[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6512-6517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2927]



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Part IV





Department of Justice





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Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention



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Mental Health and Juvenile Justice: Building a Model for Effective 
Service Delivery; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

[OJP (OJJDP)-1259]
RIN 1121-ZB93


Mental Health and Juvenile Justice: Building a Model for 
Effective Service Delivery

AGENCY:  Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention, Justice.

ACTION:  Announcement of Discretionary Competitive Assistance Grant

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that the Office of Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention, pursuant to Public Law 105-277, October 19, 
1998, the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriation 
Act of 1999, is issuing a solicitation for applications from public or 
private agencies or organizations to engage in a variety of 
interrelated research activities designed to (1) improve knowledge 
about the nature and prevalence of mental health and co-occurring 
substance abuse disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system 
and (2) support the development of a comprehensive model for the 
provision of mental health services to this population.

DATES:  Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. ET on April 
10, 2000.

ADDRESSES:  Interested applicants must obtain an application kit from 
the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736. The application kit 
is also available at OJJDP's Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about/html#kit.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Karen Stern, Program Manager, 
Research and Program Development Division, Office of Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention (phone: 202-514-9395; e-mail: 
[email protected]). Douglas Dodge, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (phone: 202-616-3652; e-
mail: [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose

    The purpose of this initiative is to substantially improve 
knowledge about the nature and prevalence of mental health and co-
occurring substance abuse disorders among youth in the juvenile justice 
system and to develop and test a service delivery model based on 
theoretical and empirical information regarding best practices for 
meeting the needs of this population.

Overview

    With this program announcement, the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) initiates an effort to build on existing 
research and knowledge in the area of mental health and juvenile 
justice. This multi year research and development effort will examine 
current research and theoretical literature on mental health and 
related substance abuse issues among juvenile offenders; the 
relationship between mental health and juvenile delinquency; and best 
practices in the delivery of mental health treatment to the juvenile 
offender population. This initiative will also examine the prevalence 
of mental health disorders among youth who enter the juvenile justice 
system, particularly those in detention and secure corrections. 
Although juvenile justice administrators and practitioners typically--
and understandably--concern themselves with the most severely 
disordered youth, the intention of this initiative is to address the 
needs of youth with a broad range of mental disorders. This includes 
conditions, such as conduct disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder 
(PTSD), that are common in the juvenile justice population, but it also 
includes less frequently recognized conditions such as anxiety and 
depression. It is important to keep in mind that mild and easily 
treated conditions may evolve into severe and intractable disorders if 
left untreated. Although the focus of this initiative is on mental 
disorders, OJJDP recognizes that mental health and substance abuse 
disorders frequently co-occur, particularly in the delinquent 
population (Cocozza, 1992; Neighbors, Kempton, and Forehand, 1992). 
Therefore, information will also be obtained on the prevalence of 
substance abuse disorders that co-occur with mental health diagnoses. 
When the initial survey work has been completed, OJJDP will fund 
multiple demonstration sites to implement and evaluate a service 
delivery model derived from current theory and best practices. The 
demonstration program will be evaluated using an experimental design.
    This program announcement seeks applications for the first phase of 
this effort and will fund an organization that can effectively conduct 
the literature review described above, a survey of mental health and 
related substance abuse needs among juvenile justice youth in several 
jurisdictions, and a survey of selected juvenile justice system 
responses to meet those needs. The organization will then use the 
information gathered through these three strategies to develop a model 
of mental health service delivery for youth in the juvenile justice 
system. The information gathered during this process will be used to 
support a subsequent program announcement that will solicit sites for 
model demonstration and evaluation. The successful applicant for the 
first phase will also assist with the development of a research design 
for the demonstration sites.

