[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 94 (Monday, May 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23204-23207]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11530]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Women Offenders: Gender 
Responsive Approaches to Risk and Need Assessment

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, Department of Justice

ACTION: Solicitation for a cooperative agreement.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Corrections is seeking through a 
cooperative agreement award to fund further support, development and 
dissemination of the Women's Risk and Need Assessment Instruments. The

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Women's Risk and Need Assessment Instruments were developed via a 
cooperative agreement with a national university and include gender 
responsive assessments for use in institutional settings and community 
settings (probation, parole).
    Funds are available for tasks involved in ongoing support of 
jurisdictions seeking to implement the Women's Risk and Need Assessment 
Instruments. Included in this work will be: (a) Further dissemination 
of materials and assessments to interested users; (b) technical 
assistance to jurisdictions planning to implement the gender-responsive 
tools; (c) assisting agency efforts to utilize the assessments; and (d) 
conducting research to further validate and refine the assessment 
instruments.

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 
24, 2009.

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 a 
similar service to ensure delivery by the due date, as mail at NIC is 
sometimes delayed due to security screening.
    Applicants who wish to hand-deliver their applications should bring 
them to 500 First Street, NW., Washington, DC 20534, and dial 202-307-
3106, ext. 0, at the front desk 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.gov/cooperativeagreements.
    All technical questions concerning this announcement should be 
directed to Pam Davison at 202-353-0484 or at [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: Over the past two decades NIC has had a deliberate 
focus on women offenders. With the recent emergence of evidence-based 
practices in criminal justice, NIC has taken the opportunity to combine 
two bodies of work (gender responsive research and knowledge focusing 
on women and evidence based practices) into products designed to 
improve outcomes for criminal justice involved women.
    Over the years, jurisdictions managing women offenders were 
becoming increasingly concerned about the rapid growth of female 
offender populations, exceeding the rate of growth in male offender 
populations and adverse consequences in the application of gender-
neutral instruments to assess and classify women. Surveys of state 
correctional classification directors revealed that only 14 systems had 
instruments that were validated with populations of women. Instruments 
not validated for women were creating over classification, often with 
women being held in more austere conditions than warranted by their 
risk.
    In 2002 NIC held a `gender-responsive assessment meeting' attended 
by prominent researchers in correctional and women offender research, 
Federal agency representatives with responsibilities for correctional 
research, and practitioners who required accurate assessments of women 
to manage programs and institutions effectively. Key findings from the 
event were numerous and concerns were raised that traditional emphasis 
on risk was largely misplaced with women, there may be other factors 
with improved predictability for women, and assessing treatment and 
programming needs, separate from risk but likely impacting risk, should 
be further explored. Recommendations from the event included continuing 
to advance the theoretical underpinning of gender-specific assessment, 
further the body of research in this field by developing a research 
agenda and the development of ethical and scientific standards for this 
research; establishing quality control/monitoring mechanisms; exploring 
issues related to women's behavior in general and women's criminal 
behavior in particular; funding demonstration projects that emphasize 
research design and replicability; and provide technical assistance for 
the implementation of improved assessment practices and for testing 
models and processes.
    The recommendations were acted upon. A collaborative effort between 
several state and local correctional agencies, NIC and a national 
university was formed and the construction and validation of two 
gender-responsive risk and needs assessments for women offenders were 
created. The instruments are a result of a multi-year collaboration 
covering design research and data collection procedures; project 
implementation and support; data collection; scale construction at 
designated sites; IRB approvals; training site staff in data collection 
and research protocols; travel to sites and preparation of research 
articles and presentations.
    The empirical foundation of the two instruments was drawn from two 
offender rehabilitation perspectives: (1) Canadian researchers (Paul 
Gendreau, Donald Andrews, James Bonta and others) emphasizing the 
importance of assessing and treating dynamic risk factors and (2) 
feminist criminologists stressing the ``pathways'' to crime research 
(Kathleen Daley, Joanne Belknap, Barbara Bloom, Stephanie Covington, 
Barbara Owen, Meda Chesney-Lind and others). Both bodies of research 
are fundamental to assessing and programming for dynamic risk factors 
specific to women. However, the ``pathways'' model asserts that women's 
unique needs are not adequately tapped by the current risk/need 
instruments. The two new women's assessments identify needs such as 
trauma and abuse; unhealthy relationships; parental stress; depression; 
and self efficacy.
    These two assessments are (1) A Gender Responsive Risk/Needs 
Interview--this is a stand-alone risk needs instrument identifying 
needs noted to be predictive of offense-related outcomes for women, and 
(2) The ``Trailer''--this assessment serves as an addendum to 
established gender neutral assessment (e.g. Northpointe Compas, LSI-R, 
etc.), allowing systems using those instruments to access areas that 
guide programming explicitly for women. For further information on 
these two instruments, refer to http://www.uc.edu/womenoffenders.
    The interest in the instruments has been strong. A number of 
jurisdictions are in the implementation and validation process while 
additional jurisdictions are contemplating the implementation and 
validation of one of the two instruments. Data continues to be 
collected and gender responsive measures of specific risk and need 
factors continue to be refined. In order to meet the needs of the field 
and maintain quality control with the instruments, a number of 
strategies, noted in this request for application, will be employed.
    Scope of Work/Products: It is expected that the Women Offenders: 
Gender-Responsive Approaches to Risk/Needs Assessment award will 
include:
    (1) Dissemination of products to include fielding inquiries from 
interested parties; making assessments available for review; conducting 
on-line events (training, presentations) regarding use of assessments; 
presenting at professional conferences; preparing publications for 
refereed journals and newsletters; maintaining the assessment 
instrument registration process for purposes of quality control and 
fidelity; and maintaining a web page with detailed explanation of the 
assessments, listing all relevant publications and training 
opportunities.
    The dynamic Web site will also contain information on psychometric 
properties and notification of any changes to assessment tools.

