[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38598-38602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15649]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

[OJP (OJJDP)-1276]


Program Announcement for Training and Technical Assistance for 
National Innovations To Reduce Disproportionate Minority Confinement 
(The Deborah Ann Wysinger Memorial Program)

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

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
(OJJDP) is requesting applications for Training and Technical 
Assistance for National Innovations to Reduce Disproportionate Minority 
Confinement. The purpose of the training and technical assistance is to 
assist States as they plan, implement, and monitor their 
disproportionate minority confinement (DMC) initiatives. Addressing DMC 
is the fourth core protection in the State plan requirements under the 
Formula Grants program established in Part B of the Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended (Pub. L. 93-
415; 42 U.S.C. 5663). Section 223(a)(23) provides that States 
participating in the Formula Grants program must take steps to address 
the issue of DMC if it is found to exist in the State. OJJDP is issuing 
this competitive solicitation for innovative proposals to implement a 
national planning, training, technical assistance, and information 
dissemination initiative to assist States and local jurisdictions to 
address DMC as required by the JJDP Act.

DATES: Applications must be received by August 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Interested applicants can 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. (See ``Format'' and ``Delivery Instructions'' later in 
this announcement for instructions on application standards and the 
address to which applications must be sent.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail Olezene, Program Manager, Office 
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Phone: 202-305-9234 
[This is not a toll-free number].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose

    The purpose of this program is to provide States, territories, and 
the District of Columbia with training and technical assistance support 
to address disproportionate minority confinement (DMC), the subject of 
the fourth core protection of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended. The other core protections 
are deinstitutionalization of status offenders, removal of juveniles 
from adult jails and lockups, and sight and sound separation of 
juveniles from adult offenders in secure institutions.

Background

    The 1992 amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended, required States to take 
steps to address DMC as a condition for receipt of 25 percent of the 
State's Formula Grants program allocation, thus creating the fourth 
core protection of the JJDP Act (Section 223(a)(23)). The Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) issued regulations 
(28 CFR 31.303 (j)) requiring States participating in the Formula 
Grants program to collect and analyze data on DMC. States participating 
in the Formula Grants program address the DMC issue in three phases: 
identifying the extent to which DMC exists, assessing the reasons for 
DMC, and developing intervention plans to address those identified 
reasons. An OJJDP grant program was developed in 1991 to demonstrate 
model approaches in five competitively selected pilot States (Arizona, 
Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, and Oregon). Funds were also awarded to 
a national contractor to provide technical assistance to the pilot 
States and other States, to evaluate their efforts, and to share 
relevant information nationwide. By 1995, awards had been made to 
support 12 demonstration projects to test innovative interventions 
designed by States and local communities to address DMC.

[[Page 38599]]