Background

    After increasing for a number of years, the juvenile crime rate has 
been declining since 1995. ``Although the juvenile violent crime arrest 
rate increased more than 60 percent between 1988 and 1994, it decreased 
23 percent between 1994 and 1997. Similarly, the juvenile homicide 
arrest rate increased substantially between 1988 and 1993 but declined 
39 percent between 1993 and 1997'' (1998 OJJDP Annual Report, 1999, p. 
3). Although these trends are encouraging, juvenile offending continues 
to occur at a very high rate. A substantial portion of youth who are 
brought before the juvenile court are detained or placed in secure 
corrections. In 1996, 58 percent (983,100) of the youth referred to 
juvenile court were adjudicated delinquent. Twenty-eight percent 
(275,000) of these youth were sent to residential placement, an 
increase of 51 percent between 1987 and 1996. OJJDP's Census of 
Juveniles in Residential Placement (OJJDP, 1997) reported that on 
October 29, 1997, there were 105,790 juveniles committed by the court 
to out-of-home placements.
    Very little is known about the mental health needs of these youth. 
There has been no large-scale national investigation of mental 
disorders among juvenile offenders and the lack of methodological 
consistency across smaller prevalence studies often produces 
inconsistent results. A review of studies (Cocozza, 1992) found that 
between 14 percent and 20 percent of youth in the general population 
suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder at any given time. It is 
likely that the prevalence rates among the approximately 1.8 million 
youth who enter the juvenile justice system each year are even higher. 
In adult studies, the presence of both substance abuse and mental 
health problems increases the likelihood that an individual will engage 
in criminal and violent behavior. Although this correlation has not 
been clearly demonstrated in youth, many of the causes and correlates 
of juvenile

[[Page 6513]]

delinquency are similar to risk factors for developing mental health 
and substance abuse disorders.
    Since the mid-1990's, OJJDP has recognized the critical role that 
mental health problems play in the lives of youth caught up in the 
juvenile justice system. As a result, OJJDP has been working for 
several years on a number of efforts to increase knowledge and improve 
services in this area.
    OJJDP is supporting the GAINS Center on Co-Occurring Disorders in 
preparing an update of Cocozza's 1992 monograph Responding to the 
Mental Health Needs of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System. This 
update will provide important information on rates and trends of mental 
health and substance abuse disorders in the juvenile justice 
population, and identify programs and strategies for addressing these 
issues. OJJDP is also supporting the GAINS Center's efforts to provide 
training and technical assistance to States and localities on juveniles 
with comorbid substance abuse and mental health disorders through an 
interagency agreement with the National Institute of Corrections.
    OJJDP is providing support for two studies of mental health 
disorders in the juvenile justice population. Linda Teplin's 
longitudinal study of 1,800 detained youth in the Cook County (Chicago) 
Juvenile Detention Center is yielding important information on the 
prevalence and severity of mental health and substance abuse disorders 
among detained juveniles. Gail Wasserman is working with incarcerated 
youth in Illinois and New Jersey to test the utility of a self-
administered assessment instrument for identifying mental health 
disorders among youth in correctional settings.
    For the past 2 years, OJJDP has explored the potential value of the 
Community Assessment Center (CAC) concept. CAC's provide a 24-hour 
centralized point of intake and assessment for juveniles entering the 
juvenile justice system. Early identification of mental health and 
substance abuse disorders can enhance placement and treatment decisions 
for youth at the ``front end'' of the juvenile justice system.
    As part of OJJDP's Performance-Based Standards Demonstration 
Program, health/mental health standards and outcomes have been 
developed for the use of participating sites. The overall goal of the 
standards is to identify and effectively respond to the health and 
mental health needs of juveniles in confinement, using appropriate 
diagnostic, treatment, and prevention protocols.
    For several years, OJJDP has been working closely with other 
agencies in the Federal Government to increase capacity for meeting the 
mental health needs of juvenile offenders. OJJDP has been active in the 
Federal Partnership for Children's Mental Health, organized by the 
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services. For the past 2 years, through an 
interagency agreement with CMHS, OJJDP has supported the provision of 
training and technical assistance to the Comprehensive Community Mental 
Health Services for Children and Their Families sites. The goal of this 
training is to assist the sites in ensuring that their comprehensive 
systems of care include youth in the juvenile justice system. OJJDP 
continued this support in FY 1999 as CMHS rebid its training and 
technical assistance contract. CMHS' 45 sites, dedicated to developing 
comprehensive mental health services for seriously emotionally 
disturbed youth and their families, present an excellent opportunity 
for improving mental health service delivery to all children, including 
delinquent and at-risk youth.
    If there is a gap in the continuum of services being delivered 
under current programs funded by CMHS and others, it is the lack of 
mental health programming for juvenile offenders, particularly those in 
detention and secure corrections. In addition, for these incarcerated 
juveniles, the lack of aftercare or reentry programming is of 
particular concern. Although the lack of services may be most acute for 
juveniles in detention, secure corrections, and aftercare, OJJDP 
believes that the best strategy for closing these gaps is to develop a 
comprehensive model that will address the mental health needs of youth 
at every point in the juvenile justice system. To that end, OJJDP 
proposes to address these gaps by developing a research and 
demonstration effort that will (1) review what is known about theory 
and best practices in this area, (2) examine the prevalence of mental 
health and co-occurring substance abuse disorders in a sample of youth 
in the juvenile justice system, (3) document what services are 
available to meet the needs of this population, and (4) develop a model 
that incorporates existing theory and best practices to provide 
comprehensive mental health services to youth in the juvenile justice 
system. The model developed under this initiative will subsequently be 
used in a demonstration and evaluation project that will replicate and 
evaluate the model at several sites. The model will be evaluated using 
a variety of outcome measures to determine whether services are being 
provided in an appropriate, effective, and cost-efficient manner.