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    (2) Provision of Technical Assistance in conjunction with NIC to 
requesting jurisdictions contemplating the use of the assessments. 
Services would include (a) evaluating a site's existing classification 
systems; (b) tailoring new assessments to system-specific needs; and 
(c) recommending implementation plans.
    (3) Developing agency capacity to administer the assessments and 
use them for case planning purposes--refine training materials to 
incorporate emerging information; provide ongoing support to agencies 
during the implementation process, and address the technical questions 
of those using the tools; train staff to administer the assessment; 
development of a curriculum to build capacity for training assessors; 
and conducting the training sessions.
    (4) Further validation of the assessment--designing and conducting 
ongoing validation studies of the assessment instruments; incorporate 
changes that result from ongoing field tests and research findings and 
further developing assessment manuals and scoring guides.
    Deliverables: At the end of the 18 month period, tangible products 
should include, at a minimum, reports and materials used for each 
technical assistance event, documentation of site inquiries and support 
provided, detailed web page, finalized assessment manual and scoring 
guide.
    Budget and Strategy Narratives: The applicant's submission 
narrative should include suggested protocols and estimated costs for 
technical assistance, assisting agencies in implementation and support 
process.
    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.
    Application Requirements: An application package must include OMB 
Standard Form 425, 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 or fiscal year that the 
applicant operates under (e.g., July 1 through June 30); and an outline 
of projected costs with the budget and strategy narratives described in 
this announcement. 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 
(both available at http://www.grants.gov); DOJ/FBOP/NIC Certification 
Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility 
Matters; and the Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (available at http://www.nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf).
    Applications should be concisely written, typed double-spaced and 
reference the NIC Opportunity Number and Title provided in this 
announcement.
    If you are hand delivering or submitting via Fed Ex, please include 
an original and three copies of your full proposal (program and budget 
narrative, application forms, assurances and other descriptions). The 
original should have the applicant's signature in blue ink. Electronic 
submissions will only be accepted via http://www.grants.gov.
    The narrative portion of the application should include, at a 
minimum: Brief paragraph indicating the applicant's understanding of 
the project's purpose; brief paragraph that summarizes the project 
goals and objectives; clear description of the methodology that will be 
used to complete the project and achieve its goals; statement or chart 
of measurable project milestones and time lines for the completion of 
each milestone; description of the qualifications of the applicant 
organization and a resume for the principal and each staff member 
assigned to the project that documents relevant knowledge, skills and 
ability to carry out the project; budget that details all costs for the 
project, and noting a commitment to work within the proposed budget.
    The total narrative portion of the application should not exceed 
ten double-spaced type written pages, excluding attachments related to 
credentials and relevant experience of staff.
    Authority: Public Law 93-415.
    Funds Available: NIC is seeking the applicant's best ideas 
regarding accomplishments of the scope of the work and the related 
costs for achieving the goals and objectives of this solicitation. 
Funds may only be used for the activities that are linked to the 
desired outcome of the project.
    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. Applicants must have demonstrated the ability to 
implement a project of this size and scope.
    Review Considerations: Applications received under this 
announcement will be subjected to a 3-5 person NIC Review Process. The 
criteria for the evaluation of each application will include:

