21852 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OJP NO. 1048]

ZRIN 1121–ZA11

Office of Justice Programs Fiscal Year

1995 Program Plans

AGENCY: Department of Justice, Office of

Justice Programs.

ACTION: Notice of program plans.

DATES: See specific Program Plan.

ADDRESSES: All questions concerning

these Program Plans should be

addressed to the appropriate Bureau or

Office at 633 Indiana Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20531.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carol Winfield of the Department of

Justice Response Center at 1–800–421–

6770.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Preface

OJP Bureaus’ Fiscal Year 1995 Program

Plans

The increasing crime rate, particularly

escalating violent crime by juvenile

offenders, continues to be a major

concern of the American public. No

community is untouched. Law

enforcement and criminal justice

agencies around the country are faced

with new and increasing challenges as

they respond to crime.

The Fiscal Year 1995 Program Plans

for the United States Department of

Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

Bureaus—the National Institute of

Justice, the Bureau of Justice Assistance,

the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention, and the Office

for Victims of Crime—reflect an effort to

address these problems aggressively.

Their simultaneous publication in the

Federal Register reflects an emphasis on

collaborative relationships among the

Bureaus and a strong commitment to

working in partnership with

communities across the country in

addressing the problem of crime.

These plans not only reflect a

renewed commitment to coordination

among the OJP Bureaus, but also

demonstrate a recognition that the only

way in which we can hope to have an

impact on the country’s crime problems

is by reaching out to public agencies at

all levels of government, as well as a

broad range of community and private

groups. In developing their Program

Plans, the Bureaus solicited input from

State and local criminal justice agencies,

constituent and community groups, law

enforcement, prosecutors, courts,

corrections agencies, and victim service

providers, as well as other Department

of Justice components and other Federal

agencies. Thus, in addition to embracing

existing Administration and Department

of Justice initiatives—reducing violent

crime, developing comprehensive

community-based approaches to crime

and violence, focusing on youth crime

and firearms, actively involving citizens

in prevention efforts, and meeting the

needs of crime victims—the Fiscal Year

1995 OJP Program Plans also reflect

needs expressed by the field.

The Program Plans encourage

applicants to forge partnerships along

new frontiers, often reaching beyond

criminal justice boundaries to find

solutions. By approaching crime and

violence in a comprehensive fashion—

bringing all the players in the system

together—applicants are encouraged to

improve the effectiveness of their

services, reduce wasteful duplication,

and identify new and innovative

approaches to tough problems.

For example, OJP Bureaus are

working together on several initiatives,

such as Project PACT (Pulling America’s

Communities Together), the

Comprehensive Communities Program

(CCP), and the new Safe Futures

Program, that fund communities to

mobilize their law enforcement and

justice system resources together with a

coalition of government agencies and

private sector resources. Working in

partnership with the community, key

officials and community leaders

develop broad-based, coordinated

strategies to reduce the high rates of

drug abuse and related crime and

violence in their neighborhoods. Project

PACT, CCP, and Safe Futures are

examples of programs that empower

communities to impact crime and

violence, particularly youth violence,

through comprehensive planning, and

improved intergovernmental

relationships.

Another recurrent theme in the OJP

Program Plans is the Federal

government’s role in providing

leadership and guidance on crime

control, prevention and victims issues

by developing and testing new

approaches and determining ‘‘what

works.’’ As model programs are tested

and developed through research,

evaluation, and demonstration grants,

information on effective programs and

practices is disseminated widely to

State and local criminal justice and

social service agencies. Local

communities should not have to ‘‘road

test’’ new ideas without solid

knowledge about what has been tried

before in other jurisdictions, what has

worked, and what has not. The Program

Plans also provide information on the

availability of training and technical

assistance to assist States and local

jurisdictions interested in implementing

‘‘best practices.’’

Important priorities identified in the

1994 Crime Act—particularly with

regard to violence against women, the

illegal possession and use of firearms,

and comprehensive, innovative

prevention and early intervention

strategies aimed at high risk youth—are

also reflected in the Program Plans.

Another key goal for OJP was to make

it easier for States and local

communities to access OJP services,

programs, and information. As a result,

we have set up a new inter-department,

Internet-based clearinghouse called

PAVNET. PAVNET will provide

information on promising programs,

available funding, and technical

assistance. We have also set up the

Department of Justice Response Center

to answer questions concerning program

availability and funding.

The Program Plans that follow,

describe in greater detail OJP’s funding

goals and priorities for this Fiscal Year.

For more information about the

application process, as well as about

Crime Act programs, you can call the

DOJ Response Center at 1–800–421–

6770.

* * * * *

As we move ahead with our

initiatives for Fiscal Year 1995, the

Office of Justice Programs is committed

to working in close partnership with

communities at the State and local level.

Only by working together can we hope

to have an impact on the enormous

problems of crime and violence

confronting our nation today.

Laurie Robinson,

Assistant Attorney General Office of Justice

Programs.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Fiscal Year 1995 Program Plan

I am pleased to announce the Bureau

of Justice Assistance’s (BJA)

Discretionary Program Plan for FY 1995.

BJA assists States and local jurisdictions

through the Edward Byrne Memorial

State and Local Law Enforcement

Assistance Program. Through the Byrne

Discretionary Grant Program, BJA

provides leadership and guidance on

crime and violence prevention and

control and criminal justice system

improvement at the State and local

levels. BJA also develops and tests new

approaches in criminal justice and

crime control, and encourages

replication of effective programs and

practices by State and local agencies.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21853

This year, BJA’s plan focuses

primarily on national scope

demonstration programs. These

programs support two goals: to assist

States and local units of government to

reduce and prevent crime, violence, and

drug abuse and to improve the criminal

justice system. To meet these goals BJA

will work with communities to develop

comprehensive strategies and

expansive, problem-solving

partnerships. Special emphasis is

placed on anti-violence initiatives,

particularly those dedicated to reducing

the availability of illegal firearms and

providing young people with

alternatives to gangs and criminal

involvement. Additionally, BJA will

continue to work in partnership with

State and local law enforcement, as well

as the United States Attorneys; improve

the adjudication process; assist States

with alleviating prison overcrowding by

fostering corrections options programs;

and focus resources on both evaluation

of promising programs and

dissemination of information about

these programs to the field.

BJA’s Program Plan for FY 1995

includes a $50 million appropriation for

general programs and a $12 million

appropriation for Corrections Options

Programs. It describes planned activities

for the Regional Information Sharing

Program (RISS) and the National White

Collar Crime Center. Joint efforts

planned with other Federal agencies are

also described.

Obviously, our dollars are limited.

Consistent with the Administration’s

policies and in an effort to get the most

for each dollar spent, I am committed to

making BJA’s Discretionary Grant

Program as competitive as possible and

to maximizing the impact of these

limited competitive dollars through a

wide array of programs directed toward

urban communities, rural areas, and

Native American communities. For this

reason, in FY 1995 BJA will:

• Give preference to applicants who

leverage BJA dollars through

partnerships among organizations

bringing a commitment of other

resources to the table (such as

Empowerment Zones/Enterprise

Communities);

• Notify all grantees that continuation

funding in future years is not

guaranteed but, rather, will be based on

performance and other relevant factors;

• Institute the practice of awarding a

declining BJA share of funding for

second and subsequent years where

continuation funding is provided;

• Complete the process of developing,

in consultation with the National

Institute of Justice, a strategy for

obtaining early evaluative information

on particularly promising programs for

early dissemination to our constituents;

• Promote activities complementing

the initiatives being implemented

through the Crime Act; and

• Continue to maximize OJP

resources by working in partnership

with the National Institute of Justice, the

Office for Victims of Crime, the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, and other components of

the Justice Department.

These initiatives, coupled with

focused goals and objectives, will build

stronger partnerships at all levels. I

envision these partnerships to be a

continuum of relationships

encompassing all components of the

criminal justice system.

Goals

The FY 1995 Program Plan addresses

BJA’s two goals: To help State and local

units of government (1) reduce and

prevent crime and violence and (2)

improve the functioning of the criminal

justice system. Enhanced coordination

and cooperation of Federal, State and

local efforts facilitate the achievement of

these goals. The objectives for each of

the goals are outlined below. The

programs developed to address the

objectives are described in the plan.

• Reduce and Prevent Crime and

Violence

Encourage the development and

implementation of comprehensive

strategies, in coordination with human

service providers, to reduce and prevent

crime and violence.

Encourage the active participation of

community organizations and citizens

in crime- and violence-prevention

efforts.

Provide national scope training and

technical assistance to support local

crime-, drug use-, and violenceprevention efforts.

Provide young people with legitimate

opportunities and activities which serve

as alternatives to crime and involvement

with gangs.

Reduce the availability of illegal

weapons and develop programs to

address violence in our communities,

homes, schools, and workplaces.

• Improve the Functioning of the

Criminal Justice System

Enhance the ability of law

enforcement agencies to reduce crime,

drug trafficking and sales, and violence.

Improve the effectiveness and

efficiency of all aspects of the

adjudication process.

Assist States in freeing prison space

for serious and violent offenders

through the design, development, and

implementation of effective correctional

options for nonviolent offenders.

Enhance the ability of State and local

agencies, in conjunction with the

Immigration and Naturalization Service,

to apprehend and deport criminal

aliens.

Evaluate the effectiveness of funded

programs, disseminate results, and

enhance the ability of criminal justice

agencies to use new information

technologies.

How Priorities Were Established

Priorities for the FY 1995

Discretionary Grant Program reflect a

balance of congressional mandates,

Administration priorities, and needs

expressed by State and local criminal

justice practitioners. The goals are

defined by the authorizing legislation

for the Edward Byrne Memorial State

and Local Law Enforcement Assistance

Program. Priorities for a number of

specific programs to address those goals

are mandated by Congress through the

earmarking of the appropriation.

BJA’s priorities also reflect

Administration and Department of

Justice priorities, especially those

related to reducing violent crime, the

need to develop comprehensive

approaches to crime and violence, the

focus on youth, and the need for active

citizen participation in prevention

efforts.

During the planning process, BJA

solicited input on priorities from

national organizations which represent

State and local governments, criminal

justice agencies, and community groups.

Input was also requested from the State

agencies which administer the Byrne

Formula Grant Program as well as from

U.S. Attorneys. A number of programs

that address current issues were

incorporated into the plan in response

to this valuable input.

Types of Programs

BJA is authorized by Congress to

make awards to public and private

agencies and organizations for national

scope and multi-State programs,

demonstration programs, training, and

technical assistance to assist States and

local jurisdictions. National scope

programs provide a service or product of

benefit throughout the country or across

multiple States or address issues that

are of concern nationally.

