TITLE: Open Solicitation '97: The Results.          
Series: BJA Monograph
Published: December 1997
Author: Tamar Dor-Ner, Bureau of Justice Assistance
Subject: Funding resources
34 pages
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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance

------------------------------

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531

Janet Reno
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice

Raymond C. Fisher
Associate Attorney General

Laurie Robinson
Assistant Attorney General

Nancy E. Gist
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance

------------------------------

U.S. Department of Justice Response Center

1-800-421-6770

-------------------------------

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse

1-800-688-4252

------------------------------

Bureau of Justice Assistance
World Wide Web Home Page
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

------------------------------

This was prepared by Community Research Associates,
Inc. under cooperative agreement No. 96-DS-BX-K002,
awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office
of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this document are
those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the official position or policies of the
U.S. Department of Justice.

------------------------------

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of
the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes
the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National
Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office
for Victims of Crime.

------------------------------

Open Solicitation '97: The Results

Prepared by Tamar Dor-Ner, Bureau of Justice
Assistance

Monograph

December 1997

NCJ 168096

------------------------------

Foreword

Long before a formal assessment of Open
Solicitation '97 could be completed, it was evident
to all of us at the Bureau of Justice Assistance
(BJA) that the Nation's response to our request for
new ideas was tremendous. The freedom we gave to
local practitioners to submit their proposals--both
in submission requirements and in the breadth of
topics applicants could address--produced a wealth
of innovative concepts from every region of the
country. BJA received more than 1,700 concept
papers from all elements of the criminal justice
system. They, in turn, have reached out within
their communities and proposed building
partnerships with schools, counties, social service
agencies, and virtually every other type of
institution that can play a role in improving local
criminal justice systems. The potential of these
partnerships for addressing the Nation's most
difficult criminal justice issues is truly
exciting. 


This report presents an overview of State and local
submissions to Open Solicitation '97. Among the
report's most valuable findings for both
practitioners and policymakers are emerging trends
in State and local criminal justice issues. It is
our hope that this insight into areas of local need
will help grantmakers at all government levels, as
well as their grantees, design more effective
programs.
 
Because of the extraordinary contributions of
everyone involved in this special project, I would
like to take this opportunity to thank those who
made the open solicitation process such a
resounding success in its initial year. First and
most important, I would like to extend heartfelt
thanks to the applicants of Open Solicitation '97.
We have been awed by your creativity and dedication
to making a safer and better America. Within BJA,
the solicitation would not have run as smoothly
were it not for Patty Reilly, who coordinated the
efforts of the enormous team that organized,
administered, and evaluated the competition. I
would also like to thank Timothy Murray, Mary
Santonastasso, Butch Straub, Jim Swain, and the
other BJA staff members who gave of their time and
energy.
 
In addition, BJA would like to acknowledge the
superb efforts of Cygnus Corporation and the
members of the Peer Panel Review Focus Group to
improve the solicitation process. The focus group
members were the Honorable Bruce Beaudin, Senior
Judge, District of Columbia Superior Court; Lisa
Hewitt, General Counsel, Commonwealth of
Massachusetts; James Kane, Executive Director,
Delaware Criminal Justice Council;  Carlos
Martinez, Director of Development, Law Offices of
the Public Defender, Miami, Florida; Kathleen
O'Boyle, Deputy Executive Director, Center for
Community Alternatives, New York, New York; and
Thomas Williams, Executive Assistant Director,
Division of Parole and Probation, Maryland
Department of Public Safety and Correctional
Services.

Nancy E. Gist
Director

------------------------------

Contents

Chapter 1 The Idea: A New Direction in Grantmaking

Chapter 2 The Process: An Emphasis on Identifying
Problems and Finding Solutions
 
Chapter 3 The Numbers: What the Solicitation Told
Us About the Most Critical Areas of Need

State and Local Needs             

Trends in Applicant Topic Areas                 
Domestic Violence                  
Law Enforcement Language Training                
Alternatives to Incarceration                 
The Rural-Urban Gap in Technological Needs         
Rural and Tribal School-Based Programming 

Chapter 4 The Grantees: Innovative Thinking and New
Faces             

Alaska             
Yupiit of Andreafski, St. Mary's               
Alaska Court System, Anchorage            

Arizona                 
Pascua Yaqui Community, Tucson    
Pima County Superior Court Pretrial Services       
Gila River Indian Community, Laveen 

California                
Fresno County District Attorney             
Judicial Council of the Courts, San Francisco      
Vacaville Police Department 

Florida 
Orange County Government, Orlando                
Clerk of the Circuit Court, Leon County 

Georgia 
Chatham County District Attorney, Savannah         
Randolph County Commission, Columbus

Iowa
Fifth Judicial District Department of Correctional 
Services                 
Fifth Judicial District             

Louisiana                 
Office of the District Attorney, Vidalia

Maine             
Maine Judicial Department, Administrative 
Office of the Courts

Maryland                
State's Attorney's Office, Baltimore

Michigan                
Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Manistee      
      
Minnesota                 
Mille Lacs Band, Ojibwe                 
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Red Lake        
Reservation            

Missouri                
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department           

Montana 
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Pablo     
Chippewa Cree Tribe, Box Elder

Nevada
Clark County Public Defenders Office, Las Vegas
            
New Mexico                
Pueblo of Jemez                 
Santa Fe Police Department                
State Office of Indian Affairs, Santa Fe
            
New York
Niagara County Sheriff's Department, Lockport 
Office of the Mayor, City of New York 
 
North Carolina
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee

Ohio
Howland Township, Warren

Oregon                
Portland Police Bureau

Texas                   
Boerne Independent School District

Washington                
Longview Police Department

West Virginia
West Virginia Department of Military Affairs       
and Public Safety, Criminal Justice and 
Highway Safety Division                
Glenville State College 

Wisconsin                 
HoChunk Nation, Black River 

Appendix Sources for Further Information

Figures

Chapter 2

1  Open Solicitation `97 Topic Areas 

Chapter 3

2  Geographical Distribution of Applicants 
        
3  Open Solicitation `97 Applicants

4  Submissions by Topic Area 

5  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 1.1
Strategies to counter witness intimidation that   
facilitate witness participation in the criminal  
justice system        

6   Applicant Needs in Topic Area 1.2
Strategies for special-needs populations
(particularly the physically and mentally
challenged, the elderly, and non-English speakers)
that are involved in the criminal justice system as
victims, witnesses, or offenders 
       
7  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 3.3
Strategies to provide cost-effective alternatives
to incarceration for selected defendants and
offenders        

