CRS Report

"Firearms are one of the leading causes of deaths for law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the line of duty ... Since FY1999, Congress has provided funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to help them purchase armor vests for their officers through the Matching Grant Program for Law Enforcement Armor Vests (also referred to as the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Initiative, hereinafter “the BPV program”). Congress is considering legislation that would reauthorize the program through FY2018. S. 933, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2013, would, among other things, reauthorize the BPV program until FY2018" (p. 1). This report provides an overview of the BPV program and covers issues relevant to a debate regarding the reauthorization of BPV. Sections following a summary are: background; Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 933); authorization and appropriations; the use of armor vests by law enforcement; the life cycle of armor vests; effectiveness of armor vests; and selected issues for Congress.

This is essential reading for those people working or interested in offender reentry efforts. The report looks at correctional systems in the United States, the federal government's involvement in offender reentry programs, and the Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199). Sections of this report include: correctional system statistics-population in correctional facilities, offenders under community supervision, and recidivism; a brief literature review for offender reentry-offender reentry defined, and program effectiveness--the "What Works" literature; federal offender reentry programs-Department of Justice , other federal agencies, and coordination between federal agencies; and conclusion.