Demonstration programs are used to

develop, test, evaluate, and document

new programs and practices. Training is

developed and provided to State and

local criminal justice practitioners and

others to provide them with state-of-theart information on effective programs

and practices. Technical assistance is
21854 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

provided to sites participating in

demonstration programs or is available

to help an individual jurisdiction

implement a program or practice or

address a specific issue.

Competitive and Noncompetitive Grants

Each section of this Program Plan is

divided into programs that will be

awarded on a competitive basis and

those that are noncompetitive.

Whenever possible, BJA encourages

broad participation in the grants process

by public and private agencies and

organizations at the State and local

levels and makes awards on a

competitive basis.

Each year, BJA also makes

noncompetitive awards. There are a

number of factors that limit the number

of competitive programs:

• Congressional Earmarks—Each year

Congress directs BJA to award a portion

of the appropriated funds for specified

programs and/or organizations. In FY

1995, over $23 million of the $50

million appropriated for general

discretionary programs were earmarked

for specific programs. BJA was also

directed to review other programs (soft

earmarks) for possible funding.

• Continuation and Implementation

Grants—Many of BJA’s programs require

several years of funding to accomplish

their goals. For example, training efforts

require several years of funding to

develop the curriculum and to reach the

intended audience. Demonstration sites,

which are generally selected

competitively the first year, require 2–

3 years of funding to develop fully,

implement, and evaluate the program.

In addition, BJA has funded several

planning efforts with implementation

funding provided in subsequent years.

• Limited Competition—Limited

competition is used when a limited

number of jurisdictions or organizations

meet the requirements of the program.

These jurisdictions or organizations are

then invited to compete for an award. A

limited competition saves jurisdictions

or organizations that will not qualify the

time and expense of preparing an

application. It also allows BJA to

concentrate technical assistance and

training on this limited pool of

applicants.

• Sole Source Selection—In some

cases, there is only one organization or

agency that has the capability, expertise,

or constituents to administer a program

that BJA wants to implement. For

example, an association that represents

a constituency which BJA wants to

reach with technical assistance or

training may be the best organization to

implement the program. In other cases,

BJA may make an award on a noncompetitive basis to an agency that has

developed an innovative program and

has the expertise to implement it.

In FY 1995, BJA has modified

applicant requirements and review

criteria to facilitate stronger

partnerships with grantee agencies and

to maximize the impact of limited

competitive dollars. These include:

• Preference will be given to

applicants who leverage BJA dollars

through partnerships among

organizations bringing a commitment of

other resources to the table;

• All grantees are on notice that

continuation funding in future years is

not guaranteed but, rather, will be based

on performance and other relevant

factors; and

• As appropriate, BJA will provide a

declining share of total funding for

second and subsequent years where

continuation funding is provided after

FY 1995.

Application Process

A Program Announcement and

Application Kit, which will be available

in late April, will serve as a request for

proposals. It will contain detailed

descriptions of competitive programs

and complete forms and instructions for

developing an application.

Competitive Programs—The Program

Announcement and Application Kit will

describe for each competitive program:

the purpose of the program, background,

goals, objectives, program design,

eligibility requirements, selection

criteria, award period, award amount

and due date. Applications for

competitive programs are due by June

30, 1995. A panel of experts will be

established for each competitive

program area to review and rank the

applications. Funding decisions are

made by the Director of BJA.

Non-Competitive Programs—BJA staff

will contact applicants for

noncompetitive programs to discuss

application requirements and due dates.

The Department of Justice Response

Center staff are available to respond to

questions and provide technical

assistance to applicants and other

interested parties. The Response Center

number is (800) 421–6770.

Goal I: Reduce and Prevent Crime and

Violence

Comprehensive Communities Program

Encourage the Development and

Implementation of Comprehensive

Strategies To Reduce and Prevent Crime

and Violence

The Comprehensive Communities

Program (CCP) reflects the

Administration’s priority of reducing

crime and violence by initiating

comprehensive planning and improving

intergovernmental relationships. It

requires selected jurisdictions to engage

in a comprehensive planning and

strategy development process for crime

and violence control and prevention. It

requires law enforcement and other

governmental agencies to work in

partnership with communities to

address crime problems, as well as the

factors that increase the risk that

individuals will become involved in

problem behavior.

In FY 1994, 16 jurisdictions faced

with high rates of crime and violence

were selected to participate in CCP. The

four Pulling America’s Communities

Together (Project PACT) sites were

included in this group. Each jurisdiction

was provided with planning funds to

develop a strategy that demonstrates a

jurisdictionwide commitment to

community policing, coordination

among public and private agencies

(including, social services, public

health, etc.), and an active role by the

community in problem solving.

BJA made funding available for a

number of program components to assist

with implementation of the strategy.

These components are designed to

implement specific models that BJA has

already developed and found to be

effective or models the agency wants to

test. These components also allow for

the development of new models, which,

if successful, can be replicated by other

jurisdictions. The program components

are described below. Each strategy was

required to include community policing

and community mobilization/

prevention initiatives. Six sites received

awards from the FY 1994 allocation.

The remaining 10 sites received awards

in FY 1995.

Jurisdictionwide Community Policing

Jurisdictionwide Community

Policing, a mandatory program

component, forms the core of the

Comprehensive Communities Program.

It requires the applicant to implement a

jurisdiction-wide model of community

policing using a framework developed

by a consortium of national law

enforcement organizations working with

BJA. Funding for this component, in the

amount of $9,990,000 was provided by

the COPS Office.

Community Mobilization/Prevention—

$969,718

Community mobilization, also a

mandatory component, focuses on

implementation of strategies to promote

the acceptance and practice of

community policing, rehabilitate crimeravaged neighborhoods, and empower
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21855

communities by strengthening

relationships among citizens, law

enforcement, and other public and

private service providers.

Nonviolent Dispute Resolution

The Non-Violent Dispute Resolution

component is a joint effort of BJA and

the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to test

a variety of strategies to train teenagers

constructively to manage anger, resolve

conflict without the use of firearms or

violence, learn the importance of

mutual respect, and be responsible for

their actions. Funding, in the amount of

$300,000 is being provided by OJJDP.

Boys & Girls Clubs Demonstration

The goal of this component is to

establish or expand Boys and Girls

Clubs in public housing and other atrisk communities through the Boys and

Girls Clubs of America. This program

will be supported under an earmark to

the Boys and Girls Clubs of America

described in the section on Youth and

Gangs.

Comprehensive Gang Initiative

The Comprehensive Gang Initiative

requires sites to implement a model

comprehensive approach to gang issues

that carefully balances initiatives for

prevention, intervention, and

suppression. Funding for this

component, in the amount of $799,345,

is being provided by OJJDP.

Community Prosecution—$969,719

This program component encourages

local prosecutors to be more responsive

to the needs of their communities by

bringing the prosecutor and the

community together as partners to

maintain public safety.

Community-Based Alternatives to

Incarceration—$1,350,000

This program component encourages

local communities to develop

community-based alternatives to

incarceration that hold offenders

accountable while keeping them in the

community where they can participate

in job training and/or work, substance

abuse treatment, restitution or

community service, and other services

needed to make them productive

citizens.

Continued Comprehensive Planning—

$400,000

Four of the sites that participated in

the Comprehensive Communities

Program planning process in FY 1994

will be provided with additional time

and resources to refine their

comprehensive strategies.

Implementation Funding—$1,600,004

Funds are being set aside to assist the

four sites still engaged in planning with

implementation of their strategies.

Training and Technical Assistance—

$300,000

Training and technical assistance will

be provided to the Comprehensive

Communities Program sites to assist

them with the planning process and the

effective implementation of their

strategies.

Community-Based Programs

Encourage the Active Participation of

Community Organizations and Citizens

in Crime- and Violence-Prevention

Efforts

Crime and violence are only

symptoms of broader problems which

plague our communities. Crime cannot

be stopped by law enforcement without

the active participation of the

community and other public and private

agencies. It cannot be eradicated unless

we address the causes which surround

our children with violence, crime, and

despair.

BJA plans to expand and enhance

community mobilization efforts by

assisting local communities and law

enforcement agencies actively to engage

residents and community groups in

taking back their neighborhoods. One

neighborhood at a time, these

partnerships will seek to rid

communities of drug dealers, gangs, and

other criminals.

Operation Weed and Seed will be

continued and expanded in FY 1995.

This comprehensive, multiagency

approach is helping 36 communities

address both public safety and

neighborhood revitalization issues. BJA

will also continue to fund several

community mobilization/action

programs that encourage citizens to

work with the police, government,

community organizations, and the

private sector to explore new and

innovative approaches to preventing

crime, youth handgun violence, and

drug abuse.

In FY 1995, BJA will also address the

Attorney General’s commitment to focus

resources on problems faced by many

American Indian tribes by establishing

Federal/tribal partnerships with several

tribes for the purpose of developing

tribal strategies against violence.

Violence in public housing will also be

addressed by assisting local

communities develop comprehensive

approaches to crime and violence in

public housing. Both of these planning

processes will be documented to serve

as guides for other communities.

To address the rights and needs of the

victims of crime, which are important

components of all of the communitybased programs, BJA and the Office for

Victims of Crime will jointly fund a

number of programs to assist the victims

of crime and to increase the criminal

justice system’s responsiveness to the

rights and needs of victims.

Competitive

Communities in Action to Prevent Drug

Abuse—$400,000

The Bureau of Justice Assistance in

cooperation with the Employment and

Training Administration, U.S.

Department of Labor, will continue a

unique demonstration program at the

grassroots-level. The National Training

and Information (NTIC) and up to ten of

its affiliated neighborhood-based

organizations will implement a program

to reduce crime and violence and to

help residents access services of local

job training and employment systems.

Key program elements are: building

and/or enhancing local planning teams

and partnerships made up of public

officials, law enforcement,

representatives of private industry

councils and other groups that focus on

providing job training and related

services, other service providers,

businesses, churches, schools,

community organizations, youth, and

other residents; the development of

short-, intermediate-, and long-term

strategies; community policing;

prevention education; and, the

development of training opportunities

for job placement.

Non-Competitive

Tribal Strategies Against Violence—

$300,000

This program is a Federal/tribal

partnership initiative designed to

galvanize Native American communities

in up to five sites to develop strategies

to reduce the incidence of family

violence, child abuse, and juvenile

delinquency as well as to foster

community participation and support in

the implementation of the strategies.

Community Drug Abuse Prevention

Initiatives—$500,000

The National Crime Prevention

Council will continue to provide costeffective technical assistance and

training to reduce crime, violence, and

the demand for drugs, with a focus on

acceptance of community policing,

rehabilitating crime-ravaged

neighborhoods, and community

empowerment.
21856 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

National Neighborhood Mobilization

Program to Prevent Crime—$50,000

This program will provide

continuation funding for a grassroots

organization in Philadelphia to support

community policing through the

implementation of comprehensive,

innovative, anti-crime, anti-firearm, and

anti-drug strategies.

