[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 45 (Friday, March 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10586-10588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5699]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections


Request for Applications

    Authority: Public Law 93-415.
    Summary: The Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of 
Corrections (NIC) announces the availability of funds in FY '97 for a 
cooperative agreement to deliver the project, Intermediate Sanctions 
for Women Offenders: A Program of Training and Technical Assistance for 
Selected Local Jurisdictions.
    Purpose: The National Institute of Corrections is seeking proposals 
for a cooperative agreement to assist four, high population local 
jurisdictions in examining their sentencing practices for women 
offenders and developing a system of correctional options that is more 
effective and appropriate for women.
    A cooperative agreement is an assistance relationship in which the 
National Institute of Corrections is substantially involved in all 
aspects of the project during the performance of the award. An award is 
made to an organization who will, in concert with the Institute, 
provide technical assistance to selected jurisdictions. No funds are 
transferred to State or local governments.

Project Objectives

    The objectives of the Project are to work collaboratively with 
jurisdictions to:
    1. Develop a sound information base regarding the offense and 
background characteristics of the jurisdiction's women offenders; 
current sentencing practices, supervision processes, and programs; and 
responses to women offenders' needs by community corrections and human 
service agencies.
    2. Use the databases and the experiences of the team members and 
others to explore the existing community sanctioning options and their 
outcomes for women offenders and identify gaps in the range of 
sanctions and services.
    3. Develop a sound conceptual plan for creating a range of desired 
intermediate sanctions that includes both concrete action steps for 
initiation of the plan within six months and a statement of where the 
community corrections system should be in 3 to 5 years with its 
sanctioning policies and services for women offenders.
    4. Document the policy and program development process.

Design and Content of the Project

    In broad outline, the Project will provide training and technical 
assistance to support policy and program development, on intermediate 
sanctions for women offenders, by system-wide actors in four 
jurisdictions. Applicants may be any adult probation, parole or other 
community based corrections agency in a local jurisdiction with a 
population of 200,000 or more.
    The focus of the Project's work will be a policy group or team of 
key criminal justice decision makers, human services administrators, 
and public and private local corrections managers. The community 
corrections agency will be expected to take the lead in forming a 
policy team or working with an existing or modified policy forum. The 
agencies must be willing to involve these critical decision makers in a 
process of exploring current sentencing practices for women offenders, 
and developing consensus on gaps or problems with intermediate 
sentencing options and appropriate solutions to those problems. The 
process must be grounded in the use of sound information on sentencing 
practices and program outcomes.
    Project assistance will consist of three national meetings for a 
leadership team of three members from each jurisdiction, facilitation 
of the site specific policy team work, the technical assistance 
tailored to the needs of each jurisdiction. A complete description of 
the Project can be found on pages 6-7 in the NIC Annual Program Plan, 
Fiscal Year 1997. To obtain a copy of the Program Plan, please call 
Judy Evens at 1-800-995-6423, ext. 159.

Project Status

    Five jurisdictions responded to the Project announcement by the 
October 15, 1996, deadline. Applications were received from counties/
cities in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio.

[[Page 10587]]

    The Community Corrections Division has completed both an initial 
review of the applications and site-visits to some of the jurisdictions 
in order to obtain a more complete picture of the level of interest, 
the presenting problems and the commitment of key members of the policy 
teams. Decisions regarding applicant selection will be made by February 
28, 1997.

Cooperative Agreement Scope of Work

    Applicants should propose an integrated training and technical 
assistance approach which will accomplish the following tasks:

1. National Meetings for Site Teams

    The awardee will design and conduct three national meetings for 
three to four person teams from each of the participating sites. The 
meetings will be 2-3 days in length. The purposes of the meetings are 
to clarify and develop: the project's conceptual framework and problem-
solving activities; information base development and analysis; 
strategies to effectively manage work groups; approaches to 
establishing links with community resources; individual site action 
plans; and other critical issues in sentencing and managing women 
offenders. The work will include:
    a. Planning the meeting agendas, preparing faculty, and conducting 
the two or three day meetings for up to four team members from each 
site. NIC will retain final approval of the meeting goals, curricula 
and faculty selection.
    b. Identifying meeting locations, making all logistical 
arrangements, and paying the per diem, lodging and ground 
transportation of faculty and participants. The travel expenses 
(airline or train) for these meetings for three persons from each site 
and faculty will be paid directly by NIC through individual 
authorization letters. This arrangement allows the use of lower cost 
Government fares and the scheduling of meetings on those days of the 
week which are most convenient for all involved. Sites may send 
additional team members at their own expense.

