[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 141 (Monday, July 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43118-43120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17811]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Development of a Series 
of Publications for the Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local 
Criminal Justice Systems Initiative

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

ACTION: Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Community Services 
Division is soliciting proposals from organizations, groups, or 
individuals to enter into a cooperative agreement with NIC for up to 18 
months beginning in October 2012. Work under this cooperative agreement 
is part of a larger NIC initiative, Evidence-Based Decision Making 
(EBDM) in Local Criminal Justice Systems. Work under this cooperative 
agreement will align with the activities of other cooperative 
agreements providing services under Phase III of this initiative.

DATES: Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, 
August 10, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to: Director, National 
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street NW., Room 5002, 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: A copy of this announcement can be 
downloaded from the NIC Web site at www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements.
    All technical or programmatic questions concerning this 
announcement should be directed to Lori Eville, Correctional Program 
Specialist, National Institute of Corrections, at [email protected]. In 
addition to direct reply, all questions and answers will be posted on 
the NIC Web site at www.nicic.gov for public review (the names of those 
submitting questions will not be posted). The Web site will be updated 
regularly and postings will remain on the Web site until the closing 
date of this cooperative agreement solicitation. Only questions 
received by 12:00 p.m. (EDT) on July 30, 2012 will be posted on the NIC 
Web site.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Overview: The overall goal of the EBDM Initiative is to establish 
and test the links (information tools and protocols) between local 
criminal justice decisions and the application of human and 
organizational change principles (evidence-based practices) in 
achieving measurable reductions in pretrial misconduct and post-
conviction risk of reoffending. The unique focus of the initiative is 
the review of locally developed criminal justice strategies that guide 
practice within existing sentencing statutes and rules. The initiative 
intends to (1) improve the quality of information that leads to making 
individual case decisions in local systems and (2) engage these systems 
as policymaking bodies to collectively improve the effectiveness and 
capacity of their decision making related to pretrial release/
sentencing options. Local officials involved in the initiative include 
judges, prosecutors, public defenders, police, human service providers, 
county executives, and administrators of jail, probation, and pretrial 
services agencies.
    Local criminal justice decisions are defined broadly to include 
dispositions regarding arrest, cite and release or to custody; pretrial 
release or detention and setting of bail and pretrial release 
conditions; pretrial diversion; charging and plea bargaining; 
sentencing of adjudicated offenders regarding use of community and 
custody options; and responses to violations of conditions of pretrial 
release and community sentences.
    Background: In June 2008, the National Institute of Corrections 
(NIC) launched a multi-phased initiative and awarded a cooperative 
agreement to address evidence-based decision making in local criminal 
justice systems. The goal of Phase I of the initiative was to build a 
systemwide framework (from arrest through final disposition and 
discharge) that would result in more collaborative, evidence-based 
decision making and practices in local criminal justice systems. This 
effort was grounded in two decades of research on the factors that 
contribute to criminal reoffending and the methods a justice system can 
employ to interrupt the cycle of reoffense. Today, the initiative seeks 
to equip criminal justice policymakers in local communities with 
information, processes, and tools that will result in measurable 
reductions of pretrial misconduct and post-conviction reoffending.
    The principle product of Phase I of this initiative was the 
Evidence-Based Decision Making Framework in Local Criminal Justice 
Systems. The Framework identifies the key structural elements of a 
system informed by evidence-based practice. It defines a vision of 
safer communities. It puts forward the belief that risk and harm 
reduction are fundamental goals of the justice system and that these 
can be achieved without sacrificing offender accountability or other 
important justice system outcomes.
    The Framework both acknowledges the importance of the key premises 
and values underlying our criminal justice system and provides a set of 
principles to guide evidence-based decision making within that context; 
the principles themselves are evidence-based. The Framework also 
highlights the groundbreaking research that demonstrates pretrial 
misconduct and