Victim Services as a Component of the

Criminal Justice System $450,000

This project will provide training and

technical assistance to criminal justice

agencies to encourage them to be more

responsive to the needs and concerns of

victims and to incorporate victim

services into criminal justice functions.

Operation Weed and Seed—

Demonstration and Technical

Assistance—$10,000,000

Operation Weed and Seed is a

community-based, comprehensive,

multiagency approach designed to

‘‘weed’’ out crime and gang activity

from target neighborhoods and then

‘‘seed’’ them with a wide range of

human services that provide

opportunities for citizens to live, work,

and raise families in a stable

environment. The 36 existing

demonstration sites will receive awards

to continue activities and/or expand

into new target neighborhoods. Five

sites will also receive funding to

participate in the National Performance

Review Lab, focused on neighborhood

revitalization strategies. An array of

technical assistance and training

services will be available to the

demonstration sites. Weed and Seed is

a joint effort between BJA and the

Executive Office for Weed and Seed.

The Executive Office will contribute

approximately $13 million to the

program, in addition to the BJA funds.

Community Crime and Drug Abuse

Prevention and Education Initiatives

Provide National Scope Training and

Technical Assistance To Support Local

Crime-, Drug Use-, and ViolencePrevention Efforts

This program area implements

national-level programs which provide

training and technical assistance to local

communities to support their

prevention activities. For example, local

programs may make use of, and localize,

nationally and professionally developed

print and television crime prevention

messages through the National Citizens’

Crime Prevention Campaign. Use of the

McGruff the Crime Dog logo, which is

recognized and respected by over 97

percent of school age children, provides

local programs with instant credibility.

Similarly, participation in National

Night Out serves as a rallying point for

citizen participation in local efforts.

Both of these programs provide

communities with technical assistance

and crime prevention materials that can

be used locally.

In FY 1995, BJA will continue to

support the five Drug Abuse Resistance

Education (DARE) Training Centers.

These centers prepare State and local

law enforcement officers to teach the

DARE program in local schools. These

Centers have been critical in facilitating

the expansion of this very popular

program and ensuring that both large

and small jurisdictions from across the

country have access to the training.

Program funds are also used to develop

enhancements to the DARE program,

such as the mentoring program, the

DARE parent program, and DARE

training for junior and senior high

school students.

The TRIAD Program, initiated in FY

1994, will be continued in FY 1995.

This program focuses specifically on

reducing the incidence and impact of

crime and violence on the elderly.

TRIAD, conducted jointly by the

National Sheriffs’ Association, the

International Association of Chiefs of

Police, the American Association of

Retired Persons, the Office for Victims

of Crime, and BJA will provide

technical assistance and will develop

training and materials at the national

level for dissemination to local

jurisdictions throughout the country.

Non-Competitive

National Citizens’ Crime Prevention

Campaign—$3,000,000

The National Citizens’ Crime

Prevention Campaign, best known for

McGruff the Crime Dog and the TAKE

A BITE OUT OF CRIME slogan, will

continue to rally national, State and

local crime and violence prevention

efforts through the development and

implementation of timely and effective

crime-, violence-, and drug-prevention

materials, publications, technical

assistance, training, and programming.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education

(DARE)—$1,750,000

BJA will continue to support the

DARE Regional Training Centers which

train law enforcement officers to teach

the DARE program to students from

elementary through high school to help

them learn how to resist drug use,

gangs, and violent behavior; build selfesteem; and prevent abduction.

The National Association of Town

Watch: Crime- and Drug-Prevention

Campaign—$200,000

Commonly known as ‘‘National Night

Out’’, this year-long program provides

information, materials, and technical

assistance for the development of

effective police/community

partnerships to reduce crime, violence,

and substance abuse.

TRIAD—$200,000

TRIAD, a program developed by the

National Sheriffs’ Association, the

International Association of Chiefs of

Police, and the American Association of

Retired Persons, strives to reduce the

adverse impact of crime and violence on

the elderly and promote a better quality

of life through volunteerism and the

provision of prevention services to their

peers. Additional funding of $50,000

will be provided by the Office for

Victims of Crime.

Youth and Gangs Programs

Provide Young People With Legitimate

Opportunities and Activities Which

Serve as Alternatives to Crime and

Involvement With Gangs

Research has identified certain risk

factors which contribute to substance

abuse, delinquency, and violence among

adolescents as well as protective factors

which promote positive behavior. BJA’s

youth and gang programs are designed

to address a number of risk factors

related to: attitudes and norms favorable

to problem behaviors, friends who

engage in problem behavior, lack of

commitment to school, and parental

attitudes and involvement. The

programs help to balance the risk factors

in high-risk communities by

establishing or strengthening protective

factors which counter or provide buffers

against the risk factors. These programs

are designed to establish or strengthen

protective factors which address the

relationships between youth and their

social environment.

Most of the programs are joint efforts

between BJA and the Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP). Several include participation

by private foundations. All of the

programs bring together various service

agencies and community organizations

to assist and provide opportunities for

at-risk youth.

Competitive

Pathways to Success—$200,000

The Pathways to Success program,

funded jointly by BJA, OJJDP, and the

National Endowment for the Arts, is

designed to encourage young people to

explore a wide range of career and life
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21857

options. The program will promote arts

education, recreation, job skills training,

and business entrepreneurial programs

for after-school and weekend hours at

the community level. This program will

fund up to five applications at up to

$40,000 under OJJDP’s Safe Futures

Program and up to five competitive sites

at up to $50,000 each for the first year

of a 2-year project.

Interested applicants will need to

demonstrate that collaboration has taken

place with existing arts, education,

business and community groups, and

youth-serving agencies in the

development of its program, including,

where appropriate, collaboration with

existing after school and weekend youth

programs. The Pathways to Success

program is designed to serve at-risk

youth from 6 to 18 years of age, but a

project need not cover the full age range.

Each applicant will be expected to

define a lasting outcome, i.e. a product

that benefits the community, or to

provide an ongoing program that will

continue to provide community-based

services beyond the end of the funding

cycle. OJJDP will also contribute

$200,000 to and will administer the

Pathways to Success Program.

Non-Competitive

Truancy Reduction Training and

Technical Assistance—$200,000

BJA will collaborate with the OJJDP to

address the needs of truants, dropouts,

children afraid to go to school, children

who have been suspended or expelled,

as well as children in the juvenile

justice system. Program activities

include regional hearings, training and

technical assistance, and related support

services for communities interested in

comprehensively addressing the needs

of these youth. OJJDP will also

contribute $200,000 to and will

administer the program.

Boys & Girls Clubs Demonstration—

$4,350,000

BJA will provide resources to the

Boys and Girls Clubs of America to

promote the establishment of Boys and

Girls Clubs in public housing and other

at-risk communities.

Children At-Risk Program—$1,150,000

This program tests a variety of

intervention strategies for preventing

and controlling illegal drugs, gun use,

and related crime and for fostering

healthy development among young

people from drug- and crime-ridden

neighborhoods. In FY 1995, an impact

evaluation, technical assistance with

emphasis on community policing, and

existing demonstration sites will be

continued. This program is joint venture

between BJA, OJJDP, and the Center for

Addiction and Substance Abuse, with

additional funding provided by several

foundations. OJJDP will contribute

$350,000 to the program.

Comprehensive Gang Initiative—

$150,000

Under the Comprehensive Gang

Initiative, BJA developed a model

comprehensive approach to gang issues

that carefully balances initiatives for

prevention, intervention, and

suppression. In FY 1995, BJA will

provide continuation funding for the

four currently funded projects and

provide technical assistance to help

other jurisdictions experiencing

emerging gang problems. OJJDP will

contribute $600,000 to this joint BJA/

OJJDP effort.

Violence Reduction

Reduce the Availability of Illegal

Weapons and Develop Programs to

Address Violence in Our Communities,

Homes, Schools, and Workplaces

Efforts to reduce and prevent violence

continue to be high priorities in FY

1995. BJA’s efforts will include the

continuation and expansion of programs

to reduce the availability of illegal

firearms, prevent homicides, and reduce

violence in our communities.

In FY 1993 and 1994, BJA began to

address the increase in gun violence and

homicides through the initiation of a

Firearms Licensee Compliance Program,

the establishment of a Firearms

Investigative Task Force Program, the

creation of a Homicide Task Force, and

other initiatives. These programs will be

expanded and built upon in

coordination with the U.S. Attorneys’

Anti-Violence and Youth Handguns

Initiatives to assist State and local

criminal justice agencies and

communities control and prevent street

violence.

BJA will also continue its focus on

domestic and relational violence.

According to the Surgeon General, the

number one public health risk to adult

women in the United States is violence.

For women ages 15–44, violence is the

leading cause of injuries. The nature

and prevalence of this problem has been

dramatized by recent news events. BJA

developed a new initiative in FY 1993

to address violence against women,

including spouse abuse, child abuse,

elder abuse, sexual assault, and stalking.

This initiative promotes a systems

approach which emphasizes criminal

prosecution with comprehensive case

follow-through. This demonstration

program will be evaluated and

documented this year to provide

guidance to the States as they

implement the Violence Against Women

Block Grant Program created by the

Violent Crime Control and Law

Enforcement Act of 1994.

New initiatives will be implemented

to address the growing problem of

violence in the workplace and to create

a National Major Gang Task Force to

track and respond to the growing

interaction between street and prison

gangs. BJA will also participate in a

public/private partnership against

violence in America which is a joint

effort among private and corporate

foundations and several Federal

agencies to help local communities

address violence.

Competitive

Homicide Investigation Enhancement

Program—$300,000

The purpose of this program is to

develop a model(s) to assist

jurisdictions faced with high and

increasing rates of homicides by

increasing their capacity and ability to

investigate homicides. One or two

demonstration sites will implement this

model(s) and its various procedures and

policies as appropriate to their situation.

The development of the model(s) will be

based on the Homicide Investigation

Enhancement Program at the

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD),

District of Columbia. This program,

funded in FY 1994, assisted the MPD in

restructuring its Homicide unit and its

operations. In addition, ways to utilize

the resources and expertise of the

Federal law enforcement agencies, like

the Federal Bureau of Investigation and

the U.S. Marshal’s Service, will be

explored. The Police Executive Research

Forum will develop this model(s) and

provide technical assistance to the

demonstration sites.

