Justice Assistance Act of 1983

(Reported to Senate from the Committee on the Judiciary with amendment, S. Rept. 98-220)

Justice Assistance Act of 1983 - Amends title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Justice System Improvement) to eliminate the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, including the Office of Community Anti-Crime Programs and the Office of Justice Assistance, Research, and Statistics. Retains the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Institute of Justice. Establishes a new Office of Justice Assistance (OJA), to be headed by an Assistant Attorney General. Places the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics within the new Office of Justice Assistance.

Establishes a Justice Assistance Board to: (1) advise and make recommendations to the Assistant Attorney General on research, statistics and program priorities; (2) review and evaluate demonstration programs; and (3) undertake additional tasks the board deem necessary.

Establishes a Bureau of Justice Programs to develop and set priorities for technical assistance and training programs for State and local criminal justice agencies. Directs the Bureau to make grants to such agencies for programs that address critical problems of violent and serious crime and for programs which have been certified successful. Enumerates 12 purposes for the awarding of these grants.

Limits the Federal share of the grant programs to a period of three years and includes a cash match requirement.

Eliminates the current national priority grant programs.

Retains the discretionary grant program. Limits the purposes of discretionary grants to: (1) educational and training programs for criminal justice personnel; (2) the provision of technical assistance; and (3) national demonstration programs which are likely to be successful but unlikely to be funded.

Establishes within the Office of Justice Assistance a Bureau of Criminal Justice Facilities. Directs the Bureau to make grants to States for the construction and modernization of correctional facilities. Requires the Bureau to maintain a clearinghouse of public information on the subject. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to pay any State an interest subsidy for issuing criminal justice facility construction bonds.

Authorizes the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to develop and conduct programs for training State and local criminal justice personnel at the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish and conduct similar training programs at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, Georgia.

Authorizes the Attorney General to determine, upon application, that a State or local jurisdiction is a law enforcement emergency jurisdiction. Authorizes all Federal law enforcement agencies to provide emergency assistance to such a jurisdiction for the duration of the emergency.

Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through FY 1987.