8  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 4.2
Tribal strategies to provide cost-effective
alternatives to incarceration 

9  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 2.2
Strategies to address issues presented by juveniles 
charged as adults

10  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 1.3           
Strategies to enhance law enforcement and
prosecution coordination         

11  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 2.4
Strategies to improve case processing and the 
administration of justice

12  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 3.2
Strategies in which criminal justice agencies
address regional problems through consolidation or
sharing of resources or through technology 

13  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 3.1
Strategies that focus on community-based
partnerships and coalitions to control and prevent
crime and violence          

14  Applicant Needs in Topic Area 4.3
Tribal strategies to prevent substance abuse
(alcohol, drugs, and inhalants) by minors 

Chapter 4

15  Awards by Agency as of October 1997

16  Geographical Distribution of Awards 

------------------------------

Chapter 1

The Idea: A New Direction in Grantmaking

Open Solicitation '97 was the response of the
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to grantees'
suggestions for improving the grant application
process. Their recommendations were the inspiration
for a new kind of grant competition based on three
compelling principles: Local agencies and public-
private partnerships, not the Federal Government,
should identify the problems that need solving; the
application process should be short and
uncomplicated; and as many agencies as possible
should be encouraged to apply. Applicants did not
complete complicated budgets or Federal forms.
Instead, they wrote short concept papers that
identified problems and suggested solutions. The
solicitation emphasized clarity, competence, and
ease, not the ability to submit book-length
technical proposals.

More than 40,000 units of State, local, and tribal
governments were invited to submit papers for 40
grants ranging in value from $50,000 to $150,000.
BJA awarded grants under topic areas broad enough
to address the extraordinary diverse challenges
facing local criminal justice systems. The topic
areas, developed in focus groups and constituent
meetings, were intended to solicit the greatest
number of submissions and allow agencies to
identify the most crucial aspect of their
operations.

The solicitation was clearly a boon to
grantseekers, but it was also a boon to BJA and
Federal policymakers in general. The volume of
concept papers has given the Federal Government a
clear picture of the problems local criminal
justice systems face and the solutions local
practitioners believe will work. BJA intends to
share this information with its Discretionary Grant
Division, with Byrne State administrators, and with
the other Office of Justice Programs bureaus. It
will guide our policymaking, assist us in the
development of technical assistance packages, and
enhance the accuracy with which we address State
and local criminal justice issues. The value of
Open Solicitation '97 far exceeds the $4 million
awarded to local grantees, or even the 37
innovative programs the grantees have developed. At
BJA, we are confident that what we have learned
from communities across the Nation will change the
way we do business.

------------------------------

Chapter 2

The Process: An Emphasis on Identifying Problems
and Finding Solutions

In April 1997, BJA notified State and local
criminal justice agencies that they were eligible
to submit grant proposals for Open Solicitation
'97. The competition was also advertised on the
Bureau's Web site and in criminal justice journals.
Applicants had 2 months to compose a short concept
paper that answered six simple questions about the
program they wished to create:

What is the problem?
 
What are you trying to do, and why is this approach
different?        

How will this strategy work? 
       
What other agencies will work with you? 
       
How will you know if your concept works? 
       
What are the costs and benefits of implementing the
strategy? 

Applicants were invited to submit papers on topics
in four general areas selected through focus groups
and constituent discussions: issues in law
enforcement, issues in the adjudication process,
issues in rural communities, and issues in American
Indian and Alaska Native communities. Within these
areas, agencies selected specific subtopics that
addressed common problems in local communities.
Applicants could submit no more than one paper on
any given subtopic but could submit papers on
multiple subtopics. 

Topic areas 1 and 2 were open to all units and
agencies of State and local government. Eligibility
for topic areas 3 and 4 was restricted to rural
communities with populations of 25,000 or less and
federally recognized American Indian and Alaska
Native tribal governments to encourage the
participation of populations typically
underrepresented in the grant application process.
Also, in topic area 3, preference was given to
Rural Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities,
and Champion Communities. For all topic areas,
nonprofit organizations were not eligible to submit
papers independently, but could apply with State
and local partners.

By the June 2 deadline, more than 1,700 concept
papers had been submitted to Open Solicitation '97.
Of those, less than 10 percent were ruled
ineligible because they failed to meet the
submission deadline or the solicitation's
eligibility requirements. The majority of
ineligible applications were submitted by nonprofit
applicants without the required government partner.
Of the total number of papers submitted, more than
90 percent--an enormous proportion in typical grant
competitions--proceeded to the peer-review stage.
 
BJA's use of peer review to select award recipients
was by no means unprecedented in grant
competitions. What was unique was how the review
panels operated. Members of the panels received
precisely the same instructions as the applicants,
and submissions were ranked by the same explicit
criteria that guided their creation. The panels
comprised, with few exceptions, practitioners from
a diverse cross-section of State and local criminal
justice systems, very few of whom had participated
in peer reviews in the past. As a result, the
reviewers critiqued the concept papers with an eye
for programs and proposals that they might have
liked to implement in their own jurisdictions, not
for grant packaging or technicalities.

Reviewers scored papers on a scale of 1 to 100. The
highest ranked papers in each subtopic area were,
in turn, examined by teams of BJA staff members
with expertise in the solicitation's general issue
areas: law enforcement, adjudication, rural
communities, and American Indian and Alaska Native
communities. The BJA teams reviewed the findings of
the peer panels and made recommendations for awards
to the Director of the Bureau based on the quality
of the proposals, as well as the geographic and
professional distribution of the prospective
grantees. From initial receipt of the 1,700 papers
to final decisions for awards, the review process
took only 21/2 months.

In a focus group hosted by BJA and Cygnus
Corporation in September 1997, practitioners
reported that the solicitation's streamlined
concept paper and review process was superior to
the BJA's traditional application process. The use
of concept papers and peer review panels
dramatically increased the efficiency of the
process and opened it up to new perspectives from
the field.

To gauge how this new process was received in the
field, BJA recently conducted a telephone survey of
100 applicants to Open Solicitation '97. The
applicants were selected to reflect the breakdown
of submissions by State, type of organization, and
topic area. For a majority of applicants surveyed,
their submissions to the solicitation represented
the first time they had applied for a Department of
Justice (DOJ) grant. Those sampled reported being
very pleased with the six-page length requirement
for concept papers (81 percent), the time provided
to submit papers (70 percent), and the flexibility
to request funding in topic areas that reflected
their criminal justice priorities (85 percent).
Overall, the response to Open Solicitation '97 can
be best summarized by one applicant's comment that
the concept paper format was the "easiest
application to put together" and that the
solicitation process was "well outlined, simple,
and direct."
 
