CHARLESTON – Gov. Joe Manchin has awarded $6,907,391 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to 102 Justice Assistance Programs across the state. 
Among the recipients were two programs in Mineral County – The new Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program and the Mineral County Schools Resource Officer at Frankfort High School.
The Mineral County CASA program, under the jurisdiction of the Mineral County Family Resource Network, received $47,136, which will be used for personnel, training, and equipment.
Ginny Conrad, representing the FRN and CASA, traveled to Charleston and accepted the award from the Governor.
The Mineral County Commission received $30, 249 to keep Deputy R. Kam Jeffries at Frankfort.
The funds handed out
by the governor  are to assist state agencies, local units of government and private nonprofit agencies in carrying out specific programs that offer a high probability of improving the functioning of the criminal justice system.  Special emphasis is placed on multi-jurisdictional projects and statewide projects that seek to create and/or retain jobs in the criminal justice system in West Virginia.
“Our criminal justice system is a critical piece of our state’s infrastructure,” Manchin said. “We are constantly looking for ways to improve our justice system, and these stimulus dollars will help make programs across the state both more efficient and effective.”
ARRA funds for Justice Assistance Programs are awarded from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice.  The Division of Criminal Justice Services administers these funds.