Goal

    The goal of this initiative is to improve knowledge about the 
nature and prevalence of mental health and co-occurring substance abuse 
disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system and to develop a 
model for the exemplary provision of mental health services for this 
population. The model will incorporate both current theory and best 
practices in the areas of screening, assessment, service provision, and 
quality assurance. The model should include youth at all stages of the 
juvenile justice system, including, but not limited to, arrest, intake, 
adjudication, detention, secure corrections, probation, and community-
based treatment. Ideally, this model will be used in a subsequent 
demonstration and evaluation project, which will replicate the model at 
two to five sites.

Objectives

    The objectives of this initiative are:
     To explore the research and theoretical literature related 
to the delivery of mental health services to youth in the juvenile 
justice system.
     To enhance the understanding of mental health service 
needs of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, including 
gender-specific differences in service needs.
     To increase the knowledge base regarding existing mental 
health service delivery systems in different parts of the country.
     To improve access to mental health services for youth in 
the juvenile justice system and to improve the quality and coordination 
of the services provided.
     To identify or create a model for the delivery of 
comprehensive mental health services to youth in the juvenile justice 
system.
     To identify model approaches to service delivery that will 
overcome interdisciplinary differences by fostering true collaboration 
between mental health and juvenile justice professionals.
     To increase the quality and cost-effectiveness of 
organizational structures for providing mental health services to youth 
at all levels of the juvenile justice system.

Program Strategy

    Melton and Pagliocca (1992) note that emotionally disturbed youth 
in the

[[Page 6514]]

