mexico has been awarded over $1.64 million in grant funding through the through the U.S. Department of Justice for a variety of public safety initiatives.

"From drug courts to reducing DNA backlogs, the funding awarded today will help the state of New Mexico implement important public safety initiatives," Bingaman said.

The following grants were awarded to New Mexico:

• New Mexico Department of Corrections - $500,000: The New Mexico Department of Corrections will use these funds for a Prisoner Reentry Initiative.  The initiative will focus on providing reentry services for maximum-security prisoners within 18 months of release and provide a continuum of support and engagement for another 18 months in their home communities. Measurable outcomes for the target population will include decreased recidivism rates; increased access to substance abuse, mental health, and infectious diseases treatment; and enhanced educational and employment opportunities.
• New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts - $300,000: The New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) will use funds to continue the drug court program. Specifically, funding will be used to retain six full-time or part-time drug court administrative positions, purchase computers for probation and parole, and provide contractual treatment for 80 participants.
• New Mexico Attorney General's Office - $220,000: The New Mexico Attorney General's Office will use funds to implement an Environmental Crimes Project that will increase investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes in New Mexico by creating the position of Special Agent/Investigations Coordinator within the Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) of the Water, Environmental and Utilities Division of the New Mexico Attorney General's Office. The ECU is the only resource for investigating and prosecuting environmental crimes in New Mexico and it is currently without a Special Agent/Investigations Coordinator devoted solely to environmental crimes. This position will be funded for two years.
• New Mexico Attorney General's Office - $215,000: The New Mexico Attorney General, through the Border Violence Division (BVD), will create a special agent position assigned to the BVD to investigate human trafficking cases; provide expertise, technical support, and coordinate investigations with collaborative partners; develop information and intelligence; and assist with statewide trainings.  The BVD will provide direct assistance to local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutors addressing reports of human trafficking.
• New Mexico Department of Public Safety - $410,730: Funding will be used help the state to reduce forensic DNA sample turnaround times and DNA forensic casework backlogs.  Funding was awarded under DOJ's National Institute of Justice's Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program.

Bingaman helped secure the funding for the state-wide drug court program, prisoner reentry initiative, environmental crimes prosecution, and the New Mexico Attorney General's human trafficking task force as part of a FY 2010 spending bill.