Applicants selected for an award developed formal
proposals for funding with the assistance of BJA
staff. To help award recipients develop performance
measures for their initiatives, BJA staff are
working closely with the Crime and Justice Research
Institute (CJRI), a nonprofit organization
experienced in the coordination and dissemination
of research involving important crime and justice
concerns. CJRI's research and evaluation
professionals will help grantees develop goals for
performance and establish procedures for generating
information essential to measuring performance.
CJRI will analyze this information and provide
detailed feedback to grantees that they can use to
make their initiatives more effective. In the first
stage of its collaboration with grantees, CJRI will
publish a preliminary report for each initiative,
describing its strategy, implementation 
challenges, and expected outcome. At the end of the
award period, CJRI will produce a comprehensive
evaluation of Open Solicitation `97 that will
discuss the impact of each initiative in its State
or community. BJA plans to distribute this report
nationwide. 

Open Solicitation '97 produced one of the most
important bodies of knowledge and demonstrations of
State and local expertise ever assembled at BJA.
The innovative ideas that BJA cannot fund through
Open Solicitation '97 will not be discarded. Among
the concept papers that did not win awards are
much-valued descriptions of local problems and
solutions that DOJ will use to make its programs
better and more responsive. This information will
be forwarded to the appropriate offices within the
Department of Justice and other Federal agencies.

------------------------------

Chapter 3
 
The Numbers: What the Solicitation Told Us About
the Most Critical Areas of Need

For BJA, one of the most important indications of
the solicitation's success was that applicants with
relatively little experience in applying for
Federal grants were encouraged to submit concept
papers. The application's short, straightforward
format clearly helped to level the playing field
for agencies, particularly those serving rural
areas, that historically have not had the resources
to compete in grant competitions with complex
technical requirements.

Law enforcement agencies were the largest group of
applicants, submitting slightly more than 30
percent of the total number of proposals. Although
law enforcement agencies are important and
deserving constituencies for BJA discretionary
grants, it was BJA's hope that the solicitation
would increase the participation of other
components of the criminal justice system. Their
response--accounting for more than two-thirds of
all submissions--surpassed even our most optimistic
expectations.

State and Local Needs

Even more significant than the types of
practitioners applying for grants were the topics
on which they submitted papers. Their selections
have provided BJA with a roadmap to what State and
local practitioners view as their most pressing
needs. In particular, the remarkable response from
rural communities met one of BJA's most important
objectives for Open Solicitation '97. The Bureau
hopes that this breakthrough will strengthen the
Federal-local partnership for addressing long-
neglected criminal justice needs in America's rural
communities.

Trends in Applicant Topic Areas

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence programs were among the most
frequently proposed initiatives in several topic
areas. In topic area 1.1, "strategies to counter
witness intimidation that facilitate witness
participation in the criminal justice system,"
domestic violence programs were the second most
popular type of program proposed. Moreover, in many
of the proposals for this topic area's most popular
type of program--victim/witness coordinators--local
practitioners specifically mentioned the need to
deal with domestic violence.

Domestic violence also ranked highly in topic areas
1.3, "strategies to enhance law enforcement and
prosecution coordination"; 2.1, "strategies to
strengthen linkages between courts and the
communities they serve"; and 3.1, "strategies that
focus on community-based partnerships and
coalitions to control and prevent crime and
violence." Few other types of initiatives so
specific in nature ranked as highly in as many
topic areas.

Law Enforcement Language Training

A second urgent need identified by State and local
law enforcement agencies was foreign language
training and assistance. The unexpectedly large
number of requests for aid in this area clearly
demonstrated that language training for law
enforcement professionals has not been adequately
addressed in areas of the country that have
experienced major demographic shifts in recent
decades. Departments requested funds for Spanish,
Vietnamese, and Russian classes for their officers,
as well as for programs to make officers aware of
police practices in the native countries of
immigrants.

In response to this need, BJA is exploring ways to
link local law enforcement agencies with Federal
and State agencies that currently make foreign
language training available to their personnel.
 
Alternatives to Incarceration

Another clear indication of the priorities of State
and local criminal justice practitioners came to
light in topic areas 3.3, 4.2, 2.1, and 2.2, which
solicited papers on alternatives to incarceration
and court-community linkages. Applicants from both
tribal and rural communities showed a serious
concern for juvenile offenders--keeping them out of
jail whenever appropriate and ensuring that in-
custody services exist when serious juvenile
offenders are tried as adults.

In addition, in topic area 2.2, "strategies to
address issues presented by juveniles charged as
adults," applicants consistently requested in-
custody services for their transfer populations.
Transferred juvenile populations, which are growing
rapidly in jurisdictions across the country, are
forbidden by law in many States to be housed in the
same facilities as the adult inmate population. 

The Rural-Urban Gap in Technological Needs

The great need to address the gap in resources
between rural communities and urban and suburban
communities was demonstrated in responses to topic
areas 1.3, "strategies to enhance law enforcement
and prosecution coordination"; 2.4, "strategies to
improve case processing and the administration of
justice"; and 3.2, "strategies in which criminal
justice agencies address regional problems through
consolidation or sharing of resources or through
technology." 

In both general-eligibility topic areas, 1.3 and
2.4, applicants requested funding for systems
development and integration before requesting
funding for computers, indicating that most
localities already had computers. What they
proposed to acquire was new software,
technology to integrate separate databases, and
advanced equipment, such as digital cameras, to
enhance existing systems. However, for applicants
in topic area 3.2, which targeted rural
communities, computers came in second to basic
equipment, including dispatch radios and video
cameras. For rural communities, such basic
equipment was a more immediate concern than
computers, and certainly more important than
advances in computing technology. 

Rural and Tribal School-Based Programming

In rural and tribal topic areas emphasizing
community mobilization or the diversion of
juveniles, schools were the focal point of
applicants' submissions. In topic areas 3.1,
"strategies that focus on community-based
partnerships and coalitions to control and prevent
crime and violence," and 4.3, "tribal strategies to
prevent substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, and
inhalants) by minors," the majority of programs
were designed to bring the community together
through the schools, rather than through the courts
or other units of government. This valuable insight
will help BJA and other Federal agencies create
better programs for rural and tribal communities.

------------------------------

Chapter 4

The Grantees: Innovative Thinking and New Faces

Of the more than 1,700 concept papers submitted to
BJA, 37 were selected in October 1997 for awards of
between $50,000 and $150,000. The majority of
grants will cover a period of 18 months.
 