juvenile justice system have many of the same mental health needs as 
emotionally disturbed youth in the general population. However, the 
identification of needs and the delivery of services to meet those 
needs pose unique challenges for the juvenile justice system. When 
designing and selecting programs for youth, juvenile justice 
administrators must consider a host of goals, including community 
safety, accountability, incapacitation, and retribution. Some of these 
goals may complicate or even conflict with the more traditional goals 
of mental health and substance abuse service delivery. For example, 
even if a juvenile's mental health needs might be better served by a 
community-based program, a judge may consider only residential options 
because of the severity of the youth's offense.
    In addition, treatment decisions may be inextricably linked to 
decisions about such weighty matters as diversion, incarceration, and 
juvenile transfer. It is also clear that processing by the juvenile 
justice system can be a traumatizing experience in and of itself. Some 
youth with no previous history of mental health problems may experience 
anxiety and depressive symptoms severe enough to require treatment as a 
result of detention or incarceration.
    Although ``the treatment needs of youth do not become magically 
transformed when they walk through the courthouse door'' (Melton and 
Pagliocca, 1992, p. 107), meeting those needs will require changes in 
the ways that both mental health and juvenile justice systems operate. 
Treatment and sanctions will need to be combined into a seamless system 
that provides both support and accountability. True interagency 
collaboration will be essential; these youth do not ``belong'' to one 
agency or another but are the shared responsibility of juvenile 
justice, mental health, education, child welfare, and any other 
institutions that serve the needs of children. Both mental health and 
juvenile justice practitioners will require training and assistance to 
understand and accept each other's views, goals, and practices.
    With this initiative, OJJDP will provide support to a grantee 
willing to engage in far-reaching efforts to gather empirical and 
theoretical information with the goal of developing an exemplary model 
of service delivery. The model ultimately created should encompass a 
wide variety of services, including, but not limited to, the following: 
psychological and psychiatric evaluation, psychotherapy, medication 
management, treatment planning, intensive case management, home-based 
treatment, family support services, day treatment, crisis intervention 
services, acute inpatient and residential psychiatric care, therapeutic 
group homes or foster care, and respite care. Ongoing quality assurance 
measures should be incorporated. The successful applicant will also 
need to address the issue of cultural sensitivity in both assessment 
and treatment. Assessments and treatments that are not performed in a 
culturally competent manner can produce misdiagnoses and lead to 
ineffective service provision.
    The system should be designed with the ultimate goal of 
reintegrating youthful offenders into the community. Successful 
reintegration will require that youth who leave the juvenile justice 
system continue to receive any necessary services (e.g., mental health, 
special education, vocational). Therefore, the model will need to 
address the design of linkages between the juvenile justice system and 
essential aftercare components. An important aspect of these linkages 
is how sensitive information can be transferred in a manner that 
fosters continuity of care while maintaining the youth's right to 
confidentiality. In addition, meeting the goal of effective 
reintegration will require high levels of family involvement. Family 
support--or its absence--contributes strongly to a youth's success or 
failure once he or she returns from incarceration.
    An applicant seeking funding under this initiative must address in 
the application and be willing to undertake, at a minimum, the tasks 
described below. Specific tasks may be contracted by the applicant to 
other agencies or individuals, but only with the express approval of 
OJJDP. An applicant that plans to use contractors in this manner should 
(1) clearly spell out the terms of the contract in the application and 
(2) address the qualifications of the contractor(s) selected to perform 
each task.

Task I: Literature Review

    The applicant must review the relevant literature from the fields 
of juvenile justice and mental health and any related fields such as 
substance abuse, criminology, sociology, etc. The purpose of this 
review is to identify and evaluate both research and theoretical 
publications related to the mental health needs of youth in the 
juvenile justice system. Articles addressing the provision of mental 
health and related substance abuse services to this population are 
especially pertinent. The applicant may also want to consult literature 
from the educational and child welfare fields. Like juvenile justice, 
these fields have also struggled to recognize and address the mental 
health needs of children and adolescents. Because of the over 
representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, the 
literature review will also need to address the issue of cultural 
sensitivity in providing services to this population. Additionally, 
because of the different needs of females in the juvenile justice 
system, the literature review should also address the issue of gender-
specific services.
    The applicant should provide a report, suitable for publication as 
an OJJDP Bulletin, that synthesizes the relevant literature. Emphasis 
should be placed on any publications that can contribute to the 
development of a service delivery model. Gaps in the existing 
literature should also be identified.