    Additional technical assistance and training were initiated in 1996 
with the award of a cooperative agreement to develop curriculum and 
technical assistance materials to assist States in meeting the 
requirements of DMC. This new solicitation will build upon the products 
developed during the first phase of this national support effort and 
provide the structure and materials for intensive assistance to States. 
In addition to the National Training and Technical Assistance Project, 
initially funded in 1996, OJJDP supports Building Blocks for Youth, a 
program that approaches DMC from a comprehensive set of concepts 
(research, official decisionmaking, direct advocacy, constituency 
building, and communications strategies). This project, being 
implemented by the Youth Law Center, is funded in collaboration with 
the following national foundations: Edna McConnell Clark, California 
Wellness, Garland Howland Shaw, Rockefeller, John D. and Catherine T. 
MacArthur, William T. Grant, Annie E. Casey, Ford, Surnda, and the 
Public Welfare Foundation. Additional funders include the Center on 
Crime, Communities and Culture of the Open Society Institute and the 
Bureau of Justice Assistance in the Office of Justice Programs.
    In response to the requirements of section 223(a)(23), States are 
implementing or developing intervention plans to address DMC that 
include such elements as:
     Examining decisionmaking policies and practices of police, 
prosecutors, courts, and probation agencies to identify where racial 
disparities occur in the system.
     Increasing cultural diversity of program staff.
     Developing guidelines, such as detention criteria, that 
reduce or eliminate racial disparities.
     Providing support training for juvenile justice system 
personnel.
     Developing, supporting, and expanding delinquency 
prevention programs.
     Increasing the availability and improving the quality of 
diversion programs.
     Developing community-based alternatives to secure 
detention and incarceration.
     Reviewing and revising existing juvenile justice system 
policies and procedures.
    In spite of these efforts, overrepresentation of minority youth 
continues at levels more than twice the proportion of minority 
juveniles ages 12 to 17 in the general population and research 
findings, while not completely consistent, continue to document that 
data from most jurisdictions across the country show that minority 
youth are overrepresented within the juvenile justice system, 
particularly in secure facilities (Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention, 1999). These data further suggest that minority 
youth are more likely to be placed in public secure facilities, while 
white youth are more likely to be housed in private facilities, both 
secure and nonsecure, or diverted from the juvenile justice system. The 
1999 OJJDP Bulletin Minorities in the Juvenile Justice System 
summarizes research documenting that differences in the offending rates 
of white and minority youth cannot explain the minority 
overrepresentation in arrest, conviction, and incarceration counts. The 
Bulletin also documents substantial evidence that minority youth are 
often treated differently from nonminority youth in the juvenile 
justice system, with approximately two-thirds of the studies examined 
showing that racial and ethnic status influences decisionmaking in the 
juvenile justice system.
    While juvenile involvement in violent crimes is down and continuing 
to decrease, with less than one-half of 1 percent of juveniles in the 
United States arrested for a violent offense each year, more than 40 
States have changed their laws since 1995 to require or permit 
increased prosecutions of juveniles in the criminal justice system 
(Youth Law Center, 1999b). In virtually every State, the great weight 
of these punitive justice policies falls disproportionately on minority 
youth (Youth Law Center, 1999b). Black juveniles are overrepresented at 
all stages of the juvenile justice system compared with their 
proportion in the population (Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention, 1999). For example, while African American 
youth ages 10 to 17 are only 15 percent of the U.S. adolescent 
population, they account for 26 percent of juvenile arrests, 32 percent 
of delinquency referrals to juvenile courts, 41 percent of juveniles 
detained in delinquency cases, 46 percent of juveniles in correctional 
institutions, and 52 percent of juveniles transferred to adult criminal 
courts after judicial hearings (Youth Law Center, 1999b).
    The picture in many States reinforces disparate treatment for 
minority youth in secure confinement. Black males are six times more 
likely to be admitted to State juvenile facilities for crimes against 
persons than their white counterparts and 30 times more likely to be 
detained for drug offenses than white males (Youth Law Center, 1999b).
    Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report (Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999) further documents 
that minorities accounted for 34 percent of the juvenile population 
nationally and 67 percent of juveniles committed to public facilities 
nationwide--a proportion nearly twice that of their proportion in the 
juvenile population. Minority proportions were somewhat lower for youth 
committed to private facilities than to public facilities. In seven 
States, the minority proportion of the total population of juveniles in 
residential placement was 75 percent or greater.
    OJJDP efforts to date to assist States in addressing minority 
overrepresentation have yielded important lessons, such as: systemic, 
broad-based interventions that have continuity are necessary to reduce 
DMC; and each jurisdiction must assess the magnitude, extent, and 
nature of the disparity and plan to address those findings 
holistically. OJJDP recognizes the need to foster further development, 
documentation, and dissemination of effective strategies through 
planning, training and technical assistance, information dissemination, 
community coalition building, practical and targeted resource tools, 
and public education.
    To meet that need, OJJDP is issuing this competitive solicitation 
for innovative proposals to implement a 3-year national planning, 
training, technical assistance, and information dissemination 
initiative focused on disproportionate confinement of minority youth. 
An award of up to $300,000 will support this initiative in its first 
year.

