The Arizona Department of Corrections' (ADC) FY 1998 grant application to the U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) has resulted in an award of 10.7 million dollars to the State of Arizona. The January 19, 1999 announcement by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, noted Arizona as one of the top recipients of funds nationally. SCAAP funds are appropriated annually by the United States Congress and awarded through the Department of Justice to state, county and local jurisdictions who incarcerate illegal aliens within their jails and prisons.

The 1999 award represents a Federal reimbursement of 22.79% of calculated annual routine incarceration costs ($46, 951,366) for illegal aliens under the custody of ADC during the 1998 fiscal year. The SCAAP giant process requires that ADC prepare an annual application which involves exact calculation of inmate bed days utilized for foreign born inmates with legal detainment and deportation orders issued through the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The ADC collects the necessary data, prepares the grant application and administers the transfer of funds from the Federal Government. Grant Funds are then transferred into the State General Fund to reimburse the State of Arizona for the previous fiscal year expenditures used for the incarceration of illegal aliens convicted of felony crimes and sentenced to Arizona State Prisons by the courts.

Since the inception of the SCAAP by the U. S. Congress in 1994, the ADC has obtained grant reimbursement funds through the U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the amount of 41.4 million dollars over rive fiscal years. This includes major awards as follows:

1994: $ 991,900
1995: $ 2,747,934
1996: $17,144,440
1997: $ 9,845,535
1998: $10,709,433
Total: $41,439,242

ADC's giant application efforts have resulted in a significant cost savings to the State of Arizona through obtained reimbursements under the SCAAP grant process.

Updated on August 05, 1999