Like the general pool of Open Solicitation '97
applicants, the grantees were heavily represented
by rural and tribal agencies historically
underserved by Federal grant competitions. The fact
that so many of their ideas were selected on their
merits demonstrates the critical importance of
finding ways to open grant competitions to more
agencies at the local level.

Alaska

Yupiit of Andreafski, St. Mary's
 
High suicide and accidental death rates in Alaska
Native communities are attributable in large part
to alcohol and drug abuse. In St. Mary's, the youth
of the Yupiit of Andreafski, who make up more than
60 percent of the community's population, are at
great risk because of substance abuse. The
jurisdiction's meager social services do not
include prevention and educational services to help
these youth. The Yupiit will create a community-
oriented youth program that will base its services
on three goals: prevention, diversion, and
treatment. The program will identify youth at risk
of substance abuse-related delinquency, as well as
those who have already come into contact with the
criminal justice system, and appropriate treatment
plans will be developed to help them stop abusing
alcohol and other drugs. The Yupiit will work with
other local native communities, as well as law 
enforcement and social service agencies. The
initiative's success will be  measured with
statistical records of youth crime rates, youth
drug and  alcohol citations, and the use of
inpatient services by youth.  

Alaska Court System, Anchorage

The experiences of members of Alaska Native
communities with Federal and State government
institutions, particularly the criminal justice
system, are frequently alien and confusing. This
pilot initiative of the Alaska Court System in
Anchorage will use cultural navigators to assist
Alaska Native individuals during their encounters
with the criminal justice system. The navigators
will be fluent in native languages, versed in
native culture and traditions, and trained in the
areas of crime prevention, social and legal
services, court procedures, counseling and
employment, treatment, and educational
opportunities. Partners will include Alaska State
troopers, public defenders, and legal services
professionals. The program's performance will be
assessed using interviews with clients and partner
organizations.
 
Arizona

Pascua Yaqui Community, Tucson

Tribal police report that turf tensions are high
among gangs active on the densely populated, 3-
square-mile Pascua Yaqui Reservation in Tucson.
Seven out of 10 homes are affiliated with gangs,
and the safety of the community's neighborhoods and
schools has become a daily issue for residents. To
create alternatives to gangs and violence in their
community, the Pascua Yaqui will offer offenders
and suspected offenders exposure to the Yoeme
cultural arts. The initiative will use cultural
identity and traditional artistic expression to
give offenders a sense of personal responsibility.
Partners will include the tribal court, the
prosecutor's office, the probation department, and
the tribal health services program. Success will be
measured by comparing the community's juvenile
crime rate before and after the program's
implementation and through surveys of participants.

Pima County Superior Court Pretrial Services

In 1996, State law in Arizona was changed to allow
the automatic transfer to adult court of youth 15
years of age and older, who have committed certain
crimes or who have been classified as chronic
offenders. Currently, transferred juveniles are
considered adults only on charges currently before
the court. In all other respects they remain
juveniles. This hybrid classification presents
unique and pressing problems for local court
systems. Pima County will address the discrepancy
by developing a program to determine appropriate
pretrial release conditions for transferred
juveniles. The program, to be operated by Pima
County Superior Court Pretrial Services, will
identify the needs of juveniles and coordinate the
delivery of services with local resource agencies.
Partners in the effort will include the county
juvenile and adult probation departments, the
public defender's office, the sheriff's department,
and the University of Arizona. Data will be
collected at both pretrial and posttrial stages to
determine whether the risk assessment instrument
developed for the program was successful.  

Gila River Indian Community, Laveen

Among tribal communities in the United States, the
Gila River Indian Community in Laveen suffers from
some of the country's highest levels of gang
violence, juvenile delinquency, and substance
abuse. Shootings have escalated to more than one a
night, and territory marking and other gang
activities force people to live in fear.
Institutions such as law enforcement and the court
cannot hope to restore security without the full
support of the community and families. To mobilize
members of the Gila River community and channel
their efforts into one broad-based initiative, the
tribe will implement a Gang and Community Violence
Prevention Program. Its goal is to strengthen the
community's awareness of, and response to, gang-
related crime. Participants will attend workshops
on gangs, cycles of violence, and parenting and
conflict resolution skills. Partners will include
local law enforcement, social service, and tribal
agencies in Gila River and the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
 
California

Fresno County District Attorney

In Fresno County, police have documented at least
75 active street gangs and 3 active prison gangs,
and witness intimidation associated with these
gangs has become a daunting problem for law
enforcement and prosecutors. At present, the county
lacks sufficient resources to identify and
intervene in potential acts of intimidation. The
Fresno County District Attorney will combat this
problem by forming a witness intimidation response
team to include prosecutors,investigators, State
parole and county probation officers, welfare fraud
workers, and law enforcement officials. The team
will develop protocols for preventing and
responding to witness intimidation and take steps
to send a message to the community that such acts
will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted. The
program will establish a 24-hour hotline for
victims and witnesses, provide transportation
services for witnesses, and actively pursue
opportunities to intervene before intimidation
occurs. Partners will include the Fresno Police
Department, county supervisors, and the sheriff's
department. Success will be measured by the number
of witnesses contacted and served, community
perceptions of the team's responsiveness, and
conviction rates.

Judicial Council of the Courts, San Francisco

Limited resources in the States' juvenile courts
dictate that only the most serious cases make it to
a hearing. Too often, overburdened criminal justice
systems cannot give truant and runaway children the
intervention services they need. In San Francisco,
the Judicial Council of the Courts will help these
youth by linking courts, families, and volunteers
through a Family Assessment and Intervention
Resource Center. A judicially supervised,
nonadversarial program, the center will offer
prompt, community-based prevention, intervention,
and treatment services in a neighborhood setting.
Its foremost objective will be to serve children
whose conduct or condition falls within statutory
guidelines, but whose cases are amenable to
resolution short of court intervention. Partners
will include presiding judges of the superior and
juvenile courts, social service agencies, victim
support groups, business leaders, and nonprofit
organizations serving at-risk youth. The program's
effectiveness will be measured using a research
program to be developed by the center and by
reviewing data on the number of filings of similar
juvenile cases before and after the center's
creation. 