Goal

    To assist States and local jurisdictions to reduce the 
overrepresentation of minority youth in secure detention and 
correctional facilities, jails, and lockups by providing jurisdictions 
with knowledge and expert assistance that will enable them to 
effectively address DMC in varying stages of the implementation phase 
as required by the JJDP Act.

Objectives

    The objectives of this training and technical assistance program 
are to:
     Identify key components of a State DMC strategic plan and 
develop tools and other materials that facilitate implementation of the 
plan.
     Develop and test effective assessment instruments that may 
be used by any State or jurisdiction in their ongoing data collection 
of DMC rates.
     Develop and utilize a full range of materials, 
curriculums, manuals, and

[[Page 38600]]

protocols that empower State program implementors to develop and 
implement effective programs, policies, and procedures that impact DMC.
     Develop and deliver information briefings to juvenile 
justice specialists, State Advisory Group (SAG) chairs, and selected 
OJJDP-funded grantees to raise levels of understanding about effective 
interventions and impediments to successful action.
     Assist key OJJDP grantees to incorporate DMC issues, 
practices, and policies into their training and education programs.
     Provide intensive technical assistance to assist States 
and local jurisdictions in developing the capacity to address and 
monitor DMC.
     Develop and disseminate public education and information 
materials that support advocacy of public and private interest groups 
in addressing DMC.
     Develop and disseminate uniform protocols for assessing 
problems to be addressed through technical assistance.
     Update and revise curriculums developed in the prior grant 
period to reflect changing assessments and needs.
     Identify and create an inventory of promising approaches 
that identify ``best practices'' for each key decision point in the 
juvenile justice system.

Program Strategy

    OJJDP will make a single award under a cooperative agreement. The 
purpose of this award is to assist States and local units of government 
to systematically and strategically address the disproportionate 
confinement of minority youth over a 3-year period. The grantee will 
accomplish this by doing the following: (1) Develop a DMC strategic 
plan that States may modify for their use; (2) develop data collection 
protocols with guidelines for States and jurisdictions to use in their 
continuing assessment of the progress of their DMC program; (3) develop 
a flow chart from point of entry to final disposition identifying the 
key decision points within each State to assist in prioritizing their 
DMC efforts, given the range of factors that would impact on full 
implementation of their DMC plan; (4) identify other resources that may 
assist States as they plan for implementation; (5) create a trainers' 
database with potential trainers on DMC that can be disseminated to all 
States and territories; (6) develop a checklist for OJJDP grantees that 
aids in identification of factors that impact DMC services delivered 
throughout the juvenile justice system; (7) provide intensive technical 
assistance to 5 to 10 States to assist with their efforts to address 
and monitor DMC; (8) identify ``best practices'' in programming to 
reduce DMC for each key decision point in the juvenile justice system; 
and (9) develop a ``formula'' for collaboration that involves each of 
the major players needed to develop and implement an effective DMC 
initiative at both the State and local levels.
    In addition to those identified above, the grantee will be 
responsible for the following deliverables over the 12-month project 
period.
     Implementation plan for this initiative.
     Diverse consultant pool with expertise in areas of 
community-based programming, public education, advocacy directly 
related to planning, systems change, collaboration, cultural 
sensitivity, juvenile justice issues, and other program areas as 
identified.
     Web site with online access to reference and referral 
resources.
     Consolidated inventory of training and technical 
assistance materials on DMC and an inventory of legislation that may 
impact DMC.
     Quarterly status reports in narrative form addressing the 
tasks accomplished, pending requests, and major objectives for the 
upcoming quarter.
     Annual report to include financial and programmatic 
overview.
     Coordination protocol to facilitate communication, shared 
planning, and scheduling of events related to the other OJJDP DMC 
grantees.
     Mechanism to inform States and local units of government 
of existing resources.
     Two workshops per program year for intensive technical 
assistance sites, and one for OJJDP grantees/contractors. The cost of 
materials, meeting space, and consultant fees will be paid by the 
grant.
     An inventory of promising approaches to address key 
decision points, unique to each State, that impact DMC.
     A review of previously developed curriculums for possible 
update or revision.
     A protocol to address the delivery of training and 
technical assistance to the States.
    Modifications may be proposed regarding the deliverables if 
assessments reveal new or different issues or obstacles or if any are 
determined not to meet the previously outlined objectives as 
effectively and efficiently as an alternative approach would. 
Sufficient explanation should be provided to permit assessment of the 
merits of the proposed change.

