[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 246 (Friday, December 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77067-77069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21978]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Transition From Jail to 
the Community (TJC)

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, Department of Justice.

ACTION: Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of 
Corrections (NIC) announces the availability of funds in FY 2007 for a 
cooperative agreement to initiate the project ``Transition From Jail to 
the Community'' (TJC). A cooperative agreement is a form of assistance 
relationship where NIC is substantially involved during the performance 
of the award. An award will be made to an organization who will, in 
concert with NIC, identify the method and approach in developing a 
jail/community transition program.
    An 18-month cooperative agreement award will be made to an 
organization that will help NIC design a jail/community transition 
model that will enhance the likelihood that persons released from jails 
do not commit crimes following release. Ultimately, the transition 
model will be implemented in a limited number of localities, the impact 
will be evaluated and knowledge will be shared broadly about what has 
been learned through focused assistance to those jurisdictions. During 
the initial award, the model will be developed, and two jurisdictions 
will be selected to begin testing it before expanding assistance (phase 
II) to include approximately four additional jurisdictions. Depending 
on the successful applicant's work plan, it is anticipated that phase 
II work will begin as a late task during this initial award or as an 
early task in what, future funding permitting, will be a subsequent 
implementation award to the same or different cooperative agreement 
awardee. No local jurisdictions have been identified as participants. 
NIC will make participant selections with the awardee at an appropriate 
point in the approved work plan. NIC views this effort as a 
comprehensive system change effort that could reasonably take 
jurisdictions at least two years to implement.

DATES: The application must be received by 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 
1, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to: Director, National 
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street, NW., Room

[[Page 77068]]

