[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 20 (Wednesday, January 30, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4646-4647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-2241]



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Part VI





Department of Justice





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Office of Justice Programs



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The Serious, Violent Offender Reentry Initiative; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 20 / Wednesday, January 30, 2002 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OJP(OJP)-1346]


The Serious, Violent Offender Reentry Initiative

AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Justice (DOJ) in partnership 
with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Labor 
(DOL), Department of Education (ED), Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD), and National Institute of Corrections (NIC), an 
agency of DOJ.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of 
Justice (DOJ) and its Federal partners, HHS, DOL, ED, HUD, and NIC, are 
requesting applications for the Serious, Violent Offender Reentry 
Initiative. This collaborative and comprehensive grant program is 
designed to address the issues related to violent offenders (adults and 
juveniles) who are to be released and who have been released from 
correctional facilities and are returning to communities nationwide. 
The program aims to reduce recidivism by these returning offenders and 
thereby, enhance community safety.

DATES: Applications must be received by Wednesday, May 15, 2002, by 
5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

ADDRESSES: All applications must be mailed or delivered to the Office 
of the Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, 810 7th 
Street, NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20531. Applicants are encouraged 
to use Federal Express, UPS, or similar service to ensure delivery by 
the due date as mail at OJP is still being delayed due to recent 
events. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DOJ Response Center at 1-800-421-6770 
for copies of the Serious, Violent Offender Reentry Initiative 
Application Package and for general information about the initiative. 
The Application Package can also be downloaded from OJP's Reentry Web 
site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/reentry/funding.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Why Focus On Returning Violent Offenders?

     According to OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the 
rate of incarceration of offenders in State and Federal prisons and 
local jails rose sharply throughout the country during the 1990s, 
climbing from 458 inmates for every 100,000 U.S. residents in 1990 to 
699 inmates per 100,000 residents by year-end 2000. In absolute numbers 
these rates represent an increase from 1.1 million men and women held 
in 1990 to over 1.9 million on December 31, 2000. (BJS, Allen J. Beck, 
Ph.D., and Paige M. Harrison, August 2001, Prisoners in 2000).
     Of the nearly 1.2 million prisoners held in State 
facilities, 48 percent were convicted of violent crimes. (BJS, Allen J. 
Beck, Ph.D., and Paige M. Harrison, August 2001, Prisoners in 2000).
     Growing numbers of these prisoners are being released into 
the community each year. In fact, there were more than 652,000 
offenders under State parole supervision across the country at year-end 
2000. Only 42 percent of State parole discharges in 2000 successfully 
completed their term of supervision, a percentage which has remained 
relatively unchanged since 1990. (BJS, October 2001, Timothy Hughes, 
Doris James Wilson, Allen J. Beck, Ph.D., Trends in State Parole, 1990-
2000).
     Most offenders currently lack any concrete, specific plans 
for their return.
     Correctional facilities are not prepared in many cases to 
provide programs and resources for successful reintegration (i.e., job 
development (interviewing, completing applications, vocational 
training), education, financial training, comprehensive mental health 
and substance abuse treatment, family counseling, and transitional and 
permanent housing.
     Due to overburdened and understaffed community corrections 
agencies, most offenders are not monitored on an intensive, day-to-day 
basis as they return to the community.
     Few jurisdictions have an established authority designed 
to continually assess the offenders' behavior and to mandate the 
coordination of services.

How Will the Reentry Initiative Address These Problems?

    The Serious, Violent Offender Reentry Initiative seeks to provide 
and coordinate the resources necessary to transition newly-released 
offenders into the community and to help them become productive, law-
abiding citizens. Preparing offenders for reentry must begin in the 
institutions. From there, a successful reintegration strategy requires 
providing a continuum of services and supervision as offenders 
transition back into the community, and providing a means of sustaining 
offenders in the community after they successfully complete their term 
of post-incarceration and criminal justice involvement. Accordingly, 
the Serious, Violent Offender Reentry Initiative is designed to address 
all three of these stages.
     Phase I: ``Making a Plan'' focuses on institutionally-
based programs that provide education, treatment, and life skills 
training for offenders while they are serving time in institutions and 
other correctional facilities;
     Phase II: ``Coming Home'' focuses on the community-based 
transition programs, services and supervision provided as the offenders 
reenter the community;
     Phase III: ``Staying Home'' focuses on community-based, 
long-term support by establishing networks of agencies and individuals 
in the neighborhoods who can assist offenders in remaining law-abiding 
citizens.