Guiding Principles

    Technical assistance and training will be developed consistent with 
the following principles:
     Support for empowerment of local communities to implement 
programs.
     Proactive and comprehensive planning.
     User-friendly and consumer-driven design.
     Commitment to uniform protocols for needs assessment, 
delivery of training and technical assistance, evaluation, tracking, 
and follow-up.
     Curriculum development based on adult learning theory and 
delivery of the curriculum within the context of an interactive 
structure.
     Coordination of effective and efficient use of expertise 
on a range of subject matter.
    The organizational capability of the national grantee must include:
     An established track record in delivery of technical 
assistance and training to the 50 States and territories.
     Demonstrated capability to produce a range of general and 
specific technical resource materials that are user friendly, but 
professionally presented within short time frames.
     A base consultant pool of experienced and seasoned experts 
in juvenile and criminal justice as well as in culturally competent 
programing, civil rights legislation, and community consensus building.
     An accounting and management structure capable of 
supporting and supervising a number of consultants and experts 
providing onsite assistance throughout the Nation.
     Identification and assignment of this project, immediately 
following award of the cooperative agreement, to an expert manager with 
demonstrated expertise in juvenile justice, experience with State and 
local agency program delivery structures, expertise in design and 
delivery of training and technical assistance, and experience in 
working with politically sensitive issues.
     Demonstrated ability to easily move funds for expeditious 
procurement and payment.
     A reproduction capability or plans for contractual access 
to such capability.
     Demonstrated capability to produce quality products and to 
maintain established performance schedules within established 
timeframes.

Scope of Work

    Applicants are expected to present a technical assistance design 
that incorporates these elements, while bringing innovation and 
cohesiveness to a strategy for the organization,

[[Page 38601]]

operation, and delivery of the training and technical assistance 
program.

Eligibility Requirements

    OJJDP invites applications from public and private agencies, 
organizations, institutions, or individuals. Private, for-profit 
organizations must agree to waive any profit or fees. Proposals are 
invited from organizations with demonstrated experience in the 
management of a national training and technical assistance effort and 
the capability to undertake activities related to this solicitation.

Selection Criteria

    The proposal will be evaluated on the organization's ability to 
develop the project design, project management, organizational 
capability, and the preparation of a summary budget with basic 
categories of expenditures. Site visits contribute to the overall 
assessment of the applicants' capability. OJJDP may conduct onsite 
interviews with the five organizations submitting the highest scoring 
applications for the purpose of confirming information provided in the 
proposal. A full application that addresses all the selection criteria 
listed below is required of applicants.

Problems To Be Addressed (10 points)

    Given the complexity of this issue and the focus of this 
initiative, applicants must clearly communicate the perceived needs of 
the project and their approach to responding to the ever-changing 
environment that surrounds this issue. The applicant must further 
convey understanding of the expected results of this effort, possible 
obstacles to their achievement, and strategies to deal with them.

Goals and Objectives (10 points)

    Applicants must provide succinct statements that demonstrate an 
understanding of the expected outcomes of each objective and elaborate 
on the methodology associated with the project tasks. The strategy to 
address each objective must be clearly defined and expressed in 
operational terms and be measurable.

Project Design (30 points)

    Applicants must present a project design that constitutes a 
measurable approach to meeting the goals and objectives of this 
program. The design must include a detailed implementation plan with 
time lines for each significant objective and program element that is 
directly linked to the achievement of the results sought in the 
project. The design must indicate how the requirements of each project 
objective and deliverable will be met and measured and include a 
cohesive, well-developed plan for providing knowledge, products, and 
best practices to States and selected OJJDP grantees. Of major 
importance is the specification of how systematic technical assistance 
will be provided to a targeted group of States that have requested 
intensive technical assistance in meeting DMC plan requirements.

