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Asheville, NC,– Buncombe County Justice Services has been selected to receive a $1.1 million grant by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to sustain its progress toward safely reducing Buncombe County’s jail population and addressing racial inequities in collaboration with community members. If approved and accepted by the Board of Commissioners, the grant will mark a total $4.65 million investment in Buncombe County to date as part of the Safety and Justice Challenge. The $323 million national initiative aims to reduce over-incarceration and eliminate racial inequities in local criminal justice systems by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.
The Safety and Justice Challenge is supporting local leaders, people most impacted by the justice system, and the broader community in Buncombe County to address one of the greatest drivers of over-incarceration in America – the misuse and overuse of jails.
Today, Buncombe County was one of 11 jurisdictions selected for additional funding based on the promise and progress of work to date. This new round of funding may provide Buncombe County Justice Services and partners with continued support and expert technical assistance to sustain key strategies that address the main drivers of pretrial incarceration and racial inequities in the local justice system.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to keep working with the MacArthur Foundation and the Safety Justice Challenge, and we look forward to preparing a recommendation for Board consideration,” says Justice Services Director Tiffany Iheanacho.
More information about the work underway in Buncombe County can be found here and at www.SafetyandJusticeChallenge.org.