Task II: Survey of Mental Health Needs and Services

    Although many researchers have speculated that youth in the 
juvenile justice system are an under served population with a high 
level of need, few studies have provided hard data to support or 
contradict this contention. Linda Teplin in Chicago and Gail Wasserman 
in New York are currently studying this issue. However, their data are 
limited to populations in large urban centers. Several States, 
including Colorado and Virginia, have gathered additional data during 
brief (1 week), intensive surveys, with the goal of informing State 
policy and legislation.
    For the purposes of this initiative, the applicant should be 
prepared to conduct three similar surveys in the understudied areas of 
the South, Southwest, and rural Northwest. Surveys should be conducted 
within some naturally occurring boundary such as a State, county, 
district, or parish. Surveys should involve a variety of juvenile 
justice facilities within that boundary; at a minimum, a juvenile 
detention center, a secure correctional facility, and a community-based 
program. For each facility, the applicant will examine (1) the mental 
health status of youth in the facility, (2) the mental health and 
related substance abuse services available to these youth, and (3) the 
number of youth actually receiving these services. The applicant should 
also explore the continuity of care provided. For example: Do youth who 
receive psychological assessment also receive treatment based on 
identified needs? Do those receiving therapy within the institution 
also have written plans for aftercare? The applicant may also wish to 
examine

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youth and family satisfaction with the services received.
    To obtain this information, the applicant will need to review both 
individual and facility records. However, as noted in Mental Health 
Needs of Youth in Virginia's Juvenile Detention Centers (U.S. 
Department of Justice, 1994), information contained in detention center 
records is often ``abysmally weak,'' underestimating both the number of 
youth in need of services as well as the number of youth who have 
previously received services. Therefore, in assessing a youth's mental 
health status, the applicant will want to consider the use of 
structured interviews or self-administered diagnostic inventories. 
Given financial and time constraints, it is understood that in-depth 
psychiatric interviews or psychological assessments may not be 
possible. For an example of a well-constructed study of this nature, 
the applicant is encouraged to obtain a copy of the Virginia report 
from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 800-851-3420.
    For the purposes of the application, the applicant should identify 
and discuss the following: (1) Where the surveys will be conducted; (2) 
what methods will be used to collect data (e.g., self-report 
inventories, interviews, record reviews); and (3) what information will 
be obtained. Copies of all instruments or recording forms that will be 
used to collect data should be included in the application. The 
applicant should justify the selection of particular sites and the 
choice of instruments. If the applicant decides to create its own 
instruments for the site visits, a detailed description of the 
instrument development process should be included.
    The applicant should also be prepared to document the research 
results in a report suitable for publication as an OJJDP Bulletin.

Task III: Identification of Best Practices

    The applicant should be prepared to make between six and nine site 
visits to localities that are focusing their efforts on meeting the 
mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system. Locations 
might include CMHS Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for 
Children and Their Families Program sites such as ``WrapAround 
Milwaukee'', which incorporates delinquent youth into its system of 
care. Alternatively, the applicant could visit one of the three 
juvenile sites under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's 
Criminal Justice Treatment Networks, a program which seeks to forge a 
seamless system of juvenile justice, substance abuse, mental health, 
health, and human services. The applicant should also consider visiting 
sites that are not part of a Federal demonstration project but have 
mobilized State and local resources in innovative and effective ways.
    OJJDP recommends that the applicant visit a combination of large 
and small sites, preferably in several different areas of the country. 
It is possible that some appropriate sites may be identified through 
the literature review described in Task I. Therefore, the applicant may 
choose to provide only a partial list of sites in the initial 
application. If the applicant chooses this approach, it should clearly 
specify the criteria that will be used to select additional sites. A 
final list of sites should be submitted to OJJDP for approval within 3 
months of receipt of the grant award.
    In addition to the list of sites, the application should include a 
site visit protocol. The protocol should identify individuals who will 
be interviewed (e.g., agency directors, program directors, key program 
staff, juvenile court judges, probation officers, family members, etc.) 
and the type of information that will be obtained. Consideration should 
be given to tours of facilities and collection of written program 
materials. Areas which should be explored include, but are not limited 
to, history of the program; legislation that has positively or 
adversely affected the program; interdisciplinary barriers that were 
identified and overcome; program goals and objectives; program 
structure, components, and operations; program implementation; 
characteristics of youth (and families) served by the program; costs 
and funding sources; information-sharing protocols; management 
information system (MIS) support; quality assurance measures; outcome 
data; barriers to full and effective implementation; keys to program 
success; and future planning efforts.
    The purpose of these site visits is to identify extant models for 
delivering mental health and related substance abuse services to youth 
in the juvenile justice system. The applicant should provide a report 
of the site visit results, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of 
the service systems reviewed.
    The applicant should also be prepared to document the site visit 
results in a report suitable for publication as an OJJDP Bulletin.

