[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42595-42597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16684]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: To Develop a Series of 
Papers on Parole

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, Department of Justice.

ACTION: Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is soliciting 
proposals from organizations, groups or individuals who would like to 
enter into a cooperative agreement with NIC to develop a series of five 
papers related to parole with a primary audience of parole board 
members, parole staff, governors, appointing authorities, and related 
criminal justice agencies. The five papers will be developed over an 
eighteen month time. The initial paper will address core competencies 
for parole board members and executive parole staff in paroling 
authorities. Additional topics for this series will be determined by 
NIC and the vendor.
    Project Goal: The overall goal of the initial paper is the 
development of a document on core competencies for parole board members 
and executive staff. This document will address the following:
    Describe the competencies needed to be a parole board member, 
parole chair and executive parole staff;
    Clarify how the competencies relate to the role of parole with 
other stakeholders within the criminal justice systems;
    Describe the organizational structures within the parole office 
that support the development and operation of competencies;
    Examine how competencies promote the use of EBP in parole and 
revocation decision making;
    Illustrate how governors, appointing authorities, and parole boards 
can use the competencies to make selection and hiring decisions.
    The core competencies must conform to the principles presented in 
the documents ``Comprehensive Framework for Paroling Authorities in an 
Era of Evidence-Based Practices'', the ``Correctional Leadership 
Competencies for the 21st Century for Executives and Senior-Level 
Leaders'', and the ``Correctional Leadership Competencies for the 21st 
Century for Manager and Supervisor Levels''. These documents can be 
found at the following links: http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/022906.pdf (NIC Accession no. 022906), http://www.nicic.org/pubs/2005/020474.pdf (NIC Accession no. 020474) and http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/020475.pdf (NIC Accession no. 020475).

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. EDT on August 20, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to: Director, National 
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street, NW., Room 5007, Washington, 
DC 20534.
    Applicants are encouraged to use Federal Express, UPS, or similar 
service to ensure delivery by the due date.
    Hand delivered applications should be brought to 500 First Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20534. At the front desk, dial 7-3106, extension 0 
for pickup.
    Faxed applications will not be accepted. Electronic applications 
can be submitted via http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic 
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Carla 
Smalls, Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of 
Corrections. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or to 
George M. Keiser, Chief, Community Corrections Division, National 
Institute of Corrections. He can be reached by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: Parole can be defined as both a 
procedure by which a board

[[Page 42596]]

administratively releases inmates from prison as well as a provision 
for post-release supervision. For our discussion, parole is defined as 
the release of an offender from imprisonment to the community by a 
releasing authority (parole board or paroling authority) prior to the 
expiration of the offender's sentence, subject to conditions imposed by 
the releasing authority. Revocation is the action of a releasing 
authority removing a person from parole status in response to a 
violation of conditions.
    As articulated by Nancy M. Campbell in the ``Comprehensive 
Framework for Paroling Authorities in an Era of Evidence-Based 
Practices,'' one of the key functions of a paroling authority, board 
members and staff, is directing and facilitating the achievement of 
desired outcomes through people and resources. Getting the work done 
through others is a reality for most leaders and managers, and this is 
particularly true given the structure of parole. Paroling authorities 
can set the terms and conditions of parole, but they rely on others to 
implement them. Even in those cases, where the paroling authority and 
supervision agency are combined, parole board members rely on others to 
implement the terms and conditions that they set. Effective governors 
appoint paroling authorities who have both leadership and management 
skills.
    As Jim Collins has said, ``First get the right people on the bus.'' 
This is often difficult in the public sector but not impossible. To 
accomplish the goals of successful reentry and public protection 
requires an understanding of the pivotal role that parole can play in 
protecting the public by helping offenders transition and reenter 
society successfully. Most parole board members are appointed by 
elected officials and these officials need to understand what skills, 
knowledge, and attitudes (competencies) the ``right people'' (parole 
board members and staff) must possess to be effective in their work.