Firearms Trafficking Program—

$1,000,000

The purpose of the BJA Firearms

Trafficking Program, working in

cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, is to

demonstrate effective strategies to

reduce the level of violent crime by

controlling the illegal trafficking of

firearms. The goals of the program are

to: (1) Reduce the number of Federal

firearms licensees and ensure that those

who do obtain licenses have a legitimate

reason for doing so, and (2) reduce the

level of firearms-related violent crime in

the demonstration sites. Applicants may

address either of the two program goals

set forth for this program or develop a

strategy which combines both of the
21858 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

program goals in a comprehensive

approach to reducing firearms-related

violence. Three or four demonstration

sites will be funded.

Non-Competitive

Firearms Trafficking Program—

$1,750,000

The Firearms Trafficking Program is

designed to assist State and local

governments reduce incidents of

violence by reducing the availability of

and the illegal trafficking in firearms.

This program contains several

components which BJA has found to be

effective or promising in reducing the

availability of firearms.

• The Firearms Licensee Compliance

Program enhances the ability of State or

local law enforcement agencies to

conduct more complete and

comprehensive background

investigations on applicants for new or

renewed Federal Firearms Licenses.

• The Firearms Investigative Task

Force Program is designed to identify,

target, investigate, and prosecute

individuals and dismantle organizations

involved in the unlawful use, sale, or

acquisition of firearms in violation of

the Federal and/or State firearms laws.

• Interstate Firearms Trafficking

Program supports a cooperative effort

among the Governors of 14 States, the

District of Columbia, and the ATF to

address the increase in violent crime

committed with firearms obtained

through interstate trafficking of guns.

• Innovative Firearms Program assists

State or local jurisdictions in developing

and implementing innovative new or

enhanced projects designed to control

illicit firearms trafficking. In addition,

BJA, the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), ATF,

and U.S. Attorneys will work together to

develop a State or local project to

implement the new Youth Handgun

Safety Act. OJJDP will contribute

$250,000.

Public/Private Partnership Against

Violence in America—$1,000,000

A Funding Collaborative, comprised

of private and corporate foundations,

the Department of Justice, and other

Federal agencies, has been established

to address violence in America,

particularly violence affecting children

and youth. Local sites will be selected

to participate in this program on a

competitive basis by the Funding

Collaborative.

Arson and Explosives—Investigation

and Prosecution Training for

Prosecutors—$50,000

This program supports national

training for State and local prosecutors

in the investigation and prosecution of

arson and bombings by addressing the

personal and economic losses caused by

incendiary and suspicious fires. The

U.S. Fire Administration will also

contribute $50,000 to this program.

Prison Gang Tracking System—

$450,000

This program will support a National

Major Gang Task Force designed to

provide a coordinated law enforcement

and corrections response to the growing

interaction between street and prison

gangs.

Firearms Legislation Program—

$125,000

The purpose of this project is to

develop a body of general information

about key provisions of States’ firearms

codes. The Office for Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention

contributed $52,500 to this program.

Violence Against Women

Demonstration Program—$400,000

This program is designed to

demonstrate and assess a systems

approach to violence against women

including spouse abuse, child abuse,

sexual assault, and stalking, which

coordinates criminal prosecution with

comprehensive case follow-through of

court orders, monitoring and

enforcement services, and protection for

victims. This program will provide

continuation funding for three existing

sites.

Violence Against Women Program—

Training and Technical Assistance—

$150,000

A consortium, established between

BJA, the American Prosecutors Research

Institute, and the National Council of

Juvenile and Family Court Judges, will

assist the demonstration sites described

above in addressing the critical issues

related to violence against women.

Goal II: Improve The Functioning Of

The Criminal Justice System

Comprehensive Law Enforcement

Initiatives

Enhance the Capacity of Law

Enforcement Agencies To Disrupt

Crime, Drug Trafficking and Sales, and

Violence

The Comprehensive Law Enforcement

Initiatives are designed to develop and

test new programs and practices that

enhance the effectiveness of State and

local law enforcement agencies in

making our communities safe from

serious and violent criminals. In

addition to continuing several drug task

force and financial investigation

demonstration programs in FY 1995,

BJA will fund an Anti-Car Theft

Demonstration Program; a Major Crime

Problem Solving Unit; and Gang

Organized Crime Narcotics and

Violence Enforcement Task Forces.

Under these programs, new approaches

to major crime and gang problems will

be developed, implemented,

documented, and made available to

other jurisdictions.

Training and technical assistance

related to Organized Crime Narcotics

(OCN) Enforcement, Financial

Investigations, and Clandestine

Laboratory Investigation and

Interdiction, which have been in great

demand by local agencies, will be

continued. Training currently under

development through a BJA grant to the

National Organization of Black Law

Enforcement Executives will be initiated

in FY 1995 to enhance the ability of law

enforcement officers to draw on social

and economic support systems available

in their community to assist minority

families.

BJA will also continue the National

Law Enforcement Policy Center, which

provides a national resource for local

agencies to use in establishing and

enhancing their policies and

procedures. The Center focuses on new

and difficult issues facing local law

enforcement agencies. It is a valuable

resource to many small- and mediumsized departments that do not have the

resources or expertise to conduct

research.

Competitive

Auto-theft Deterrence, Investigation and

Prosecution Program—$200,000

The purpose of the Auto-Theft,

Deterrence, Investigation, and

Prosecution Program is to develop,

demonstrate, and assess effective

strategies to reduce the incidence of

auto theft, carjackings and trafficking in

stolen motor vehicles or motor vehicle

parts. It is designed to: Develop new and

innovative strategies to reduce, prevent

and deter motor vehicle theft and

violence; develop tactical coordination

and interagency plans between law

enforcement agencies and prosecutors to

increase the likelihood of arrest and

prosecution for motor vehicle theft and

carjacking; and target repeat offenders.

The 25 cities with the highest motor

vehicle theft rates per 100,000

population in 1993 and/or the 15 cities

with the highest number of carjackings

in 1992 are eligible to apply for one of

two awards to be made. See the Program

Announcement and Application Kit for

a list of eligible cities.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21859

Non-Competitive

Anti-Car Theft Program—$300,000

The purpose of this program is to

establish a National Stolen Auto Part

Information System to assist law

enforcement agencies in tracking parts

from stolen vehicles.

Training and Technical Assistance to

Rural Areas—$150,000

This program assists rural areas in the

development of approaches and

strategies to address rising rates of

crime, drug abuse and violence through

the provision of technical assistance and

training related to such issues as:

Prevention, intervention, law

enforcement, prosecution, courts,

corrections, and treatment.

Non-Traditional Law Enforcement

Responses to Minority Families—

$150,000

The National Organization of Black

Law Enforcement Executives, in

partnership with the Jefferson Institute,

will continue the development and

implementation of a training program

through which law enforcement officers

will be taught how to access a variety

of community resources to address

problems facing minority families.

National Law Enforcement Policy

Center—$200,000

The National Law Enforcement Policy

Center, administered by the

International Association of Chiefs of

Police, will continue to develop and

disseminate model policies for use by

State and local law enforcement

agencies.

Washington Metropolitan Area Drug

Enforcement Task Force—$2,000,000

The Washington, DC, Metropolitan

Area Drug Enforcement Task Force will

continue to: (1) Provide a visible law

enforcement presence; (2) disrupt major

links between drug suppliers,

distributors, and users; (3) initiate

enforcement action against property

owners who knowingly allow their

property to be used in the distribution

of illicit drugs; (4) develop

comprehensive intelligence systems;

and (5) coordinate with appropriate

agencies regarding illegal firearms used

by drug organizations.

Major Crime Problem Solving Unit—

$400,000

The North Miami Beach Police

Department will expand its innovative

community policing approach to the

detective function.

Chicago Building Interdiction Team

Efforts—$500,000

This program will continue the

Chicago Building Interdiction Team

(BITE), a joint effort of the Chicago and

the Chicago Housing Authority Police

Departments, in the Robert Taylor

Homes/Gateway Gardens Public

Housing Developments. It is designed to

regain control of these developments

from gangs committing violent crime,

particularly firearms crimes, and restore

tenant confidence in law enforcement

agencies.

Organized Crime Narcotics (OCN)

Program—Technical Assistance—

$300,000

This program will continue to provide

technical assistance to the OCN projects,

that are demonstrating the effectiveness

of law enforcement agencies working

together under a shared management

concept to attack multijurisdictional

criminal conspiracies involving

narcotics.

Gang OCN Violence Enforcement

Program—$500,000

This program is designed to assist

local law enforcement and prosecution

agencies in addressing the growing

problem of gang-related violence, with a

special focus on drugs and firearms.

Two sites will be selected to gather

intelligence and develop investigative

and prosecutorial strategies designed to

weaken the structure and activities of

violent gangs.

Statewide Intelligence Sharing (SIS)

Program—Demonstration and Technical

Assistance—$850,000

This program will continue to

develop, implement, and demonstrate

the efficacy of centrally coordinated

statewide narcotics intelligence sharing,

using the OCN approach to system

design, management, and operation. The

four SIS projects will be continued in

FY 1995.

Financial Investigations (FINVEST)—

Demonstration and Technical

Assistance—$900,000

The FINVEST sites will continue to

demonstrate the effectiveness of

coordinated multijurisdictional

financial investigations and

prosecutions, using the shared

management concept and attacking the

profit motive of illegal narcotics

trafficking at the State and local levels.

OCN/FINVEST—Multi-Agency

Response Training Project—$650,000

The Multi-Agency Response Training

Project will continue to help State and

local agencies address management

issues and provide dedicated training

and technical assistance in support of

the OCN—New Directions, Statewide

Integrated Resources Model, the

Financial Investigations Demonstration

Programs, as well as for other State and

locally funded multi-agency task forces.

Financial Investigation and Money

Laundering—Training and Technical

Assistance—$250,000

This program will enable the National

Association of Attorneys General to

continue comprehensive program

development initiatives, develop

program documentation, and provide

training and technical assistance to

State Attorneys General to assist them in

conducting complex financial

investigations of and prosecuting illicit

drug enterprises.

Clandestine Laboratory Training and

Certification $300,000

The Clandestine Laboratory Model

Enforcement Program assists State and

local policymakers and practitioners

develop policies, procedures and

programs related to the hazardous

chemicals problems associated with

clandestine laboratories. In FY 1995,

training and followup technical

assistance will be provided in

approximately nine locations by The

Circle, Inc. BJA funding will also enable

the Drug Enforcement Administration

(DEA) to continue to provide regional

safety certification training to State and

local law enforcement officers.

Community-Focused Adjudication

Improve the Effectiveness and

Efficiency of All Aspects of the

Adjudication Process

BJA is committed to the development

of partnerships among the various

components of the criminal justice

system to focus on problem solving in

the adjudication process and in the

wider community.