5007, Washington, DC 20534. Applicants are encouraged to use Federal 
Express, UPS, or similar service to ensure delivery by the due date as 
U.S. Mail at NIC is still being delayed due to recent events.
    Hand delivered applications should be brought to 500 First Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20534. At the front desk, call (202) 307-3106, 
extension 0 for pickup.
    Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement and the 
required application forms can be downloaded from the NIC Web page at 
http://www.nicic.org. Hard copies of the announcement can be obtained 
by calling Rita Rippetoe at 1-800-995-6423 x 44222 or e-mail 
[email protected].
    All technical or programmatic questions concerning this 
announcement should be directed to Kermit Humphries, Correctional 
Program Specialist, National Institute of Corrections. He can be 
reached by calling 800-995-6423 extension 40118 or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Overview: Jail populations are comprised of accused, convicted but 
unsentenced, and sentenced individuals, including holds for agencies 
like parole/probation, immigration and so on. It is a population of 
individuals who often also appear on the roles of other agencies 
providing services for mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, 
unemployment, social services and a variety of medical and public 
health concerns. And upon release it is extremely likely that they will 
remain in the community where the jail is located. Therefore, it is in 
the community's interest that needs and challenges presented by 
individuals in jail be addressed effectively, and that ultimate 
``ownership'' of their behavior rests not just with the jail but with 
the community and its agencies in general.
    Transition or reentry is not an issue that can or should be 
addressed exclusively by jail administrators. Safety and security of 
staff and confined individuals always must be paramount 
responsibilities for jail administrators. But partnering with resources 
and expertise from outside the institutions dramatically increases 
opportunities for success once individuals are released. Some 
communities include pre-trial diversion and/or release as important 
components of their transition/reentry strategies. Effective transition 
relies on collaboration with public human services agencies and non-
profit and faith organizations. It also relies on assessment of risk 
and need and evidence-based practices to guide targeted case planning, 
Examples of jail/community partnerships are evident around the country. 
This NIC initiative recognizes that our resources permit direct 
assistance to only a very few jurisdictions and that indeed many jails 
in the country are not currently in a position to apply in any event. 
Therefore, products from this initiative will be developed to share 
what is learned with other jails/communities for their future 
consideration and use.
    Background: NIC has been funding a Transition from Prison to the 
Community (TPC) initiative since FY 2000. Recognizing that most persons 
in custody will be released in a relatively brief time, and most are 
``clients'' of both corrections and other publicaly funded agencies/
providers, corrections and human service functions are working jointly 
to better prepare offenders and communities for the inevitable release 
from confinement. ``Reentry'' and ``transition'' are the two terms 
commonly used to describe the numerous activities and programs. Most of 
the funding has been directed toward state prisoner populations, but 
there is a growing awareness that transition principles and benefits 
apply equally to local jails and the communities they serve, and that 
in some ways it is likely that improved offender outcomes are more 
readily achievable at the local level. Successful reentry is paramount 
to improving the safety of our communities and breaking the cycle of 
recidivism. Collaboration between jails and the myriad of community-
based services related to health, mental health, job skills 
development, transportation, identification, housing, faith 
communities, and employment are crucial to achieving system change at 
the community level. Five sets of information are available as 
background material for potential applicants:
     TPC has a growing set of information and knowledge that 
should inform the jail/community initiative.
     A selected practitioner group was brought together (April 
18-19, 2006) to provide feedback for NIC's use in further developing 
our jail/community concept and approach. The person who documented the 
practitioner meeting also summarized the Urban Institute Roundtable 
(last bullet in this section) using a consistent format.
     NIC Correctional Specialist Jim Barbee has prepared a 
document called: ``Jail Transition--Contextual Information''.
     Gender responsive programming requires special attention. 
Two documents concerning women offenders are identified.
     In June 2006 the Urban Institute conducted a Jail Reentry 
Roundtable. The meeting summary and commissioned papers are available.
    All background material cited above may be accessed at http://community.nicic.org/blogs/nic/archive/2006/12/13/TJC.aspx. Those 
requiring hard copies of the documents may contact the NIC Information 
Center at 1-800-877-1461 and request that copies be mailed.
    There are at least two primary views regarding the jail's role in 
transition:
     Jail focused reaching out to community resources--This 
perspective focuses on a time frame beginning at admission to the jail 
and may reach out for community agencies/interests to be involved in 
the work the jail is doing.
     Community focused with Jail as the primary resource--This 
perspective focuses on community responses to persons in jail and is 
intended to minimize their future negative impact on the community. 
This perspective places the jail as the primary agency of local system 
operations, but sees it as but one of the community resources along 
with detox, diversion, mental health, housing, active involvement in 
post-release * * * and so on. It acknowledges the jail as the center 
(and perhaps leader) of most reentry activities, but aggressively 
involves legitimate collaborative partners along the continuum defined 
by a given community--which might begin before booking into the jail. 
It might be said that the jail is first among equals with its community 
partners. Conceptually, the inmate resides in the jail but ``belongs'' 
to the community.
    This NIC initiative is primarily driven by the second approach, but 
recognizes that complexity of jail populations and functions often 
requires different approaches for distinct groups. The applications 
need to address likely differences and approaches and how they would be 
addressed in the development of the TJC model.
    Purpose: Public safety through reduced crimes committed following 
release from jail is the primary value that drives this work. This 
initiative is to establish through organizational policy and procedure 
a model approach for transitioning individuals from jail back into 
their communities. The model will bring together jail and community 
leaders with human service providers, faith based programs, criminal 
justice decisionmakers and practitioners, elected officials and other 
interested

[[Page 77069]]