Organizational/Staff Background

    An application review panel will review the background, experience 
and expertise of the proposed project staff, including subcontractors. 
Does staff have previous demonstrated experience and knowledge in the 
theory, research and practical application of gender-responsive 
strategies for criminal justice involved women? Does the staff have a 
clear understanding of evidence based practices, the evolution of 
offender assessment instruments for risk management, as well as 
treatment planning? Can staff speak to the utility of blending the two 
bodies of work to improve outcomes for women offenders? Is the number 
of staff involved realistic and appropriate for the scope of the work, 
and does the applicant have the capacity to deliver all aspects of the 
project on time? Is there a reason that each member of the proposed 
team has been included?

Project Design/Content

    Does the applicant clearly understand the goals of this project? Is 
the practical application of research-based principles and gender-
responsive strategies specific to women evident in the project design? 
Are project tasks, time lines, benchmarks and expected objectives 
evident? How sound are the technical strategies proposed? Have the 
strategies been demonstrated to be effective in other projects? Are the 
final work products identified, and do the proposed strategies lead to 
their completion within the time frame? Are there innovative 
approaches, techniques, or design aspects proposed that will enhance 
the project? How will the applicant measure its own performance and the 
performance of adjunct team members? Is the applicant willing to work 
with NIC staff as necessary?

Budget

    Does the budget narrative clearly tie to the numbers, and can the 
products be delivered on the desired time line, within the proposed 
budget? Are the final work products clearly defined and identified on 
the work plan? Is a Gantt chart provided that aligns budget with 
objectives along a time line that shows, at a minimum, quarterly 
benchmarks?

    Note:  NIC will NOT award a cooperative agreement to an 
applicant who does not have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Number (DUNS) and is not registered in the Central Contractor 
Registry (CCR).

    Applicants can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the

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dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at 800-333-0505 (if you 
are sole proprietor, dial 866-705-5711 and select option 1).
    Applicants may register online with CCR at the Web site: http://www.ccr.gov. A CCR handbook and worksheet can also be reviewed at the 
Web site.
    Number of Awards: One.
    Applicant's Conference: An applicant's telephone conference will be 
held June 3, 2009 between 12 noon EST and 1 pm EST. Applicants who are 
interested in participating in this applicant's conference call should 
indicate their expectation to participate by e-mailing Pam Davison at 
[email protected] no later than 12 noon on June 1, 2009. This telephone 
conference will give applicants the opportunity to ask questions about 
the project and the application procedures. Participation in the 
telephone conference is optional.
    Note that interested applicants need to provide complete contact 
information, including e-mail address and phone number, to Pam Davison 
when they indicate their expectation to participate.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 09M12. This number should appear as a 
reference line in the cover letter, where the opportunity number is 
requested on the Standard Form 424, and outside of the envelope in 
which the application is sent.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 16.602

    Executive Order 12372. This project is not subject to the 
provisions of Executive Order 12372.

Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. E9-11530 Filed 5-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P