Project Management (20 points)

    In addition to the basic project management structure, applicants 
should specifically describe coordination and collaboration efforts 
related to the project. Applicants' management structure and staffing 
must be adequate and appropriate for the successful implementation of 
the project. Competitiveness will be enhanced by applicants that can 
clearly demonstrate previous experience with culturally competent 
program efforts. Key personnel must be identified in the staffing 
pattern, along with resumes and a statement of availability. Assurances 
must be provided that they will be available to the project within a 
reasonable time following application. The core consultant pool must be 
identified, and resumes must be provided for these individuals along 
with a description of how they will be used.

Organizational Capability (15 points)

    Applicants must describe the organizational capability to 
effectively manage a national technical assistance and training 
program. They should indicate where this program will be placed within 
the organization's structure and explain the efficacy of this 
placement.

Budget (15 points)

    The budget should be planned over a 12-month project period. 
Applicants must provide a proposed budget that is complete, detailed, 
reasonable, allowable, and cost effective for the activities to be 
undertaken.

Format

    The narrative portion of this application must not exceed 30 pages 
in length (excluding forms, assurances, and appendixes) and must be 
submitted on 8\1/2\- by 11-inch paper, double spaced on one side of the 
paper in a standard 12-point font. These standards are necessary to 
maintain a fair and uniform standard among all applicants. If the 
narrative does not conform to these standards, the application will be 
ineligible for consideration.

Award Period

    This project will be funded for 3 years in 1-year budget periods. 
Funding after the first budget period depends on grantee performance, 
availability of funds, and other criteria established at the time of 
the award.

Award Amount

    Up to $300,000 is available to support award of a cooperative 
agreement to a single provider for the initial 1-year budget period.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

    For this program, the CFDA number, which is required on Standard 
Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance, is 16.542. This form is 
included in the OJJDP Application Kit, which can be obtained by calling 
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 (DOJ) 
is requiring applicants to provide information on the following: (1) 
Active Federal grant award(s) supporting this or related efforts, 
including awards from DOJ; (2) any pending application(s) for Federal 
funds for this or related efforts; and (3) plans for coordinating any 
funds described in items (1) or (2) with the funding sought by this 
application. For each Federal award, applicants must include the 
program or project title, the Federal grantor agency, the amount of the 
award, and a brief description of its purpose.
    The term ``related efforts'' is defined for these purposes as one 
of the following:
    1. Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposed award would 
supplement, expand, complement, or continue activities funded with 
other Federal grants).
    2. Another phase or component of the same program or project (e.g., 
to implement a planning effort funded by other Federal funds or to 
provide a substance abuse treatment or education component within a 
criminal justice project).
    3. Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance, research, or 
evaluation) to the program or project described in the application.

[[Page 38602]]

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. Faxed or e-mailed applications will 
not be accepted. Note: In the lower left hand corner of the envelope 
you must clearly mark ``Training and Technical Assistance for National 
Innovations To Reduce Disproportionate Minority Confinement.''

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 August 
7, 2000.

Contact

    For further information contact Gail Olezene, Program Manager, 
Training and Technical Assistance Division, 202-305-9234, or send an e-
mail inquiry to [email protected].

References

    Community Research Associates. 1997. Disproportionate Confinement 
of Minority Juveniles in Secure Facilities: 1996 National Report. 
Champaign, IL: Community Research Associates.
    Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 1999. 
Minorities in the Juvenile Justice System. Bulletin. Washington, DC: 
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
    Sickmund, M. and Snyder, H. 1999. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 
1999 National Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 
Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention.
    Youth Law Center. 1999a. Fact Sheet: The Federal Disproportionate 
Minority Confinement Mandate: Impact on African American and Latino 
Youth. Washington, DC: Youth Law Center.
    Youth Law Center. 1999b. Fact Sheet: Punitive Policies Hit Minority 
Youth Hardest. Washington, DC: Youth Law Center.

John J. Wilson,
Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 00-15649 Filed 6-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P