Vacaville Police Department

One of the main obstacles to prosecuting domestic
violence cases in jurisdictions across the country
is victim recanting. Police departments and victim
advocates cite a lack of intensive, hands-on
clinical support and legal followthrough, and the
psychological disruption of families' children in
domestic violence cases. In Vacaville, the police
department's domestic violence response team will
attempt to overcome this prosecution roadblock by
providing victim advocacy and legal services, as
well as basic living needs and clinical counseling,
for victims and their families. In each case, the
team's goal is to provide victims comprehensive
support from the initial call for assistance to
final resolution of the case. The team will work
with social workers, a local women's crisis center,
and other law enforcement agencies in the area.
Success will be measured by the number of domestic
violence victims and families served; tracking of
resource utilization; the status and use of
restraining orders; prevention of, and response to,
child abuse incidents; reduction in youth violence;
tracking of victims through the system; and the
program's impact on prosecution costs. 

Florida 

Orange County Government, Orlando

In Orange County, the arrest and incarceration rate
of homeless, mentally ill adults is growing at an
alarming rate, forcing the county's criminal
justice system in many cases to serve as a
treatment center of last resort. To serve this
vulnerable population, the Orange County government
in Orlando will create a secure treatment center
adjacent to the county jail. The center will serve
as a central intake and assessment location for
homeless, mentally ill offenders, as well as a
stable environment for postcustody release. The
center will include a crisis stabilization unit, 
a detoxification unit, residential housing, day
treatment, a low-demand shelter unit, and case
management facilities. It will also offer prison
diversion programs, supervised aftercare,
specialized services, and a central data system to
track the progress of clients and the program in
general. The initiative will be supported by local
nonprofit organizations and social service
providers. Success will be measured by the number
of homeless, mentally ill offenders diverted from
the prison system and treated, and by the program's
impact on prison costs.
 
Clerk of the Circuit Court, Leon County

In Leon County, increasing caseloads have produced
unprecedented volumes of documents and data entry
needs in the county's criminal justice system. The
time and resources devoted to maintenance of these
records, which requires expensive, humidity-
controlled storage, has clogged the system and
become a financial drain on the county's revenues.
To address this pressing need, the office of the
Leon County Clerk of the Circuit Court will
automate its filing system using existing Internet
technology. Through this new electronic storage and
retrieval system, attorneys and other court
personnel will be able to file cases and access
documents from any computer terminal using a World
Wide Web browser. Once it is operational, the
system will be accessible to practitioners in every
jurisdiction in the county. The initiative will be
developed in conjunction with all components of the
county court system, as well as the Florida Office
of the State Court Administrator, the county
commissioner, and the county library system.
Success will be measured by the extent to which
participants in the court system submit and
retrieve documents in an electronic format, the
benefits in cost savings and error reduction
generated through automation, and the system's
usefulness as a model for the submission of
electronic documents statewide.

Georgia

Chatham County District Attorney, Savannah

Violent, drug-related crime plagues the city of
Savannah, which in the past 12 years has twice
ranked among the cities with the three highest per
capita murder rates. The rapid growth of violent,
drug- and gang-related crime has overburdened a
justice system already beset with witness
intimidation. This initiative of the Chatham County
District Attorney will implement the Savannah Plan,
a comprehensive, multiagency assault on witness
intimidation. The heart of the plan is the vigorous
prosecution, under Federal charges when possible,
of any witness intimidation. The initiative will
include establishing "safe spaces" for witnesses
and accelerating the prosecution of intimidation
cases. Special conditions of pretrial release will
be developed and supervised as part of the program.
Partners will include the district attorney, the
U.S. Attorney, the Savannah Chamber of Commerce,
religious and civic leaders, and a variety of
county and municipal law enforcement agencies.
Measures of the program's success will include
results of witness debriefings, the number of
witnesses assisted, and the perceptions of local
prosecutors and law enforcement officers. 

Randolph County Commission, Columbus

The literacy rate in rural Randolph County is among
the lowest in the country, and the percentage of
individuals on public assistance is among the
highest. Local law enforcement officials have
identified substance abuse as a major contributing
factor in an overwhelming majority of arrests made
in the county, and it is clear that punitive
sanctions alone are not sufficient to change these
defendants' behavior. In response, the Randolph
County Commission in Columbus will develop a Life
Choices Program for mandated referrals in need of
substance abuse services. The program will include
presentence substance abuse assessments and short-
term substance abuse services. Partners will
include professionals in the judicial system, law
enforcement agencies, and probation and parole
departments. The program's success will be measured
by tracking the average number of jail days served
and the number of repeat offenders prior to and
after implementation, and through surveys of
clients.
 
Iowa

Fifth Judicial District Department of Correctional
Services

The Fifth Judicial District includes the most
densely, as well as the most sparsely, populated
areas in Iowa. As a result, sex offenders in rural
areas must travel up to 200 miles to receive
treatment or to comply with supervision conditions.
Judges are reluctant to order an offender into a
program knowing the difficulties he or she will
have accessing its services. This initiative, led
by the Fifth Judicial District Department of
Correctional Services, will replicate a Des Moines-
based sexual offender treatment program in these
rural areas. The program will focus on
responsibility, empathy for victims, and prevention
of relapses, and it will employ clinical and
polygraph assessment and progressively less
restrictive sanctions as offenders work toward its
completion. Partners will include local mental
health and victim services organizations, as well
as county attorneys, public defenders, and the
courts. The program's effectiveness will be
measured by tracking recidivism through Iowa's
community-based corrections data system.

Fifth Judicial District

In rural areas of Iowa, law enforcement officials
have noted a dramatic increase in drug use and
violence among youth. High-risk juvenile behavior
has prompted numerous jurisdictions to implement
prevention programs, but these uncoordinated
efforts are largely reactive and often use
prepackaged programming. To pull the initiatives
into a cohesive, multidimensional, and proactive
approach, the Fifth Judicial District will develop
a program for rural elementary students that
combats drug use and violence through
decisionmaking skills and asset building. The
Colfax-Mingo School District, the Iowa Department
of Education, and nonprofit, youth-oriented
organizations will collaborate on the development
and implementation of this program. The
program's effectiveness will be measured using
student records and surveys of youth, teachers, 
and administrators.

Louisiana

Office of the District Attorney, Vidalia

Increased levels of crime in rural Vidalia have
overtaxed local law enforcement and the criminal
courts, and local correctional resources are
crowded beyond capacity. Defendants released prior
to trial are often rearrested on new charges before
their previous cases have been adjudicated. To help
alleviate this pressure on the local criminal
justice system, the Office of the District Attorney
in Vidalia will create an alternative-to-
incarceration program for first-time rural
offenders. The program will emphasize aggressive
supervision and restitution to victims. Partners
will include the office of the Seventh District
Judge, the Macon Ridge Economic Development Region,
the Louisiana Department of Welfare and Human
Resources, and local law enforcement agencies. The
program's success will be measured by the number of
offenders who voluntarily enter and complete the
program and by the cost savings achieved through
diversion of offenders from incarceration.
 