Who Is the Target Population?

    The Reentry Initiative seeks to focus reentry efforts on serious, 
violent offenders. Serious, violent offenders are defined as offenders 
convicted for a Part I violent crime or adjudicated delinquent for an 
act which if committed by an adult would be a Part I violent crime. A 
``Part I violent crime'' means murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, 
forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault as reported to the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of the Uniform Crime 
Reports.
    Within the target population of returning serious, violent 
offenders, applicant jurisdictions should select one or more of the 
following target age group(s) on which to focus their reentry programs:
     Youth (ages 14-17)
     Young Adult (ages 18-24)
     Adult (ages 25+)

Who Are Eligible Applicants?

    The Office of Justice Programs, in conjunction with its Federal 
partners, will provide funding for states, local jurisdictions, or 
tribal units of government to design, implement, enhance and evaluate 
reentry strategic plans for returning offenders in the defined age 
categories.
    To be eligible for funding, the state, local or tribal government 
applicant must have established and described in its application a 
partnership that includes all the relevant stakeholders including 
ranking officials from :
     Juvenile and/or adult justice agencies
     Courts
     Law enforcement
     Job training/workforce investment boards
     Community-based organizations
     Education agencies and institutions
     Substance abuse, mental health agencies, and

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     A local reentry program evaluator
    Applicants are also encouraged to collaborate with non-profit 
organizations, small, neighborhood-based organizations, and private 
foundations and faith-based groups.

What Are the Key Elements of a Reentry Strategy?

    Although the structure of the applicants' reentry strategies may 
vary depending on available resources and relevant laws and policies, 
successful applications will outline strategies that have the following 
elements or are in the process of developing them:
     Establishment of a clear and ongoing authority to hold the 
offender accountable so long as there is legal jurisdiction. Sanctions 
should be appropriate and graduated, including return to confinement 
status.
     Implementation of a detailed assessment process'forensic, 
educational, vocational, mental health, and substance abuse.
     Development of a reintegration plan that clearly addresses 
all issues identified in the assessment phase and becomes the guide by 
which the offender must manage reentry into the community.
     Utilization of existing community resources to implement 
the plan which affords continuity and availability of service delivery 
and ensures familiarity by the offender with the service system and 
also increases potential for sustainability of the program and the 
offender in the community.
     Application of graduated levels of supervision and 
sanctions to offenders such as highly structured housing, electronic 
monitoring, team supervision, and consistent and equitable responses to 
lack of compliance or reoffending.
     Involvement of local law enforcement, probation, parole, 
and the community in tracking the activities and behaviors of 
offenders.
     Utilization of community-based organizations, which 
include faith-based organizations, to mentor and provide services to 
the offenders.

Funding Strategy

    Each applicant will be required to identify Federal, State, and 
local resources that will be leveraged, redeployed and accessed to 
support the various components of their reentry programs-in 
institutions and/or in the community. Grant funds that will be made 
available through this Initiative will be used to fund the components 
of an applicant's program for which they have been unable to identify 
and/or obtain the necessary resources.
    Applicants can obtain online information, at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/reentry/funding.htm, to help them identify existing 
funding resources available from the Federal partners that could be 
leveraged to support the development and implementation of state and 
local reentry programs.

Upcoming Teleconference and Workshops About Reentry Grant 
Applications

    DOJ and its Federal partners plan to hold a national 
teleconference, as well as regional workshops, to provide information 
about applying for reentry grant funding. Information about these 
events will be posted on the OJP Reentry website once the dates have 
been finalized.

Note to Applicants for DOJ's Canceled Young Offender Initiative

    Applicants who responded to the previous Young Offender Initiative 
solicitation must reapply to receive funding under this solicitation. 
Those applications must conform to the requirements as described in the 
Serious, Violent Offender Reentry Initiative.

Deborah J. Daniels,
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs.
[FR Doc. 02-2241 Filed 1-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P