National Institute of Corrections Experience

    Progress to Date: NIC has adopted three documents that can guide 
the development of core competencies for parole board members and 
staff. The first two documents, ``Correctional Leadership Competencies 
for the 21st Century for Executives and Senior-Level Leaders'' and the 
``Correctional Leadership Competencies for the 21st Century for Manager 
and Supervisor Levels'' outline core competencies for criminal justice 
managers. The third document, ``Comprehensive Framework for Paroling 
Authorities in an Era of Evidence-Based Practices'' describes the 
overarching visionary plan that paroling authorities will need for a 
future of well trained board members, using evidence based practices 
within agencies that have sufficient staff and other resources to 
effectively support the release and revocation of offenders. A review 
of these three documents provides a template for the development of a 
paper outlining the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that staff and 
board members should possess.
    Scope of Work: Under this first phase of the cooperative agreement, 
the single major area of work to be completed is the development of a 
paper approximately 50 pages in length that presents the core 
competencies for parole board members and executive parole staff. It is 
anticipated that this paper will be prototypical of the remaining four 
papers.
    Description: This initial document on parole will examine the 
skills, knowledge and abilities that parole board members and executive 
staff must possess to be effective in performing their work 
responsibilities within the criminal justice system.
    Work to be performed: The provider shall consult with the 
Correctional Program Specialist (CPS) assigned to manage the 
cooperative agreement to ensure understanding of, and agreement on, the 
scope of work to be performed; submit a detailed work plan with time 
lines for accomplishing project activities to CPS for approval prior to 
any work being performed under this agreement; designate a point of 
contact, which will serve as the conduit of information and work 
experience between the CPS and the awardee; and review pertinent NIC 
documents to include training programs in the development of the core 
competencies.
    Deliverables: The provider shall describe methodology used to 
produce papers; outline a management plan to include timelines for the 
development of the papers; produce five papers; and recommend 
distribution plan.
    Document Preparation: For all awards in which a document will be a 
deliverable, the awardee must follow the Guidelines for Preparing and 
Submitting Manuscripts for Publication as found in the ``General 
Guidelines for Cooperative Agreements'' which will be included in the 
award package.
    Required Expertise: The successful applicant will need skills, 
abilities and knowledge in the areas of knowledge of the criminal 
justice system; knowledge of the role of parole and its function within 
the criminal justice system; ability to conduct research and relate 
these findings in a non-technical manner; skilled in conducting job 
task analyses that relate to job competencies; knowledge of evidence-
based practices and offender transition, and how these areas relate to 
the parole process; and effective written and oral communication 
skills.
    Application Requirements: Applications should be concisely written, 
typed double spaced and referenced to the project by the ``NIC 
Application Number'' and Title provided in this announcement. The 
package must include: OMB Standard Form 424, Application for Federal 
Assistance, a cover letter that identifies the audit agency responsible 
for the applicant's financial accounts as well as the audit period of 
fiscal year that the applicant operates under (e.g., July 1 through 
June 30), and an outline of projected costs. The following additional 
forms must also be included: OMB Standard Form 424A, Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs, OMB Standard Form 424B, 
Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (available at www.grants.gov) and 
DOJ/NIC Certification Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and 
Other Responsibility Matters; and the Drug-Free Workplace Requirements 
(available at http://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf.)
    Applications may be submitted in hard copy, or electronically via 
http://www.grants.gov. If submitted in hard copy, there needs to be an 
original and six copies of the full proposal (program and budget 
narratives, application forms and assurances). The original should have 
the applicant's signature in blue ink.
    Telephone Conference: A telephone conference will be conducted for 
persons receiving this solicitation and having a serious intent to 
respond on July 30, 2008 at 2:00 pm EDT. In this conference, the NIC 
project manager will respond to questions regarding the solicitation 
and expectation of work to be performed. Please notify Carla Smalls 
electronically ([email protected]) by 12 noon EDT on July 25, 2008, 
regarding your interest in participating in the conference. You will be 
provided with a call-in number and instructions. In addition, NIC 
project managers will post answers to questions received from potential 
applicants on its Web site for the six weeks in which the solicitation 
is open to the public.
    Authority: Public Law 93-415.
    Funds Available: NIC is seeking the applicant's best ideas 
regarding accomplishment of the scope of work and the related costs for 
achieving the goals of this solicitation. The final

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budget and award amount will be negotiated between NIC and the 
successful applicant. Funds may only be used for the activities that 
are linked to the desired outcome of the project. Following award of 
the cooperative agreement, NIC will work with the awardee to refine the 
identification of additional topics, plus the review and final 
acceptance of each deliverable. A specific funding amount is not 
disclosed. Both the cost and the development strategy are to be 
completed. Selection will be based on a determination of the best value 
for the government to achieve the goals of the award.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC Community 
Corrections Division.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any public or 
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: 08C79.
    This number should appear as a reference line in the cover letter, 
in box 4a of Standard Form 424, and outside of the envelope in which 
the application is sent.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 16.601.
    Executive Order 12372: This project is not subject to the 
provisions of Executive Order 12372.

Thomas J. Beauclair,
Deputy Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. E8-16684 Filed 7-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P