Task IV: Model Development

    Using the information gathered during Tasks I, II, and III, the 
applicant will construct a detailed, comprehensive model for delivering 
a broad array of mental health services to youth in the juvenile 
justice system. The model should be flexible enough to be readily 
adapted to a variety of sites. However, any limitations on the model's 
adaptability should be identified. (For example, the model may not be 
applicable to very young offenders, i.e., those under 12 years old.)
    Applicants should consider the delivery of services at various key 
points in the juvenile justice system, including (but not necessarily 
limited to) arrest, detention, adjudication, disposition, secure 
corrections, community placement, and probation. Applicants should 
outline the steps necessary to implement the model, giving some 
consideration to issues of resource acquisition, development, and 
maintenance; collaboration among existing agencies, institutions, and 
programs; and the need for political support. Applicants should present 
possible strategies for sustaining the model under changing political 
or financial conditions. Relevant legislation that might promote or 
inhibit implementation of the model should be cited.
    The model ideally will involve a high degree of coordination and 
integration, so that the needs of youth are appropriately met as they 
move through the different levels of the juvenile justice system. In 
order to accomplish this goal, it may be necessary for sensitive 
information to be shared among various service providers. The applicant 
should address how confidentiality will be appropriately maintained 
throughout this process. One traditional way of coordinating care is to 
assign an intensive case manager who will follow the youth throughout 
his or her time in the juvenile justice system. However, there may be 
other, equally effective ways of accomplishing the same purpose, and 
applicants are encouraged to think creatively.
    It should be kept in mind that the ultimate goal of providing 
services is to reintegrate the youth back into the community and ensure 
that he or she becomes a healthy, productive, and successful member of 
society. Therefore, the model should address how continuity will be 
maintained between services provided within the juvenile justice system 
and those provided once a youth is no longer involved with the system. 
In linking services within and outside the juvenile justice system, it 
will also be important to consider how the confidentiality of the youth 
and family can be maintained without

[[Page 6516]]

unnecessarily impeding the continuity of treatment.

Task V: Expert Panel and Model Refinement

    Once an initial draft of the model has been prepared, the applicant 
will convene a panel of relevant subject matter experts to review and 
evaluate the model. The applicant should include a proposed list of 
experts in the application. In addition to subject matter experts, the 
panel should include at least one youth who has been involved in the 
juvenile justice system and family members of youth in the juvenile 
justice system. If possible, resumes of agreement from the proposed 
panelists should be included in an appendix. All panel members must be 
approved by OJJDP, and the agency may recommend additional panel 
members at the time of the grant award. The applicant will need to 
include in the budget the costs associated with convening the expert 
panel.
    Based on the recommendations of the expert panel, the applicant 
will revise the model as necessary. The final version of the model will 
be presented in a report suitable for OJJDP publication.

Products

    The grantee will produce the following deliverables, as described 
in Tasks I, II, III, and V, above, all of which must be suitable for 
publication by OJJDP:
     A report that synthesizes the relevant literature from the 
fields of juvenile justice and mental health and any related fields 
such as substance abuse, criminology, sociology, etc. (Task I)
     A report that documents the results of the surveys 
described in Task II. In addition, this report should compare the data 
obtained from this project with similar data reported in the 
literature. (Task II)
     A report that documents the results of the site visits 
described in Task III. This report should highlight the strengths and 
weaknesses of the service systems visited. (Task III)
     A report that describes in detail the comprehensive model 
for delivery of mental health and substance abuse services to youth in 
the juvenile justice system. This report should also describe how the 
work of Tasks I through V contributed to the development of the model. 
In addition, any recommendations or concerns regarding the 
implementation of the model should be clearly spelled out.
    The application should contain a description of all products that 
will derive from the project, including, but not necessarily limited 
to, the reports described above. The grantee should also be prepared to 
produce a final report that provides an overview of the entire project. 
Applicants are also strongly encouraged to consider submitting their 
results for publication in refereed journals.