2. Site Coordination and Technical Assistance

    The awardee will provide the expertise to support the ongoing work 
of the sites. This will include designating a staff contact/facilitator 
for each site team who serves as a co-strategist to the leadership 
team, assesses technical assistance needs and arranges other critical, 
technical assistance between the national meetings.
    Site specific technical assistance may include issues such as: 
maintaining productive policy teams; strategic planning and the policy 
development process; information development; and developing strategies 
for building public support. Applicants are encouraged to explore the 
use of video conferencing to augment on-site activities when the 
technology satisfies project needs and is cost effective. Actual costs 
have not been determined on the basis of experience. The awardee will 
work with NIC to determine precise costs; however, the following cost 
estimates are believed to be representative:
    a. Video conferencing can be scheduled and initiated from NIC 
offices in Washington, D.C., and Longmont, Colorado--in some instances 
at no cost to the project. There may be a $130 per hour connection fee 
if the receiving location is a commercial site. An additional $55 per 
hour connection fee may be charged for each location on a multi point 
call. These costs would be the responsibility of the awardee.
    b. Costs at the receiving end--or for calls initiated from other 
than NIC locations--would be the responsibility of the grantee or 
participating jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions may have free access to 
their own video conference equipment.
    c. It is estimated that receiving end, commercial rental rates per 
site can range from $150 to $180 per hour for point-to-point 
conferences; and from $210-$240 per hour for multi point conferences. 
Estimated costs for initiating SPRINT compatible video conferences from 
commercial locations would need to be determined locally, and that cost 
would be the responsibility of the awardee.

3. Quarterly Updates with NIC Management and Final Report

    NIC and the awardee will hold quarterly update sessions to review 
progress in the sites and make decisions regarding further site-
specific technical assistance. At least one of these sessions will be a 
face-to-face meeting in the NIC Washington Offices. The others may be 
audio- or video-conferences. The awardee must also prepare a final 
report on the Project's activities and achievements.

4. Additional Requirements

    In the proposal, applicants must:
    a. Identify the principal members of the technical assistance 
provider team and their specific, relevant expertise.
    b. Address how they will perform the project tasks in collaboration 
with NIC.

Background Materials

    The following materials are available on request from the NIC 
Information Center, 1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A, Longmont, CO 
80501, telephone 800-877-1461.

Intermediate Sanctions for Women Offenders, March, 1995. Prepared for 
Oregon Criminal Justice Council and the Department of Correction by the 
(Oregon) Intermediate Sanctions for Female Offenders Policy Group.
Intermediate Sanctions for Women Offenders--Working Papers: Recruitment 
Criteria Checklist, and Program Goals and Project Approach.

Funding Level

    Funding for this project has been set at $127,000 (direct and 
indirect costs) for the first ten months of a 20 month effort. This 
amount will support one cooperative agreement award. Subject to 
satisfactory performance in the first 10-months, the approval of a 
cooperative agreement proposal for the second ten-month period, and the 
availability of funds; an award will be made to the successful 
applicant from this solicitation for the subsequent phase of this 
twenty-month project. Funding for the second phase is projected at 
roughly the same level.
    The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an 
applicants application cannot exceed the current indirect cost rate 
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency. NIC cannot 
approve charges for indirect costs which have not been negotiated or 
approved as stated above.
    Funds may not be used for construction, or to acquire or build real 
property.

Application Procedures

    Applicants must be prepared in accordance with the instructions in 
the NIC packet titled Process for Applying for Cooperative Agreements. 
Applicants are advised that the narrative description of their program, 
not including the budget justification or OMB Standard Form 424 
(Application for Federal Assistance), attachments and appendices should 
not exceed forty (40), double-spaced, typed pages in length. Applicants 
should be received in six copies by the Grants Control Office, National 
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street, N. W., Room 5007, 
Washington, D. C. 20534, no later than 4:00 pm, Eastern time, Friday, 
March 21, 1997. The street address for overnight mail or hand delivery 
of applications is 500 First Street, N.W., Room 700, Washington, D.C. 
20534. If you have any questions regarding the solicitation, please 
write or call: Phyllis Modley, Community Corrections Division, 800-995-
6423, x133.

[[Page 10588]]

Addresses and Further Information

    Requests for the application kit should be directed to Judy Evens, 
Grants Control Office, National Institute of Corrections, 320 First 
Street, N. W., Room 5007, Washington, D. C. 20534 or by calling 800-
995-6423, ext. 159. All technical and/or programmatic information 
should be directed to Phyllis Modley at the above address or by calling 
800-995-6423, ext. 133.
    Number of Awards: One (1).
    NIC Application Number: 97C07. This number should appear as a 
reference line on your cover letter and also in box 11 of OMB Standard 
Form 424.

(The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. is: 16.603)

    Dated: February 27, 1997.
Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 97-5699 Filed 3-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-M