[[Page 43119]]

offender recidivism can be reduced. The Framework identifies the key 
stakeholders who must be actively engaged in a collaborative 
partnership if an evidence-based system of justice is to be achieved. 
It outlines some of the most difficult challenges agencies face as they 
seek to implement such an approach deliberately and systematically in 
their local communities. A copy of the Evidence-Based Decision Making 
Framework document can be downloaded online at http://nicic.gov/Library/024372.
    In August 2010, NIC launched Phase II (Planning and Engagement) of 
the Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems 
Initiative by selecting seven jurisdictions to serve as EBDM seed 
sites. Those sites are Mesa County, Colorado; Grant County, Indiana; 
Ramsey County, Minnesota; Yamhill County, Oregon; City of 
Charlottesville/County of Albemarle, Virginia; Eau Claire County, 
Wisconsin; Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
    The cooperative agreement awardees of Phase II provided extensive 
technical assistance to each of the seven seed sites for a period of 10 
months. The overarching purpose of the technical assistance was to (1) 
Develop a shared philosophy and vision for the local criminal justice 
system; (2) Determine the capacity to collect and analyze data, 
including the quality of the data, to support ongoing analysis of the 
effectiveness of current and future policies, practices, and services 
designed to achieve specific risk and harm reduction outcomes; and (3) 
Change in knowledge, skills, and abilities regarding research-based 
risk reduction strategies.
    Each site received technical assistance that was specific to the 
initiative and individualized to its system's needs. Monthly site 
visits from an assigned technical assistance site coordinator led the 
jurisdictions through the attainment of specific activities and goals. 
The Roadmap to Phase II outlines the major objectives that the 
technical assistance providers guided the seeds sites through. A copy 
of the roadmap is available online at http://static.nicic.gov/Public/roadmap_phase_ii_final_2.docx.
    The technical assistance was intended to lead to the following 
outcomes: Build a genuine, collaborative policy team; Build individual 
agencies that are collaborative and in a state of readiness for change; 
Understand current practice within each agency/across the system; 
Understand and have the capacity to implement evidence-based practices; 
Establish performance measurements/outcomes/system scorecard; Develop a 
system logic model; Engage/gain support of the community; and Develop a 
strategic action plan.
    All seven sites completed Phase II in October 2011. Each 
jurisdiction submitted an application for acceptance into Phase III of 
the initiative. Within their applications are a detailed strategic 
action plan and their system's logic model. The action plan and logic 
model are the foundation of implementation activities of the Phase III 
technical assistance.
    Scope of Work: This award will result in a series of publications 
that will summarize and culminate the EBDM sites' criminal justice 
system work. This work will include, but is not limited to, the EBDM 
site work products from Phase II and their relevant experiences during 
all phases of this initiative. These publications will serve the 
broader criminal justice field that is increasingly seeking guidance 
and wants to learn from jurisdictions that have been successful with 
implementation of systemwide criminal justice change. The awardee will 
draw from various documents, tools, products, interviews, and 
assessments that have been drafted from work during previous awards and 
integrate them into the project deliverables of this cooperative 
agreement award. In addition, the awardee will make the revisions 
necessary to move the first document in the series, ``The Framework,'' 
from working draft to a final version.
    Project Deliverables: (1) The awardee will complete final revisions 
to the working draft document ``A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision 
Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems.'' The final document must 
meet all requirements for publication and inclusion in the National 
Institute of Corrections Information Center Library. (2) The awardee 
will produce a series of seven bulletins focusing on each of the major 
criminal justice stakeholders, which will include judges, prosecutors, 
defenders, probation directors, pretrial directors, law enforcement, 
and victim services/advocates. The bulletins will highlight each 
stakeholder's perspective and its role within the policy team. They 
will highlight the major lessons learned from the Phase III sites as 
they worked toward systemwide criminal justice risk and harm reduction 
goals. The bulletins will also focus on the legal and policy barriers 
that the jurisdictions faced and the strategies they used while working 
toward the EBDM principles. The bulletins must meet all requirements 
for publication and inclusion in the National Institute of Corrections 
Information Center. (3) The awardee will produce a series of seven case 
studies highlighting the Phase II and Phase III completed work, 
products, and progress of the EBDM jurisdictions. The case studies will 
include site information from Phase II planning activities. Those 
products will include system maps, system score cards, logic models, 
and performance measures. The case studies will also focus on the 
jurisdictional differences discovered through this initiative that have 
relevance to the broader criminal justice field, such as changes in 
policy team membership, lack of stakeholder participation, 
implementation planning, and starting new programming such as pretrial 
and diversion.
    Specific Requirements: Documents or other media that are produced 
under this award must follow these guidelines: Prior to the preparation 
of the final draft of any document or other media, the awardee must 
consult with NIC's writer/editor concerning the acceptable formats for 
manuscript submissions and the technical specifications for electronic 
media. The awardee must follow (1) the guidelines listed herein, as 
well as follow the Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts 
for Publication as found in the ``General Guidelines for Cooperative 
Agreements,'' which can be found on our Web site at www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements and (2) NIC recommendations for producing media 
using plain language, which can be found at www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage.
    All final documents and other media submitted under this project 
will be posted on the NIC Web site and must meet the federal 
government's requirement for accessibility (e.g., 508 PDFs or HTML 
files). The awardee must provide descriptive text interpreting all 
graphics, photos, graphs, and/or multimedia that will be included with 
or distributed alongside the materials and must provide transcripts for 
all applicable audio/visual works.
    Meetings: The cooperative agreement awardee will participate in an 
initial meeting with NIC staff for a project overview and preliminary 
planning meeting within 2 weeks of the award. The awardee will meet 
with NIC staff routinely to discuss the activities noted in the 
timeline during the course of the cooperative agreement. Meetings will 
be held no less than quarterly and may be conducted via webinar or in 
person as agreed upon by NIC and the awardee.
    Application Requirements: Applications should be concisely written, 
typed, double-spaced, no more than 30 pages, and reference the project 
by the ``NIC Opportunity Number'' and Title in this announcement. The 
package must include: a cover letter that