The Community Focused

Adjudication programs address a wide

variety of issues facing all of the players

in the adjudication process: The courts,

local prosecutors, and defense attorneys.

A number of the programs, such as

Tribal Courts, Partnerships for the

Improvement of Adjudication,

Technical Assistance to State Courts,

and the National Judicial College, are

designed to enhance the capacity of

State and local judges and court systems

effectively and efficiently to process the

large numbers of cases and to address

the complex issues that are presented to

the courts.

BJA is also committed to assisting

State and local courts expand
21860 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

sentencing or referral options to better

meet the needs of the community, the

victim, and the offender. The Drug

Court Resource Center and the Denial of

Federal Benefits Program, which will be

continued in FY 1995, help to make

such options available to judges.

BJA is also committed to assisting

State and local prosecutors address new

and complex issues such as the growing

problem of fraud and abuse by health

care providers. As with other

components of the criminal justice

system, BJA will continue to support

activities which encourage prosecutors

to work more closely with and be more

responsive to the needs of the

communities they serve.

Competitive

Adjudication Partnership—$250,000

The purpose of this program is to

enhance the State and local adjudication

process by improving practices and

partnerships among the various

components of the criminal justice

system. Innovative, coordinated

adjudication efforts across component

systems will be identified, documented,

and assessed. A symposium will be held

to discuss the barriers to cooperation as

well as creative methods of overcoming

those impediments. One award will be

made. Two jurisdictions will receive

subawards of $50,000 each to

implement model programs.

Improving the Interaction Among State,

Tribal, and Federal Courts—$200,000

In close collaboration with the tribal

courts, this program will improve the

interrelations of State, tribal and Federal

courts. The goals of the program are to

identify and develop a long-range

research, demonstration, and training

agenda to improve tribal, State, and

Federal court relations; provide direct

technical assistance to tribal courts on

issues of court organization, personnel

management, facilities, automation,

caseflow, evaluation, and criminal

justice records; and enhance the tribal

administration of justice by helping

prosecutors, probation officers, and

judges develop long term plans and

strategies with the tribal government.

One award will be made.

Litigation Project—$100,000

The purpose of this program is to

examine the impact of pro se inmate

litigation and to document innovative

methods to address the growing

demands on State Attorneys General,

Federal (and to a limited extent, State)

courts, and State correctional

departments caused by State prisoners’

direct access and appeal to the courts.

The program will identify and develop

strategies to assist civil and criminal

justice agencies in dealing with the

increase in inmate litigation; develop

and initiate stringent screening

procedures to determine which cases

have sufficient merit to proceed in

forma pauperis; and produce more

efficient case management systems for

managing and disposing of pro se

inmate litigation. A single award will be

made to an educational institution, notfor profit private organization,

prosecution agency or State court.

Health Care Fraud Investigation and

Prosecution Demonstration—$600,000

The purpose of this program is to

develop a prototype Statewide Health

Care Fraud Prosecution Unit capable of

investigating and prosecuting all types

of health care fraud. It will provide

support for the planning, organization

and implementation of demonstration

health care fraud prosecution units. The

program will assess and document State

Attorney General’s leadership role in

directing and coordinating complex

health care fraud investigations. Grant

awards of up to $200,000 each will be

awarded to up to three State Attorneys

General offices.

Non-Competitive

Health Care Fraud Investigation and

Prosecution Training and Technical

Assistance—$250,000

This project will enable the National

Association of Attorneys General to

work with the demonstration sites

described above to develop prototype

strategies for conducting health care

fraud investigations and prosecutions by

State Attorneys General, including

health care consumer fraud, Medicaid

fraud, and fraud against traditional

insurance companies and HMOs.

Community Prosecution—$250,000

BJA and NIJ will conduct a joint effort

in FY 1995, to assess the state of the art

in community prosecution and develop

a program initiative that will move this

important community-based effort to its

next phase of development and

implementation. This effort will build

on the American Prosecutors Research

Institute’s earlier work to define and

document community prosecution.

Model State Drug Enforcement and

Treatment Statutes—$200,000

This program will continue the

education and promotion of

comprehensive model State drug laws

which significantly reduce, with the

goal to eliminate, substance abuse

through effective use and coordination

of enforcement, treatment, education,

prevention, community, and corrections

resources.

Technical Assistance to State Courts—

$150,000

American University will provide

technical assistance to State courts that

request help in addressing specific

problems related to such issues as case

processing and backlog, family violence

and protective orders, sentencing, and

other emerging problems.

Denial of Federal Benefits—$125,000

This program provides an information

system for the courts to use to notify the

Federal government about offenders

convicted of certain drug-related

offenses that disqualify them from

receiving various Federal benefits,

including contracts and grants.

Drug-Related Legal Education for

Judges—$100,000

The National Judicial College will

provide approximately 175 scholarships

to State and local trial court judges to

attend training on subjects identified by

the Administration as high priorities,

such as Alcohol and Other Drugs and

the Courts; Domestic Violence; Equal

Justice in the Courts; and Effective

Sentencing and Probation Management

for Judges and Probation Officers.

DNA Legal Assistance Unit—$150,000

This project will fill the void created

when the Federal Bureau of

Investigation discontinues DNA testing

and related legal and technical services

for local prosecutors.

Correctional Options, Boot Camps, and

Treatment

Assist States in Freeing Prison Space for

Serious and Violent Offenders Through

the Design, Development, and

Implementation of Effective

Correctional Options for Nonviolent

Offenders

The purpose of the Correctional

Options Program is to help States plan,

design, develop, implement, and

evaluate innovative alternatives to

traditional modes of incarceration for

youthful offenders, including offender

education, training, work, skill

development, substance abuse

treatment, and transitional release

programs.

The program operates under the

authority established by Title XVIII of

the Crime Control Act of 1990 and

provides grants to both public agencies

and private organizations. The goals of

the Correctional Options Program are to

reduce the costs of incarceration, relieve

prison and jail crowding, lower

recidivism rates for youthful offenders,
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21861

and introduce innovation in

correctional practices.

Congress appropriated $12 million for

this program in FY 1995, which is

allocated by Congress among the three

program areas described below. The

balance of the allocation for Part I will

be awarded under the Comprehensive

Communities Program for Communitybased Alternatives to Incarceration.

Part I—Demonstration Programs—

$8,250,000

The purpose of this program is to

demonstrate the development and

implementation of correctional options

within existing correctional systems.

The term ‘‘correctional option’’ includes

community-based incarceration,

weekend incarceration, correctional

boot camps, transitional programs and

aftercare services, drug courts, day

reporting, structured fines, electronic

monitoring, intensive probation, and

other innovative sanctions designed to

have the greatest impact on offenders

who can be dealt with more effectively

in a nontraditional correctional

environment.

Some sites, funded with

demonstration grants in FY 1992 and FY

1993, will receive continuation funding.

Up to 10 new sites will be selected

competitively from among the 24 sites

funded with planning grants in FY

1994, to receive Correctional Options

Demonstration Grants.

BJA will also provide $1.5 million to

support two demonstration sites for the

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency’s (OJJDP) Accountability

Based Community Intervention

Program. In addition, $500,000 has been

allocated to support OJJDP’s Intensive

Aftercare Program.

From Part I, $1.35 million has been

allocated for the development of

community-based alternatives to

incarceration under the Comprehensive

Communities Program.

Part II—Training and Technical

Assistance—$1,200,000

The purpose of this program is to

make grants to private, nonprofit

organizations to provide training and

technical assistance to criminal justice

personnel and establish small,

innovative demonstration projects. In

FY 1995, the Correctional Options

Technical Assistance and Support

Program will continue to provide

services to public agencies that have

been awarded Part I grants for

demonstration programs and Part III

grants for correctional boot camps. The

program will also implement a

nationwide outreach program to

jurisdictions seeking to plan, develop,

implement, improve, or expand

alternatives to traditional modes of

incarceration.

As described below, the nationwide

outreach program will include the

efforts of a number of other nonprofit

organizations with specialized areas of

expertise, some of which will not

receive new awards in FY 1995.

• Treatment Alternatives for Special

Clients (TASC)—The National

Consortium of TASC Programs will

provide technical assistance and

training on developing linkages between

treatment and criminal justice.

• American Probation and Parole

Association (APPA) will provide

technical assistance and training on

Intensive Supervision Programs and

mobilizing community involvement and

support for correctional options

programs.

• The Sentencing Project will provide

training and technical assistance on

defense-based sentencing initiatives.

• The American Correctional

Association will convene a National

Meeting to Promote Correctional

Options, support follow-up regional

meetings and training sessions, and

provide training and technical

assistance to support the Federal

Surplus Property Program.

• Productive Work and Employment

Preparedness—The Correctional

Industries Association (CIA) will

provide technical assistance and

support to the Prison Industries

Enhancement and Certification Program.

BJA will also continue to provide

technical assistance and program

development to support productive

work opportunities in local jails,

through a continuation grant to the Jail

Work and Industries Center.

• Structured Sentencing— The

National Council on Crime and

Delinquency will complete a study of

structured sentencing practices and

experiences nationwide and will

develop a dissemination and technical

assistance initiative.

• Telecommunications to Support

Correctional Options—The Community

Corrections Improvement Association

will develop informational and training

videos, a national satellite

teleconference on correctional options,

and other telecommunications products,

such as telephone training conferences,

computer bulletin boards, or regional

teleconferences.

• Transitional and Aftercare

Services—The VERA Institute will

provide technical assistance and

support to strengthen transitional and

aftercare services available to youthful

offenders that successfully complete

correctional boot camp programs. It will

also support the design of communitybased intervention services for drug

dependent offenders.

• Prosecutor and Public Defender

Training—The Institute for Law and

Justice will continue to work with

prosecutors and public defenders to

promote a greater understanding of the

issues that influence the development,

implementation, and successful

operation of correctional options.

Part III—Boot Camps—$1,200,000

The purpose of this program is to

develop and test the effectiveness of

correctional boot camps as a

correctional option. Sites that received

boot camp implementation grants in FY

1992 and FY 1993 will be eligible to

receive continuation funding in FY

1995. Funds will also be available to

support boot camp applications

developed by FY 1994 planning grant

recipients.

Criminal Aliens Initiatives

Enhance the Ability of State and Local

Agencies, in conjunction with the

Immigration and Naturalization Service,

To Apprehend and Deport Criminal

Aliens

The number of criminal aliens being

arrested and incarcerated is increasing,

adding to the already enormous

criminal justice caseload and to the

crowding in our jails and prisons. An

estimated 100,000 illegal aliens

convicted of felonies reside in our

Federal, State, and local correctional/

detention facilities. The identification

and deportation of criminal aliens are

high priorities for the Department of

Justice. BJA, in conjunction with the

Immigration and Naturalization Service

(INS), will continue to assist State and

local law enforcement and corrections

agencies in addressing the problems

associated with the investigation of

criminal aliens involved in drug

trafficking and other serious crime as

well as the impact of criminal aliens

detained in State correctional systems.