Maine

Maine Judicial Department, Administrative
Office of the Courts

The Maine criminal justice system has changed
significantly in recent years with respect to
sentencing laws and practices. There has been
little opportunity, however, for members of the
public, policymakers, and criminal justice
professionals to examine the full impact of these
changes in a formal public setting. To provide such
a forum, the Administrative Office of the Courts of
the Maine Judicial Department will create a
statewide sentencing institute through which
Federal and State judges, prosecutors, defense
attorneys, probation and corrections officers,
legislators, victim advocates, interest groups, and
service providers can discuss sentencing practices
and the needs of offenders and victims in the
State's criminal justice system. As part of this
effort, the Administrative Office of the Courts
will coordinate data collection and sharing between
the Maine Department of Corrections and the court
system, and will promote the use of creative
sentencing options through training, research, and
public education. Partners in the initiative
include the Maine Judicial Department, the State
attorney general, the Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers, the Council of Churches, and a
community dispute resolution center. Success will
be measured over several years by examining trends
and changes in overall sentencing practices.

Maryland

State's Attorney's Office, Baltimore

In Baltimore, hundreds of incidents of witness
intimidation in recent years have interfered with
the prosecution of chronic offenders. To provide
immediate and continuing protection of at-risk
witnesses, the Maryland State's Attorney's Office
will develop a witness security program. At the
heart of the program will be a witness security
task force led by the State's Attorney. Other
members will include representatives from the
police, the community, the sheriff's department,
and the State departments of social services,
corrections, and housing. Success will be measured
by the number of witnesses protected, the number of
guilty pleas to the most serious charge, and the
overall conviction rate in witness protection
cases.

Michigan

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Manistee

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, recently
restored to Federal recognition, is rebuilding its
reservation community in Manistee. The process of
moving families from predominantly public housing
to the reservation presents unique and challenging
opportunities. To ease the strain on families
during this difficult time of transition, the tribe
will develop a system that identifies families'
needs and refers them to agencies that can help
meet those needs. The tribe also plans to develop a
plan for implementing a community policing program.
Long-term goals include producing a document
outlining the formal roles of State, tribal, and
community agencies in this process and creating a
juvenile code and peacemaking system for the
reservation. Partners include the U.S. Attorney for
the Western District of Michigan, the Michigan
Family Independence Agency, and State and local law
enforcement and social service agencies. The
program's effectiveness will be measured through
community surveys as well as by tracking the number
of juveniles involved in community policing
referrals. The system will respond to data
collected on youth deemed to be at risk.
 
Minnesota

Mille Lacs Band, Ojibwe

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe represent just 4
percent of the county's population, but account for
34 percent of those incarcerated there, including
juveniles. Approximately 80 percent of the Band's
youth drop out of high school, and many become
teenage parents. The overincarceration of tribal
youth in Ojibwe could have a devastating long-term
impact on the future of the tribe. Through this
initiative, the Mille Lacs Band will use a
traditional "healing circle" process in
collaboration with traditional courts. The program
will be supported by the local school system,
tribal social service agencies, and the Band's
departments of natural resources, housing, and
streets and roads. The program's success will be
measured using demographic and delinquency data on
clients, surveys, and comparison of preprogram and
postprogram statistics.

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Red Lake
Reservation

As the number of juveniles living on the Red Lake
Reservation has more than doubled over the past
decade, so have rates of juvenile misbehavior. The
region's juvenile justice system currently
struggles to handle a caseload that is eight times
larger than the system was designed to accommodate.
Incarceration resources are overburdened and
provide little or no relief for these problems. The
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians will implement a
program to address this overload by providing
alternatives to youth incarceration. The program
will demonstrate to youthful offenders the impact
of their crimes on victims, their families, and the
broader community. In addition, the program will
offer services to youth through craft workshops,
intermediate community sanctions, elder guidance,
job skills building, and mediation. The program
will be implemented in partnership with local
courts, public defenders, prosecutors, probation
officers, high schools, and local social service
organizations. The program's effectiveness will be
assessed by the degree of community participation
and other statistical measures.
 
Missouri

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
conducts the bulk of its operations out of three
stations. Because these stations are spread
throughout the St. Louis area, prosecutors
currently have few opportunities for face-to-face
interaction with victims and witnesses, weakening
the credibility of the prosecution process. To
facilitate interaction between prosecutors and
victims, as well as between prosecutors and police,
the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will
install a multiagency video system that will
connect the department's police stations, the
Circuit Attorney's Warrant Office, and the U.S.
Attorney's Office. Witnesses, victims, prosecutors,
and police will use the system to share information
and to expedite warrant  applications, incident
reviews, and, when applicable, immediate Federal
referral. Success will be measured by the number of
warrants issued,  random surveys of victims and
witnesses, and calculations of cost savings for the
police department.

Montana

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Pablo

In Pablo, problems created by youth from the
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are
commonly referred to the police, courts, and
schools. As a result, adults in the community tend
to ignore both positive and negative youth
activity, allowing "the authorities" to deal with
the issue of developing alternatives to juvenile
delinquency. To create a positive force for youth
in their community, the Salish and Kootenai Tribes
will implement a rural diversion project tailored
to the needs of tribal youth. The initiative will
employ sanctions through a deferred prosecution
program and rely on traditional tribal elder
guidance to reach at-risk youth. Partners will
include the community's police, public defender,
local housing authority, and mental health center
and addiction treatment program, as well as
parents' groups, schools, and tribal elders. The
program's effectiveness will be assessed using
offense referral statistics and community surveys.
 
Chippewa Cree Tribe, Box Elder

In Box Elder, the Chippewa Cree Tribe faces a
serious problem of chemical dependency in its
population, especially among the young.
Historically, widespread stereotypes about
homelessness, destitution, and alcohol dependency
among American Indians have contributed
significantly to this problem both locally and in
tribal communities across the Nation. To help
overcome the tradition of low expectations, the
Chippewa Cree Tribe will educate tribe members
about their ancestors' tenacity under harsh
conditions. Tribal ceremonies, which flourished for
decades despite attempts at suppression, and the
tribe's communal strength will be used to foster
self-dignity in Chippewa youth and to remove the
pressures that lead them to substance abuse.
Programs, including a project to retrace the
tribe's journey to the reservation, will be held at
schools, local service agencies, and the
reservation's chemical dependency center. The
initiative's effectiveness will be measured through
internal evaluations and a midproject multi-
disciplinary review with recommendations for
improvement.
 
