42 U.S.C. § 13703
Section 13703 · Violent offender incarceration grants
This is § 20103 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case Serino v. State (2003)
Most recently applied in Serino v. State (November 2003)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
To be eligible to receive a minimum grant under this section, a State shall submit an application to the Attorney General that provides assurances that the State has implemented, or will implement, correctional policies and programs, including truth-in-sentencing laws that ensure that violent offenders serve a substantial portion of the sentences imposed, that are designed to provide sufficiently severe punishment for violent offenders, including violent juvenile offenders, and that the prison time served is appropriately related to the determination that the inmate is a violent offender and for a period of time deemed necessary to protect the public.
A State that received a grant under subsection (a) of this section is eligible to receive additional grant amounts if such State demonstrates that the State has, since 1993—
(1) increased the percentage of persons arrested for a part 1 violent crime sentenced to prison; or
(2) increased the average prison time actually served or the average percent of sentence served by persons convicted of a part 1 violent crime.
Receipt of grant amounts under this subsection does not preclude eligibility for a grant under subsection (c) of this section.
A State that received a grant under subsection (a) of this section is eligible to receive additional grant amounts if such State demonstrates that the State has—
(1) since 1993, increased the percentage of persons arrested for a part 1 violent crime sentenced to prison, and has increased the average percent of sentence served by persons convicted of a part 1 violent crime; or
(2) has increased by 10 percent or more over the most recent 3-year period the number of new court commitments to prison of persons convicted of part 1 violent crimes.
Receipt of grant amounts under this subsection does not preclude eligibility for a grant under subsection (b) of this section.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Prior Provisions
A prior section 13703, Pub. L. 103–322, title II, §20103, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1817, related to Violent Offender Incarceration Grants prior to the general amendment of this part by Pub. L. 104–134.
Controlled Substance Testing and Intervention; Availability of Funds
Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, §101(a) [title I], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009–14, provided in part: “That beginning in fiscal year 1999, and thereafter, no funds shall be available to make grants to a State pursuant to section 20103 or section 20104 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 [42 U.S.C. 13703, 13704] unless no later than September 1, 1998, such State has implemented a program of controlled substance testing and intervention for appropriate categories of convicted offenders during periods of incarceration and criminal justice supervision, with sanctions including denial or revocation of release for positive controlled substance tests, consistent with guidelines issued by the Attorney General”.