Non-Competitive

Criminal Alien Identification and

Intervention—$1,000,000

The Criminal Alien Identification and

Intervention Program is designed to

enable the earliest possible

identification of aliens arrested for

felony offenses through INS’s Law

Enforcement Support Center (LESC).

During FY 1995, the six States that have

documented the largest alien

populations in their correctional

systems will continue to serve as

demonstration sites. Technical

assistance will be provided by the
21862 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

Institute for Intergovernmental

Research.

Training in Anti-Drug Activities and

Cultural Differences Involving Illegal

Aliens—$125,000

This project will, through a

collaborative effort between the

International Association of Chiefs of

Police and INS, continue to present a

series of training seminars to local law

enforcement officers that will enable

them more effectively to investigate

crimes involving criminal aliens.

Evaluation, System Improvement, and

Information Dissemination

Evaluate the Effectiveness of Funded

Programs, Disseminate Results, and

Enhance the Ability of Criminal Justice

Agencies To Use New Information

Technologies

The primary purpose of the programs

in this program area is to determine

‘‘what works’’ in crime control/

prevention and criminal justice system

improvement and to disseminate that

information to practitioners throughout

the country. BJA will continue to work

with the National Institute of Justice to

support the evaluation of BJA-funded

Discretionary and Formula Grant

Programs. BJA will also continue to

support the building of an evaluation

capacity at the State and local levels to

increase the quality and quantity of

programs funded with formula grant

and local resources.

Dissemination of the evaluation

results is accomplished through the BJA

Clearinghouse and Response Center,

conferences, publications, technical

assistance, and training.

The other important purpose of this

program area is to enhance the capacity

of State and local criminal justice

agencies to share intelligence

information and to use information

system technology.

Non-Competitive

Evaluation—$1,500,000

This program will be implemented by

the National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

which will evaluate several BJA funded

programs and then disseminate

information to States and local

jurisdictions on ‘‘what works’’ against

crime and violence. Additionally BJA

and NIJ will convene a national

conference on ‘‘Evaluating Violent

Crime and Drug Abuse Initiatives.’’

Operational Systems Support Training

and Technical Assistance—$1,000,000

This program will continue to provide

training and technical assistance on

criminal justice information

management, the use of microcomputer

technology among criminal justice

agencies, and the operational benefits of

technology. An award will be made to

SEARCH Group, Inc.—the National

Consortium for Justice Information and

Statistics.

Federal/State/Local Partnership

Conference—$200,000

This project will enable BJA to hold

a conference with State and local

governmental and criminal justice

officials to discuss issues related to

crime and violence in America.

Technical Assistance and Training to

State and Local Criminal Justice

Agencies—$1,500,000

This program will provide training

and technical assistance to States, local,

and Native American Indian

jurisdictions in developing and

implementing comprehensive strategies.

It also encourages States to include the

programs and strategies developed

through BJA’s Discretionary Program in

their State violent crime and drug

control strategies developed under the

Formula Grant Program.

Peer Review Services—$150,000

Applications submitted to BJA in

response to a competitive program

announcement are reviewed by a panel

of independent experts who have

experience and expertise in the subject

area. A Peer Review Services contract

provides administrative support and

pays the expenses of the reviewers.

Department of Justice Response Center

and BJA Clearinghouse—$1,139,000

This program supports the BJA

Clearinghouse which serves as an

information and dissemination source

for the criminal justice field. BJA is also

responsible for the management of the

Department of Justice Response Center,

which provides timely and accurate

information on Department of Justice

initiatives.

Report Publication and Dissemination—

$200,000

This allocation enables BJA to

produce and disseminate information to

the criminal justice field about state-ofthe-art programs and activities to

improve the criminal justice system

through publications and other media

materials (e.g., brochures, pamphlets,

videos, and updating electronic bulletin

boards).

Regional Information Sharing Systems—

$14,500,000

The Regional Information Sharing

Systems (RISS) program is composed of

six regional projects that share

intelligence and coordinate efforts of

State and local law enforcement against

criminal networks that operate in many

locations across jurisdictional lines. In

FY 1995, all RISS projects will enhance

gang and firearms intelligence, provide

linkages within RISS and outreach

linkages to other systems, and assist the

U.S. Attorneys antiviolence initiative.

National White Collar Crime

Information Center—$1,400,000

The National White Collar Crime

Center takes the lead in multi-State

investigations of white collar crimes

including but not limited to: Investment

fraud, telemarketing fraud, securities

fraud, boiler room operations, and

advanced fee loans.

Immediate Response to Emerging

Problems—$1,500,000

This program will provide BJA the

resources to respond quickly to

emerging problems or target ‘‘hot spot’’

areas by providing programs, training,

and/or technical assistance to State and

local criminal justice agencies.

Automated Speech Recognition—

$200,000

BJA will provide an award to

Advanced Solutions Group of South

Carolina to develop automated speech

storage and retrieval software and

automated speech recognition for input

into database fields, in order to reduce

the time that law enforcement officers

devote to preparing incident reports and

to fulfilling other reporting

requirements.

State and Local Evaluation Capacity

Building Initiative—$1,000,000

Technical assistance and training will

be provided by the Justice Research and

Statistics Association to State and local

agencies responsible for implementing,

monitoring, evaluating, and developing

reporting mechanisms for violent crime

and drug control programs implemented

under the Byrne Formula Grant

Program.

Nancy E. Gist,

Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention Final

Comprehensive Program Plan for Fiscal

Year 1995 and Notification of the

Availability of the FY 1995 Competitive

Discretionary Assistance Program and

Application Kit

Introduction

The Nation’s juvenile justice system

stands at a crossroads. We are faced

with a disturbing increase in violent
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21863

crimes committed by juveniles and an

alarming rise in abuse, neglect, and

street violence perpetrated against

American youth. In light of this

emerging crisis, we can no longer afford

a narrow focus by separate disciplines

to attack this problem. To effectively

address the rising levels of juvenile

crime, participants from all community

sectors, public and private, and across

specializations, must plan

collaboratively and comprehensively to

reduce violence and build safer and

healthier communities. Collectively, we

must launch a two-pronged assault on

juvenile delinquency and violence, and

their causes. Prevention and early

intervention programs, coupled with a

strong focus on law enforcement and a

comprehensive system of graduated

sanctions are crucial to this battle.

The public’s fear of youth violence is

well founded. Assuming that juvenile

violent crime arrest rates increase

annually at the rate they have in the

past decade, juvenile violent crime

arrests would more than double by the

year 2010. The Federal Bureau of

Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports

for 1992–1993 show that the greatest

increase in arrests of violent offenders

involves children under the age of 18.

Offenders under the age of 15 show the

greatest increase in offenses involving

the use of weapons. No place is a haven.

Our neighborhoods, our schools and our

homes are becoming increasingly

violent. In 1992, 1.55 million violent

crimes were committed against

juveniles age 12 to 17, a 23.4% increase

since 1987. The increased use of

weapons, particularly firearms, by

juveniles has created a climate of fear

both for and of our children.

An increased emphasis on law

enforcement and corrections has been

the most common response to rising

levels of juvenile violent crime.

Assuredly, our communities have a vital

stake in ensuring that serious, violent

and chronic offenders are removed from

the street. However, providing more

detention beds and secure commitment

facilities and increasing prosecution of

juveniles as adults can only protect our

communities in the short term. Such

measures alone cannot put an end to

youth violence. While we need to take

immediate steps to protect our

communities today, programs that

prevent delinquency and violence

tomorrow are the greatest hope for the

future.

We must intensify our efforts to

prevent delinquency by seeking ways to

target services to youth and families at

risk and to intervene immediately to

hold first time juvenile offenders

accountable before they become serious,

violent, or chronic delinquents or

graduate to become adult criminals.

Working with our communities, we

must integrate a system of support for

families and children that will help

them live in a safe and healthy

environment. America’s children should

awaken each morning in homes that are

free of child abuse and neglect; they

should attend schools that are free of

drugs, gangs, and guns; and after school,

they should be able to play in parks that

are safe and return to homes that

provide a nurturing and supportive

atmosphere.

Much of the public debate about

juvenile delinquency centers on at-risk

youth. If we are to provide early and

effective intervention to prevent

delinquency, we must begin by more

precisely targeting at-risk children and

families, but we should not exclude any

child who needs services.

The road to adulthood has become

increasingly hazardous in our society,

and many families have broken apart.

We must strengthen and preserve

families. In particular, we must help

families provide their children with the

support that young people need to

become productive and law abiding

citizens.

If we are serious about combating

crime, we must start early to ensure the

healthy development of our children.

We know that the early years of life are

highly significant in a child’s

development. It is during that period

that children learn empathy from caring

adults with whom they have secure

attachments and develop a sense of trust

derived from parental responsiveness

and loving attention.

Therefore, it is critical to:

■ Offer parents the tools they need to

nurture their children effectively,

through parent training classes and

home visitation programs, including

parents of offenders and juvenile

offenders who are teen parents.

■ Enable children to enter

kindergarten ready for school with a

chance to succeed, through programs

such as Head Start and HIPPY (Home

Instruction Program for Preschool

Youngsters).

■ Keep students in school, where

they can acquire the tools to become

self-sufficient through truancy and

dropout prevention and intervention

programs.

■ Give youth a positive alternative to

being out on the street and the violence

this encourages through after-school

activities and conflict resolution

programs.

■ Provide youth with positive role

models through mentoring programs.

There are clear correlations between

child abuse and neglect and increased

delinquency and violence. A National

Institute of Justice study on the cycle of

violence reports that childhood abuse

and neglect increase the likelihood of

arrest as a juvenile and as an adult. The

direct connection between violence and

child neglect is striking: 12.5 percent of

neglected children and 15.8 percent of

physically abused children will be

arrested for a violent offense by the age

of 25. An ongoing OJJDP study on the

causes and correlates of delinquency

found that adolescents from families in

which two or more forms of violence are

present (e.g. child and spouse abuse) are

almost twice as likely to report

committing violent offenses as their

peers from nonviolent families.

Thousands of alleged incidents of

child abuse and neglect are reported to

authorities every day. These reports

must be handled within systems that are

ill-equipped to properly investigate

cases, report adequately to the court, or

provide effective protective supervision,

appropriate foster care, or timely

permanent placement. As a result,

children may be harmed by the very

systems designed to protect them. The

juvenile justice system’s inability to

properly deal with the deluge of abuse

and neglect cases is devastating

families.