Nevada

Clark County Public Defenders Office, Las Vegas

Many rural communities in Nevada have no full-time
judiciary, let alone full-time prosecutors or
defense attorneys. Substance abuse treatment in
these communities, if it exists at all, often is
available only in the form of occasional 12-step
meetings. It is estimated, however, that up to 80
percent of crimes that occur in these sparsely
populated areas involve drugs or alcohol. The Clark
County Public Defenders Office in Las Vegas will
address this problem by creating a roving rural-
circuit drug court and by offering rotating
regional counseling services for residents of
communities without alcohol or drug services. The
drug court will be developed with the participation
of these local institutions: the Eighth Judicial
District Court, the Clark County Justice Center,
the Clark County District Attorney, the Clark
County Public Defender, the Las Vegas Metropolitan
Police Bureau, the Mesquite Municipal Court,
Choices Unlimited, and the Nevada State Drug Court
Association. The initiative's effectiveness will be
measured using data from a project-specific
database.
 
New Mexico

Pueblo of Jemez

The tribal court approach to criminal justice,
especially as it relates to delinquency among the
young, focuses on resolving conflict. Tribal
justice involves laws and customs that engage
offending individuals and their families. This
process is nonadversarial and attempts to solve
problems while maintaining family relationships.
The Pueblo of Jemez will use these traditional
principles of tribal justice as the foundation for
a youth program. The tribe's initiative will
identify juveniles at risk of delinquency,
coordinate the delivery of outreach services to
them, and enroll youth in community-based
activities. Many of the Pueblo's tribal
organizations will participate in the program, as
will the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the
University of New Mexico. The initiative's
effectiveness will be measured using preprogram and
postprogram data linked to program objectives and
surveys of participants.
 
Santa Fe Police Department

Nearly 50 percent of arrests for intoxication in
Santa Fe are of individuals with mental health
problems. Currently, these individuals receive no
assessment or tracking, and very little, if any,
treatment. The Santa Fe Police Department will take
a new approach with these offenders by transporting
them to protective custody centers or
detoxification units. At these locations, the
offenders will receive medical attention,
assessments by licensed clinical counselors,
referrals for treatment, and case tracking and
followup. The program will emphasize cultural
sensitivity, family training, and helping youth
through mentorship. Santa Fe police will be
assisted by Crisis Response of Santa Fe, Youth and
Family Services, and other community and social
service organizations. Success will be measured by
the number of individuals who are picked up,
detained, transported to protective custody or
detoxification, assessed, and diagnosed with mental
or substance abuse disorders. The program will also
compare recidivism rates before and after its
implementation. 

State Office of Indian Affairs, Santa Fe

The State Office of Indian Affairs in Santa Fe will
address perceived inequalities in how American
Indian youth being charged as adults are  processed
through the Federal and State court systems. Two
critical factors contributing to these perceived
inequalities are the location of offenses and
limitations imposed on Courts of Indian Crimes.
However, because New Mexico is the only State that
allows tribal courts to intervene with American
Indian youth, a rational and measured approach is
possible. The project's main goal is to produce a
single Children's Code for the 22 separate Indian
jurisdictions in New Mexico. The code will allow
tribes to apply sanctions to youthful offenders
immediately, appropriately, and with sensitivity to
the offenders' cultural heritage. Partners will
include the New Mexico Council; local universities,
offices of courts and corrections, and schools of
law; and judges and other experts from the tribes
and pueblos of New Mexico. Success will be measured
by the code's adoption by the State of New Mexico
and local tribes and its potential for
implementation in other States.
 
New York

Niagara County Sheriff's Department, Lockport

Despite "must prosecute" policies and an aggressive
response by local law enforcement agencies to
incidents of domestic violence, approximately 25
percent of domestic violence cases in Niagara
County are dismissed due to lack of evidence or
lack of victim support. To address this issue, the
Niagara County Sheriff's Department in Lockport
will coordinate a more comprehensive response to
domestic violence through a multiagency Domestic
Violence Response Team. Members will include the
sheriff's department, the district attorney, and
the Niagara County Violence Intervention Program.
Initiatives planned by the team include training
sheriff's deputies and advocates for victims of
domestic violence in enforcing the county's new
pro-arrest and no-drop policies, taking steps to
make reporting of domestic violence uniform, and
implementing intervention strategies to empower
victims. Success will be measured by comparing the
number of preimplementation and postimplementation
arrests, as well as by comparing the percentage of
cases in Niagara Falls dismissed or pled down
because of lack of evidence with the percentage of
cases dismissed or pled down in town justice
courts.

Office of the Mayor, City of New York

Juveniles transferred from family to adult courts
enter an adversarial system geared toward
prosecution, not toward crafting an individual
disposition that takes into account the youth's
unique family, emotional, developmental, and school
history. In New York City, the Office of the Mayor
will create a community-based agency to provide
services to youth tried as adults. A second
important objective of the agency is training
public defense attorneys in individualized,
community-based sentencing options and offender
services. The City of New York will implement the
program in partnership with the administrators of
the Assigned Counsel Plan and the Osborne
Association, a nonprofit agency serving adult and
family courts in New York City. Success will be
measured by comparing outcomes for youth serviced
by the program with those for youth who are not.

North Carolina

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee

In Cherokee, North Carolina, the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians have experienced a steady increase
in recent years in gang activity and criminal
behavior among youth in their community. In
response, the tribe's police agency will create a
Cherokee Anti-Gang Enforcement (CAGE) unit that
will combine intelligence and investigation with
intervention and suppression. The unit will work
closely with schools, businesses, and local youth
service organizations to offer youth alternatives
to gangs and delinquency. Major outreach efforts
will focus on reaching youth at popular activities,
such as sporting events and school functions, and
through the media. The initiative will also
mobilize the community to remove graffiti and to
take action to reduce the presence of gangs in
neighborhoods and schools.
 
Ohio

Howland Township, Warren

In rural Howland Township, near Warren, increasing
numbers of juveniles are being charged with
misdemeanors such as vandalism and underage
drinking, and a lack of alternatives to court
action has clogged the local courts and
overburdened law enforcement. The township will
train juvenile diversion counselors to work closely
with the courts, schools, religious institutions,
community organizations, and police department to
offer appropriate alternative sanctions to youth
whose offenses are not serious enough to warrant
court appearances. These sanctions could include
curfews, strict monitoring of behavior at school,
confinement of offenders to their houses, and
community service. The program will emphasize
comprehensive and family-centered approaches to
curbing delinquent behavior before it becomes
serious. Success will be measured by tracking the
number of juveniles processed through the juvenile
court, with a goal of reducing the total by 50
percent.