Eligibility Requirements

    OJJDP invites applications from public or private agencies or 
organizations with a demonstrated capacity to carry out the 
requirements of this initiative. Private, for-profit organizations must 
agree to waive any profit or fee. The organization must have 
demonstrated experience in conducting extensive literature reviews, 
conducting in-depth sample surveys of juvenile or criminal justice 
offenders and facilities, carrying out research and program 
development, and writing reports. Funding will not be provided at this 
stage for demonstration sites or for sites whose primary function is 
the provision of mental health and substance abuse services. In the 
case of joint applications, one applicant must be clearly indicated as 
primary (for correspondence and award purposes) and the other(s) listed 
as coapplicants. If contractors will be used for specific project 
tasks, evidence of their qualifications and willingness to undertake 
the specified task(s) should be provided.

Selection Criteria

    Applications will be evaluated and rated by a peer review panel 
according to the criteria outlined below. In addition, the extent to 
which the project narrative makes clear and logical connections among 
the components listed below will be considered in assessing a project's 
merits.

Problem(s) To Be Addressed (10 points)

    Applicants must include in the project narrative a clear 
description of the problem(s) to be addressed by the development of a 
comprehensive model for mental health service delivery within the 
juvenile justice system. Applicants should provide a discussion of any 
previous or current efforts in this area and any relevant research.

Goals and Objectives (10 points)

    The application must include goals and objectives that are clear, 
concrete, and relevant to the field of juvenile justice. Goals should 
derive directly from the problems to be addressed. Objectives should 
consist of clearly defined, measurable tasks that will enable the 
applicant to achieve the goals of the project.

Project Design (20 points)

    The application should present in detail the design and methodology 
of the project. Design elements should follow directly from the 
project's goals and objectives. Applicants should address the 
requirements of the solicitation, particularly Tasks I through V as 
described under ``Program Strategy.'' Applicants should also describe 
how the work undertaken in the various tasks fits together and 
contributes to the overall goals of the project.
    Where data collection is anticipated, the applicant should describe 
in detail the research strategy, demonstrating adequate understanding 
of reliability and validity issues.

Project Implementation Plan (20 points)

    The application must include a detailed time/task outline that 
indicates when specific tasks will be initiated and completed. This 
time line must include, at a minimum, significant milestones in the 
project and product due dates. The time line should be referenced as 
appropriate in the narrative but should also be placed in appendix A of 
the application.

Project Management (15 points)

    Applicants must demonstrate the existence of a management structure 
that will support the achievement of the project's goals and objectives 
in an efficient and cost-effective manner. In particular, applicants 
must ensure that the tasks delineated in the project time line (see 
``Project Implementation,'' above) are adequately staffed. Applicants 
must also demonstrate that staff members have sufficient substantive 
expertise and technical experience to perform the tasks associated with 
the project.
    Resumes for key staff members, including any contractors, should be 
included in appendix B.

Organizational Capability (15 points)

    Applicants should also demonstrate the organizational capacity to 
complete the work described in the ``Project Design'' section. The 
applicant should include a description of any similar projects it has 
undertaken previously. Applicants should also demonstrate knowledge and 
experience related to juvenile justice and mental health issues. In 
addition, applicants should provide evidence of their ability to work 
collaboratively with juvenile justice system practitioners and service

[[Page 6517]]

providers, ideally in the context of research investigations. Any 
applicable letters of cooperation or support should be included in 
appendix C.

Budget (10 points)

    Applicants must provide a proposed budget that is complete, 
detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost-effective in relation to the 
activities to be undertaken. All budgeted costs should be directly 
related to the achievement of project goals and objectives. A brief 
budget narrative should be included in this section.

Award Period

    The project period and budget period will be 18 months.

Award Amount

    Up to $1 million is available for an 18-month award to one grantee 
to develop a model of mental health service delivery for youth in the 
juvenile justice system. The applicant selected for this award will not 
be eligible to compete for any subsequent demonstration and evaluation 
grants associated with implementation of the model.