In addition to manageable caseloads,

child protective service workers,

investigators, police officers, and others

responsible for protecting children need

expert training in child development

and investigative techniques. This will

enable them to gather the information

needed to make legal determinations

while displaying sensitivity to the child

and the family. To effectively manage

their cases, court counselors must have

sufficient time to get the critical details

needed to make appropriate

recommendations regarding such

matters as placement and future court

action. Social workers must have

adequate time to work with families,

ensure compliance with court orders,

and, above all, ensure the safety of

children. Monitoring a child’s status in

foster care and minimizing the trauma

of out-of-home placement is a time

consuming responsibility. Judges need

the time to thoughtfully and thoroughly

deliberate in order to render informed

decisions that are in the best interests of

the child, justice and society. Finally,

necessary resources to meet the

treatment needs of the child and the

family must be available in the

community.

The juvenile justice system must also

be strengthened if we are to reduce

delinquency and juvenile violence.
21864 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

There must be a full range of graduated

sanctions designed to meet the needs of

each juvenile in the juvenile justice

system. We have learned that immediate

intervention programs, based on a

proper assessment, are a critical need

the first time a juvenile commits an

offense. A variety of innovative early

intervention programs for first-time,

nonviolent offenders have been

implemented successfully. They include

neighborhood resource teams, informal

probation, peer mediation, community

service, victim awareness programs,

restitution, day treatment, alternative

education, and outpatient alcohol and

drug abuse treatment. These types of

programs need to be replicated across

America.

We must ensure that appropriate

sanctions are available for more serious

offenders and for offenders who have

failed to benefit from the early

interventions described above. Such

sanctions include drug testing, weekend

detention, intensive supervision for

probationers, inpatient drug and alcohol

abuse treatment, electronic monitoring,

community-based residential programs

and boot camps.

Secure facilities are needed for

serious, violent, and chronic offenders

who require a structured treatment

environment or who threaten

community safety. If a review of the

nature of the offense, the offender’s

amenability to treatment, and the

offender’s record indicate that the

juvenile justice system cannot provide

appropriate services and adequately

protect the community, the prosecution

of such offenders in the criminal courts

is both appropriate and necessary.

Finally, aftercare, or ‘‘community

care,’’ must be more than an

afterthought. Such services must be an

integral aspect of all dispositions

involving residential placement and

include the active involvement of the

child’s family. It makes little sense to

intervene in a significant way in

children’s lives only to send those

children back into the same

environment without a support system

for the family and child. OJJDP’s

intensive aftercare program is

developing both the programmatic and

policy underpinnings for enhancing our

efforts in this vital area.

Existing research points to the

efficacy of a community-wide,

comprehensive, multi-dimensional

approach. This approach should include

family support, prevention programs,

immediate and intermediate sanctions,

small secure facilities for the most

serious offenders, and sound re-entry

and aftercare services. As a result of

research and evaluation, we can now

point to a variety of program models

proven to reduce delinquency and

control youth violence. In these times of

limited resources, program development

should be predicated on this knowledge

and innovative demonstration programs

should be evaluated to measure their

impact. Information, technical

assistance, and training on the most

promising programs should be provided

as quickly and broadly as possible.

Protecting our communities and

protecting our children: this two-part

strategy lies at the heart of OJJDP’s

leadership of the Nation’s efforts to

prevent and combat delinquency and of

the programs proposed in this plan.

Community-based, collaborative efforts

that involve comprehensive strategies

aimed at reducing delinquency and

youth violence will be critical to our

success. Federal departments whose

programs affect youth must work in an

interdisciplinary manner, adopting this

approach. With the tools now at hand—

including enhanced communityoriented policing, delinquency

prevention and intervention programs,

and new correctional programs and

facilities—we have an opportunity to

build prevention and intervention

strategies that can be implemented to

reduce juvenile delinquency and

violence across America.

OJJDP’s Comprehensive Response

The Justice Department has called for

an unprecedented national commitment

of public and private resources to

reverse the rising trend of juvenile

violence and victimization. OJJDP’s

Comprehensive Strategy for Serious,

Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders, which outlines the two

principal components of prevention and

intervention, is the centerpiece of this

call for action.

The prevention component of the

Strategy calls for establishing

community-based planning teams and

collaborative efforts between the

juvenile justice system and other service

systems, including mental health,

health, child welfare, and education. To

be effective, delinquency prevention

programs should be based on a riskfocused approach in which

communities systematically assess their

delinquency problem in relation to

known risk factors and implement

programs to counteract them.

A key strategy to counter risk factors

for delinquency in young people’s lives

is to enhance protective factors that fall

into three basic categories: (1)

Individual characteristics (having a

resilient temperament or a positive

orientation), (2) bonding (positive

relationships with adult role models),

and (3) healthy beliefs and clear

standards.

The intervention component of the

Comprehensive Strategy is based on a

model for the treatment and

rehabilitation of delinquent offenders

that combines accountability and

sanctions with increasingly intensive

treatment and rehabilitation. Families

must be integrated into treatment and

rehabilitative efforts at each stage of this

continuum. Aftercare must be a formal

component of all residential

placements, actively involving the

family and the community in

supporting and reintegrating the

juvenile into the community.

The intervention component also calls

for a range of graduated sanctions to

provide both immediate interventions

and intermediate sanctions, including

extensive use of nonresidential

community-based programs. Many

serious, violent, and chronic offenders

will require the use of secure detention

to protect the community and provide a

structured treatment environment.

To expand implementation of the

Comprehensive Strategy, OJJDP will

fund several key initiatives in fiscal year

1995 designed to assist both urban and

rural communities to address youth

violence.

The National Council on Crime and

Delinquency and Developmental

Research and Programs have identified

the most effective, promising programs

for use in implementing the

Comprehensive Strategy. Reports will be

published on:

■ Effective prevention strategies from

birth to age six.

■ Selected prevention strategies for

early childhood and adolescence.

■ Effective and promising graduated

sanctions programs for serious, violent,

and chronic juvenile offenders.

■ Use of risk assessment and

classification instruments.

These reports will be combined with

an operations manual, which

communities can use as a blueprint to

assess their efforts in the areas of

prevention and graduated sanctions to

design and implement improvements

that respond to community-identified

needs.

Extensive efforts to coordinate and

develop solutions to youth violence are

ongoing at the Federal level. For

example, a national conference, Solving

Youth Violence: Partnerships that Work,

was held in 1994. OJJDP is providing

extensive technical assistance and

training to four pilot jurisdictions in an

interdepartmental initiative called

Project PACT (Pulling America’s

Communities Together). The Denver

metropolitan area, the District of
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21865

Columbia, the Atlanta metropolitan

area, and the State of Nebraska are

developing coordinated solutions to

violence. Key officials and community

leaders are being trained and assisted in

assessing the local adult and juvenile

violence problem and mobilizing their

justice system responses and resources

to develop system-wide solutions. Staff

are being trained in establishing

effective delinquency prevention

programs using a risk-focused strategy

and in intervention efforts employing a

range of graduated sanctions for

juveniles in the juvenile justice system.

OJJDP is participating in a

collaborative effort with the Bureau of

Justice Assistance called the

Comprehensive Communities Program,

in which cities or counties faced with

high rates of drug-related crime and

violence are developing a

comprehensive strategy for crime- and

drug-control that requires law

enforcement and other government

agencies to work in partnership with the

community to address these problems

by focusing on the environment that

fosters them.

Program Plan Contents

Overview

1992 JJDP Act Amendments

Fiscal Year 1995 Program Planning

Activities

Discretionary Program Activities

Discretionary Grant Continuation Policy

OJJDP Funding Policy

Application and Further Information

Strengthening of the Juvenile Justice

System

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

Delinquency Prevention

Missing, Exploited and Abused

Children

Fiscal Year 1995 Programs

Fiscal Year 1995 Program Listing

Overarching Programs

New Programs

SafeFutures: Partnerships to Reduce

Youth Violence and Delinquency

Information and Statistics Projects

OJJDP Management Evaluation Contract

Technical Assistance for State

Legislatures

Contra Costa County, California

Continuum of Care Program*

Evaluation of SafeFutures: Partnerships

to Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency Program

Overarching Programs

Continuation Programs

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse

Coalition for Juvenile Justice*

OJJDP Technical Assistance Support

Contract: Juvenile Justice Resource

Center

National Juvenile Court Data Archive*

Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems

Development

Insular Area Support*

Development of OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders

Research Program on Juveniles Taken

Into Custody—NCCD

Children in Custody—Census

Contract for the Evaluation of OJJDP

Programs

Pulling America’s Communities

Together (PACT) Program

Development

Juveniles Taken Into Custody (JTIC):

Interagency Agreement

Juvenile Justice Data Resources

Strengthening Juvenile Justice

New Programs

Mental Health in the Juvenile Justice

System

Bethesda Day Treatment Center

Interventions to Reduce

Disproportionate Minority

Confinement in Secure Detention and

Correctional Facilities (The Deborah

M. Wysinger Memorial Program)

The Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center

Technical Assistance to Juvenile

Corrections and Detention (The James

E. Gould Memorial Program)

Strengthening Juvenile Justice

Continuation Programs

Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offender Treatment Program

Juvenile Court Training*

Intensive Community-Based Aftercare

Demonstration and Technical

Assistance Program

Native American Alternative

Community-Based Program

Training for Juvenile Corrections and

Detention Staff

Technical Assistance to the Juvenile

Courts*

Due Process Advocacy Program

Development

Improvement in Correctional Education

for Juvenile Offenders

Robeson County, North Carolina*

P.A.C.E., Center for Girls, Inc.*

Juvenile Restitution: Balanced

Approach

Evaluation of Intensive CommunityBased Aftercare Demonstration and

Technical Assistance Program

Douglas County, Nebraska*

Professional Development for Youth

Workers

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania*

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

New Programs

Gangs and Delinquency Research

Field-Initiated Gang Research Program

Juvenile Transfers to Criminal Court

Studies

Innovative Firearms Program

Gangs, Groups, Individuals, and

Violence Intervention

Youth Handgun Study/Model Juvenile

Handgun Legislation

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

Continuation Programs

Law Enforcement Training and

Technical Assistance Program

Comprehensive Communities

Program—Comprehensive Gang

Initiative

Targeted Outreach with a Gang

Prevention and Intervention

Component (Boys and Girls Clubs)