parties for joint development of policies and procedures affecting the 
custody, release, and supervision of individuals targeted for this 
transition initiative.
    Scope of Work and Specific Requirements: Goals of the TJC include 
(1) Improved public safety by reducing the threat of harm to persons 
and property by released offenders in communities to which they return 
and (2) increased success rates of offenders who transition from jails 
into the community by fostering (a) Effective treatment programming 
that reduces offender's risk of violating laws upon release, (b) 
accountability for both offender and system officials, and (c) 
community and victim involvement. Appropriate use of dynamic assessment 
of risk and needs must be a critical component of the model, as well as 
a commitment to ongoing use of evidence based principles for behavior 
change.
    It is expected that the primary Transition from Jail to the 
Community (TJC) components will include:
    1. Build the TJC Model: The cooperative agreement provider will 
offer expertise, facilitation, documentation and staff/consultant 
support activities to develop the TJC model, identifying likely 
differences in approaching the various categories of jailed individuals 
and implications for developing a model approach. A primary initial 
task must include use of practitioners and experts in the development 
of the model. The types of individuals and process for selecting them 
must be included in the application.
    2. Implement the TJC Model: The scope of work will include testing 
the model in two selected sites before adding four more jurisdictions.
    3. Conduct Evaluation: A key component will be evaluation to 
determine the impact of TJC activities on impacted jails/communities.
    4. Develop Products to Share Learnings: Recognizing that NIC can 
only provide direct assistance to a very small portion of all the 
jails/communities, the applicant must develop outreach tools like a TJC 
Implementation Manual for Jails and Local Communities, a NIC Learning 
Center TJP module, monographs and articles.
    Depending on proposed work plans, it is likely that at least part 
of the above items 2-4 will be products of future awards, funding 
permitted. However, the application should discuss and propose a 
general strategy for addressing all four components and propose a 
specific work plan for this initial 18-month award. Key TJC challenges 
and issues for this initiative include:
     Assessment tools
     Evidence based practices
     Individualized case management planning
     Jail based programs and strategies
     Community based programs and strategies
     Coordination and cooperation between jails and public/
private human services agencies/groups
     TJC challenges:

[cir] From jail administrator's perspective
[cir] From perspectives of other governmental human services agencies
[cir] From not for profit, NGO's and other community agency 
perspectives

     Local political implications for TJC
     Local/State implications for TJC
     Information system processes and needs
    Additional jail/community transition issues may be identified by 
the applicant. The applicant must prioritize and address at minimum 
five challenges/issues. Explain the criteria used for prioritizing your 
challenges/issues. Also, the applicant must describe why each 
challenge/issue is important, propose strategies for successfully 
addressing each challenge/issue and propose how the impact of each 
challenge/issue will be measured.
    Application Requirements: Applications must be submitted using OMB 
Standard Form 424, Federal Assistance and attachments. (Copies can be 
downloaded from the NIC Web page at http://www.nicic.org. The 
applications should be concisely written, typed double spaced and 
referenced to the project by the ``NIC Application Number'' and Title 
referenced in this announcement.
    Submit an original and five copies. The original should have the 
applicant's signature in blue ink. A cover letter must identify the 
responsible audit agency for the applicant's financial accounts.
    Authority: Public Law 93-415.
    Funds Available: The award will be limited to a maximum of $425,000 
(direct and indirect costs). Funds may only be used for the activities 
that are linked to the desired outcome of the project. No funds are 
transferred to State or local governments. Supplemental awards are a 
possibility based upon satisfactory performance of the awardee and 
based upon the availability of funding in future years.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC 
Administration Division.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any State or 
general unit of local government, private agency, educational 
institution, organization, individual or team with expertise in the 
described areas.
    Review Considerations: Applications received under this 
announcement will be subjected to a 3 to 5 person NIC Peer Review 
Process.
    Number of Awards: One.
    NIC Application Number: 07TI01. This number should appear as a 
reference line in the cover letter, in box 11 of Standard Form 424, and 
outside of the envelope in which the application is sent.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 16.603.

    Executive Order 12372: This program is subject to the provisions of 
Executive Order 12372. E.O. 12372 allows states the option of setting 
up a system for reviewing applications from within their States for 
assistance under certain Federal programs. Applicants (other than 
Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact their 
State Single Point of Contact (SPOC), a list of which can be found at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
    NIC expects this award to be signed by March 15, 2007.

Larry B. Solomon,
Deputy Director, National Institute of Corrections.
 [FR Doc. E6-21978 Filed 12-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P