Format

    Applicants must submit a program narrative of no more than 30 
pages. This page limit does not include the abstract, budget narrative, 
appendixes, application forms, or assurances. Appendix A should contain 
the project's time line with dates for initiation and completion of 
critical project tasks. Appendix B should contain the resumes for the 
principal investigator and key staff members. Appendix C should include 
all necessary letters of cooperation or support.
    The narrative portion of the application must be submitted on 8\1/
2\-by 11-inch paper using a standard 12-point font. The application 
should be double spaced and printed on one side of the paper only. 
Single-spaced (or 1\1/2\-spaced) applications will not be accepted. 
Margins should be at least 1 inch on the top, bottom, and sides of each 
page. The narrative should be preceded by an abstract with a maximum 
length of 400 words.
    These requirements are necessary to maintain a fair and uniform set 
of standards among all applicants. If the application fails to conform 
to these standards, it will be rejected without further review.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

    The CFDA number, required on Standard Form 424, ``Application 
for Federal Assistance,'' is 16.542. Standard Form 424 is included 
in OJJDP's Application Kit, which can be obtained by contacting the 
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736 or sending an e-mail 
request to [email protected]. The Application Kit is also available 
online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit.

Coordination of Federal Efforts

    To encourage better coordination among Federal agencies in 
addressing State and local needs, the U.S. Department of Justice is 
requesting applicants to provide information on the following: (1) 
Active Federal grant awards supporting this project or related efforts, 
including other awards from the Department of Justice; (2) any pending 
applications for Federal funds for this or related efforts; and (3) 
plans for coordinating any funds described in items (1) and (2) with 
the funding requested in this application. For each Federal award, 
applicants must include the program or project title, the Federal 
granting agency, the amount of the award, and a brief description of 
its purpose.
    ``Related efforts'' is defined for these purposes as one of the 
following:
     Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposed project 
would supplement, expand, complement, or continue activities funded 
with other Federal grants).
     Another phase or component of the same program or project 
(e.g., to implement a planning effort funded by other Federal monies or 
to provide a substance abuse treatment or educational component within 
an existing juvenile justice project).
     Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance, 
research, or evaluation) to the program or project described in the 
application.

Delivery Instructions

    All application packages should be mailed or delivered to the 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o Juvenile 
Justice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K, 
Rockville, MD 20850; 301-519-5535. Note: In the lower left-hand corner 
of the envelope, the applicant must clearly write ``Mental Health and 
Juvenile Justice: Building a Model for Service Delivery.''

Due Date

    Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the original and five 
copies of the application package are received by 5 p.m. ET on April 
10, 2000.

Contact

    For further information, call Karen Stern, Program Manager, 
Research and Program Development Division, 202-514-9395 or send an e-
mail inquiry to [email protected]. Alternatively, you may contact 
Douglas Dodge, Senior Policy Advisor, 202-616-3652, or send an e-mail 
inquiry to [email protected].

References

    Cocozza, J. J., ed. 1992. Responding to the Mental Health Needs 
of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System. Seattle, WA: The National 
Coalition for the Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System.
    Melton, G.B., and Pagliocca, P.M. 1992. Treatment in the 
juvenile justice system: Directions for policy and practice. In 
Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Youth in the Juvenile 
Justice System, edited by J.J. Cocozza. Seattle, WA: The National 
Coalition for the Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System.
    Neighbors, B., Kempton, T., Forehand, R. 1992. Co-Occurrence of 
substance abuse with conduct, anxiety and depression disorders in 
juvenile delinquents. Addictive Behaviors 17:379-386.
    Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 1998. 
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement 1997. Washington, DC: 
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
    Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 1999. 
OJJDP Annual Report [1998]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention.
    Report of the Policy Design Team. 1994. Mental Health Needs of 
Youth in Virginia's Juvenile Detention Centers. Washington, DC: U.S. 
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National 
Institute of Justice.

    Dated: February 2, 2000.
Shay Bilchik,
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
[FR Doc. 00-2927 Filed 2-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-19-P