Oregon

Portland Police Bureau

It is estimated that more than 15,000
developmentally disabled persons  reside in
Multnomah County. These individuals' emotional and
developmental problems often increase their
vulnerability in situations in which they are
witnesses to or victims of crime, and financially
strapped local criminal justice systems lack the
resources to adequately assist them. In Portland,
the city's police bureau will provide personal
safety training to these adults. The training will
increase their awareness of police services and
emphasize ways to reduce their vulnerability.
Partners will include the Developmental Disability
Advisory Group and community advocacy groups.
Success will be measured by feedback to pilot
presentations, surveys of clients and staff, and
evaluations of the initiative by project advisers.
 
Texas

Boerne Independent School District

Recent statistics reported for the city of Boerne
show a dramatic increase in juvenile crime and
substance abuse, including a 600-percent increase
in juvenile probation referrals over the past 5
years. A coordinated response to this trend will be
led by the Boerne Independent School District in a
new initiative called Collaborating for Children.
The school district and its partners, which include
law enforcement agencies, schools, parents, and
students, will create a court that will adjudicate
cases involving teenagers and will raise public
awareness about juvenile delinquency and substance
abuse. The program's success will be measured by
the reduction in school attendance and dress code
violations, parental attendance at parent-teacher
conferences, statistics from Child Protective
Services, and teen court adjudication trends.
 
Washington

Longview Police Department

In Longview, the processing of domestic violence
cases is currently delayed 2 to 3 weeks between
time of arrest and prosecutor review. This "holding
pattern" occurs without police or prosecutor
involvement and leads to a number of serious
problems, including erosion of the strength of the
prosecutor's case, limitations on disposition
options, and insufficient monitoring of victims and
defendants. The Longview Police Department will
bridge the gap by hiring a domestic violence legal
coordinator. The coordinator will organize the
efforts of the police, witnesses, emergency support
services, city prosecutor, courts, and victims. He
or she will help victims and witnesses stay in
contact; monitor victims, defendants, and
witnesses; help coordinate arraignment and
prosecution proceedings; and make sure that all
statutory victim support requirements are met.
Success will be measured using program evaluations
and reviews of compliance with established
protocol.
 
West Virginia

West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and
Public Safety, Criminal Justice and Highway Safety
Division

In West Virginia, the number of serious juvenile
offenders has more than doubled in the past 10
years. In response, the State legislature has
instituted changes in criminal laws that have led
to an increase in the number of juveniles
transferred to adult courts. The courts, however,
lack adequate and appropriate programs to serve the
needs of transferred youth. To address this gap in
services, the Criminal Justice and Highway Safety
Division in the West Virginia Department of
Military Affairs and Public Safety will develop
programs tailored to the needs of juveniles charged
as adults. These programs will stress family, peer,
and community involvement in treatment, as well as
personal responsibility. Partners will include the
State departments of health and human services and
education, juvenile service and delinquency
prevention organizations, courts, prosecutors, and
community nonprofit groups. The effectiveness of
the programs will be assessed through a formal
process and outcome evaluation to be conducted by
the Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center.
 
Glenville State College

Stressful working conditions are an inevitable part
of the law enforcement profession. Left unchecked,
stress can contribute to destructive patterns of
behavior. Officers in rural areas with low tax
bases such as Glenville are especially at risk
because their departments often do not have the
resources to treat stress-related behavior. This
initiative, to be spearheaded by Glenville State
College, will combat law enforcement stress with
two strategies: developing and delivering a
training program for law enforcement agencies in
the State that serve populations of less than
25,000, and creating and distributing a pocket card
with stress reaction symptoms and contact numbers
for professional help. Glenville State will be
assisted in this project by the West Virginia
Criminal Justice Association, the West Virginia
State Police, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the
West Virginia Department of Criminal Justice and
Highway Safety. The program's success will be
measured through a series of surveys distributed to
police officers and through a followup survey
distributed to departments.

Wisconsin
 
HoChunk Nation, Black River

Juvenile delinquency is creating problems in the
HoChunk Nation in Black River, and these problems
have been escalating over time. In particular,
incidents of drug abuse, juvenile arrests, and
violence in the home have increased dramatically in
the past several years. The area's Indian Child
Welfare Services are overburdened and have
resources to address only the most serious
incidents. To help youth in its community, the
HoChunk Nation's Department of Social Services will
implement an early intervention community services
program to address delinquency and minor offenses.
The program will employ a youth case manager with a
background in social work who will coordinate the
efforts of the courts, schools, and service
providers. The program's success will be measured
by comparing overall preprogram and postprogram
delinquency statistics, as well as records on
individual offenders. 

------------------------------

Announcing Open Solicitation '98

For Open Solicitation '98, BJA will solicit concept
papers under a broad range of topics that reflect
major areas of interest and concern in criminal
justice as identified by practitioners at the State
and local levels. It is our hope that, from the
resulting programs, we will develop a pool of
information that can be shared with State and local
practitioners and communities regarding new ideas
to address current emerging problems in the field.
Application deadlines for Open Solicitation
submissions will be announced during FY 1998. To be
placed on the BJA mailing list, call the BJA
Clearinghouse at  1-800-688-4252 or the Department
of Justice Response Center at  1-800-421-6770.
Announcements will also be posted on the BJA  home
page at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA.

------------------------------

Sources for Further Information

For further information about Open Solicitation
'97, Open Solicitation '98, or other BJA programs,
contact BJA or the BJA Clearinghouse at the
addresses listed below. Information and
publications are also available via the BJA Web
site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA.

Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
202-514-5947

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
1-800-688-4252

------------------------------

Bureau of Justice Assistance Information

General Information

Callers may contact the U.S. Department 
of Justice Response Center for general information
or specific needs, such as assistance in submitting
grants applications and information on training. To
contact the Response Center, call 1-800-421-6770 or
write to 1100 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20005.

Indepth Information

For more indepth information about BJA, its
programs, and its funding opportunities, requesters
can call the BJA Clearinghouse. The BJA
Clearinghouse, a component of the National Criminal
Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), shares BJA
program information with State and local agencies
and community groups across the country.
Information specialists are available to provide
reference and referral services, publication
distribution, participation and support for
conferences, and other networking and outreach
activities. The Clearinghouse can be reached by:

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