[[Page 43120]]

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); a program narrative in 
response to the statement of work, and a budget narrative explaining 
projected costs. The following forms must also be included: OMB 
Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance; OMB Standard 
Form 424A, Budget information--Non-Construction Programs; OMB Standard 
Form 424B, Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (these forms are 
available at http://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/General/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 three copies of the full proposal (program and budget 
narratives, application forms and assurances). The original should have 
the applicant's signature in blue ink.

    Authority:  Public Law 93-415.
    Funds Available: Up to $225,000 is available for this project, 
subject to available funding, but preference will be given to 
applicants who provide the most cost efficient solutions in 
accomplishing the scope of work. Determination will be made based on 
best value to the government, not necessarily the lowest bid. Funds may 
be used only for the activities that are directly related to the 
project.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC Community 
Services 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.
    Required Expertise: Successful applicants must be able to 
demonstrate that they have the organizational capacity to produce the 
deliverables of this project. Appropriate expertise may include 
extensive experience in correctional and criminal justice policy and 
practice, and a strong background in criminal justice systemwide change 
with expertise in the implementation of evidence-based practices in 
pretrial release without an over reliance on financial release 
conditions.
    Review Considerations: Applications received under this 
announcement will be subject to the NIC Review Process. The criteria 
for the evaluation of each application will be as follows:

Program Narrative: (50%)

    Are all of the project tasks adequately discussed? Is there a clear 
statement of how each task will be accomplished, including the 
staffing, resources, and strategies to be employed? Are there any 
innovative approaches, techniques, or design aspects proposed that will 
enhance the project?

Organizational Capabilities: (25%)

    Do the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the applicant(s) and the 
proposed project staff demonstrate a high level of competency to 
complete the tasks? Does the applicant have the necessary experience 
and organizational capacity to complete the goals of the project?

Program Management/Administration (25%)

    Does the applicant identify reasonable objectives, milestones, and 
measures to track progress? If there are consultants and/or 
partnerships proposed, is there a clear structure to ensure effective 
utilization and coordination? Is the proposed budget realistic, does it 
provide sufficient cost detail/narrative, and does it represent good 
value relative to the anticipated results?

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

    A DUNS number can be received at no cost by calling the dedicated 
toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-800-333-0505 (if you are a sole 
proprietor, dial 1-866-705-5711 and select option 1).
    Registration in the CCR can be done online at the CCR Web site at 
http://www.ccr.gov. A CCR Handbook and worksheet can also be reviewed 
at the Web site.
    Number of Awards: One.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 12CS15. This number should appear as a 
reference line in the cover letter, where indicated on 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 is available at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2012-17811 Filed 7-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P