Comprehensive Gang Initiative

Violence Studies*

Violence Study—Causes and Correlates

Child Centered Community-Oriented

Policing

National School Safety Center

Enhancing Enforcement Strategies for

Juvenile Impaired Driving Due to

Alcohol and Other Drug Use

Training in Cultural Differences for Law

Enforcement/Juvenile Justice Officials

Delinquency Prevention

New Programs

Community-Based Gang Intervention

Family Strengthening and

Support—Including Non-English

Speaking

Comprehensive Community-Based

Services for At-Risk Girls and

Adjudicated Juvenile Female

Offenders

Innovative Approaches in Law-Related

Education*

Training in Risk-Focused Prevention

Strategies

Pathways to Success

Truancy

North Omaha B.E.A.R.S. (Building

Esteem and Responsibility

Systematically) Program*

Training and Technical Assistance for

Family-Strengthening Services

Youth-Centered Conflict Resolution

ASAP: Athlete Student Achievement

Pact*

Project Mister/Project Sister*

Facing History and Ourselves*

La Nueva Vida*

Henry Ford Heath System*

Anti-Crime Youth Council*

Delinquency Prevention

Continuation Programs

Law-Related Education (LRE)*

Teens, Crime, and Community: Teens in

Action in the 90s*

Satellite Prep School Program and Early

Elementary School for Privatized

Public Housing
21866 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

Children at Risk

Nonviolent Dispute Resolution

The Congress of National Black

Churches: National Anti-Drug Abuse

Program

‘‘Just Say No’’ International*

Jackie Robinson Center (JRC)*

Cities in Schools—Federal Interagency

Partnership Hate Crimes

Community Anti-Drug Abuse Technical

Assistance Voucher Project

Race Against Drugs

Missing, Exploited and Abused Children

New Programs

Lowcountry Children’s Center, Inc.*

KidsPeace*

Multipurpose Educational Curriculum

for Young Victims

Missing, Exploited and Abused Children

Continuation Programs

Parents Anonymous, Inc.*

Permanent Families for Abused and

Neglected Children*

Children as Witnesses to Community

Violence

Discussion of Comments

Overview

OJJDP was established by the Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

of 1974 (Pub. L. 93–415), as amended,

to provide a comprehensive,

coordinated approach to prevent and

control juvenile crime and improve the

juvenile justice system. Under Title II,

OJJDP administers the State Formula

Grants and State Challenge programs in

56 States and territories, funds more

than 100 national, State and local

projects through its Special Emphasis

Discretionary Grant Program and its

National Institute for Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention, and funds

projects under both Part D (Gangs) and

Part G (Mentoring) programs.

OJJDP serves as the staff agency for

the Coordinating Council on Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention,

coordinates the Concentration of

Federal Efforts Program, and all Federal

activities related to juvenile justice and

delinquency prevention, and

administers the Title IV Missing and

Exploited Children’s Program, the Title

V Prevention Incentive Grants Program,

and programs under the Victims of

Child Abuse Act of 1990, as amended

(42 U.S.C. 13001 et seq.).

1992 JJDP Act Amendments

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention Amendments of 1992 (Public

Law 92–586) expanded the role of OJJDP

in Federal efforts to prevent and treat

juvenile delinquency and improve the

juvenile justice system by including

three new priorities: strengthening the

families of delinquents; improving State

and local administration of justice and

services to juveniles; and assisting

States and local communities in

preventing youth from entering the

justice system. The Amendments

encourage coordination of services,

interagency cooperation, and parental

involvement in treatment and services

for juveniles. Seven new studies were

mandated. The Comptroller General is

in the process of completing five of

these studies: (1) Juveniles waived,

certified, or transferred to adult court,

(2) Admissions of juveniles with

behavior disorders to private psychiatric

hospitals, (3) Gender bias in State

juvenile justice systems, (4) Native

American pass-through under the

Formula Grants Program, and (5) Access

to counsel in juvenile court

proceedings. OJJDP is conducting the

other two studies: one on the incidence,

nature, and causes of violence

committed by or against juveniles in

urban and rural areas, and a second on

the extent and characteristics of juvenile

hate crimes.

The JJDP Act Amendments of 1992

authorized OJJDP to administer several

new grant programs.

■ Part E, State Challenge Activities,

authorizes grants to States participating

in the Part B Formula Grants Program

that provide up to 10 percent of a State’s

Formula Grants Program allocation for

each of 10 challenge activities in which

the State participates.

■ Part F, Treatment for Juvenile

Offenders Who are Victims of Child

Abuse or Neglect, authorizes grants to

public and nonprofit private

organizations for treatment of juvenile

offenders who are victims of child abuse

or neglect, transitional services, and

related research.

■ Part G, Mentoring, authorizes

three-year grants to local education

agencies, or to private nonprofit or

organizations working in partnership

with such agencies, for mentoring

programs designed to link at-risk youth

with responsible adults to discourage

youth involvement in criminal and

violent activity.

■ Part H, Boot Camps, authorizes

grants to establish up to 10 militarystyle boot camps for delinquent

juveniles.

■ Title V, Incentive Grants for Local

Delinquency Prevention Programs,

authorizes grants to local governments

for a broad range of delinquency

prevention activities targeting youth

who have had contact with, or are atrisk of contact with, the juvenile justice

system.

In fiscal year 1995, funds were

appropriated for three of the five

programs cited above: Part G, Mentoring

($4 million), Title V, Prevention Grants

($20 million), and Part E, State

Challenge Activities ($10 million).

These programs are not included in this

Plan (except for $1 million of Part G and

$1 million of Title V funds committed

to the SafeFutures Program), nor are

programs authorized and funded under

the Title IV Missing Children’s

Assistance Act and the Victims of Child

Abuse Act of 1990, as amended.

Fiscal Year 1995 Program Planning

Activities

The OJJDP program planning process

for fiscal year 1995 has been

coordinated with the Assistant Attorney

General, Office of Justice Programs

(OJP), and the four other OJP Program

Bureaus: The Bureau of Justice

Assistance (BJA); the Bureau of Justice

Statistics (BJS); the National Institute of

Justice (NIJ); and the Office for Victims

of Crime (OVC). OJJDP’s program

planning process involved the following

steps:

■ Internal review of existing

programs by OJJDP staff.

■ Internal review of proposed

programs by OJP bureaus and selected

Department of Justice components.

■ Review of information and data

from OJJDP grantees and contractors.

■ Review of information contained in

State comprehensive plans.

■ Review of comments made by

youth services providers, juvenile

justice practitioners, and researchers.

■ Consideration of suggestions made

by juvenile justice policy makers

concerning State and local needs.

■ Consideration of all comments

received during the period of public

comment on the Proposed

Comprehensive Plan.

An example of the intra-agency

coordination between OJP Program

Bureaus involves OJJDP and Bureau of

Justice Assistance (BJA) gang initiatives.

Although these programs are being

implemented in a similar manner, the

two initiatives are different in their

theoretical approach and program

targets.

BJA’s fiscal year 1995 Comprehensive

Gang Initiative is based on a prototype

developed through a grant to the Police

Executive Research Forum in 1992. The

prototype emphasizes prevention,

intervention, and suppression and

encompasses strategies which bring

together cooperative and coordinated

efforts of the police, other criminal

justice agencies, human service

providers, and community programs.

This initiative is primarily designed to
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21867

focus on older teens and adults. In fiscal

year 1995, this program is featured in

BJA’s Comprehensive Communities

program.

OJJDP’s fiscal year 1995 Gang-Free

Schools and Communities Program is

based on a prevention-based community

mobilization model derived from the

research of Dr. Irving Spergel and

colleagues. This model specifically

focuses on juveniles and young adults

under age 22. This fiscal year, the

program has a specific focus on gangfree schools and public or federally

subsidized housing. Another

differentiating factor is that OJJDP’s

fiscal year 1995 initiative will be

concentrated within the overarching

SafeFutures demonstration program, as

part of the comprehensive continuum of

care that the program is designed to

establish.

Discretionary Program Activities

Discretionary Grant Continuation Policy

OJJDP has listed on the following

pages continuation projects currently

funded in whole or in part with Part C

and Part D funds and eligible for

funding in fiscal year 1995, either

within an existing project period or

through an extension for an additional

project period. A grantee’s eligibility for

continued funding for an additional

budget period within an existing project

period depends on the grantee’s

compliance with funding eligibility

requirements and achievement of the

prior year’s objectives.

Consideration for continuation

funding for an additional project period

for previously funded discretionary

grant programs is based upon several

factors, including:

■ The extent to which the project

responds to the applicable requirements

of the JJDP Act.

■ Responsiveness to OJJDP and

Department of Justice fiscal year 1995

program priorities.

■ Compliance with performance

requirements of prior grant years.

■ Compliance with fiscal and

regulatory requirements.

■ Compliance with any special

conditions of the award.

■ Availability of funds (based on

program priority determinations).

In accordance with section 262

(d)(1)(B), 42 U.S.C. 5665a, the

competitive process for the award of

Part C funds shall not be required if the

Administrator makes a written

determination waiving the competitive

process:

1. With respect to programs to be

carried out in areas in which the

President declares under the Robert T.

Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency

Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)

that a major disaster or emergency

exists, or

2. With respect to a particular

program described in part C that is

uniquely qualified.

In implementing the fiscal year 1995

Program Plan, OJJDP will continue the

process of developing, testing, and

demonstrating both the prevention

efforts and the graduated sanctions

concept throughout its programs, such

as in SafeFutures: Partnerships to

Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency, while also prioritizing

support for applicants that reflect the

coordinated, interdisciplinary

approaches found in Weed and Seed

sites and Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities. This support

will be provided through:

■ New competitive programs to be

funded at the State or local level and

new programs that provide funds to

national organizations to provide

services at the State and local level.

■ Continuation awards, under which

OJJDP will negotiate with grantees and

task contractors to identify and ensure

the provision of site specific technical

assistance, training, information, and

direct program services to Weed and

Seed sites, Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities, and

jurisdictions adopting a continuum of

care program approach.

OJJDP Funding Policy

OJJDP focuses its assistance on the

development and implementation of

programs with the greatest potential for

reducing juvenile delinquency and

crime and that create and strengthen

partnerships with State and local

organizations. To that end, OJJDP has

defined four programatic themes that

constitute the major elements of a sound

policy for juvenile justice and

delinquency prevention:

■ Strengthening the Juvenile Justice

System.

■ Public Safety and Law

Enforcement.

■ Juvenile Delinquency Prevention

and Intervention.

■ Missing, Exploited and Abused

Children.

OJJDP will also fund a new

overarching demonstration program,

SafeFutures: Partnerships To Reduce

Youth Violence and Delinquency,

which builds on the knowledge

accumulated over 30 years of juvenile

justice research. This overarching

program builds upon broad-based

community planning and support from

all sectors and systems to provide a

continuum of programs that focus on

ameliorating known community risk

factors. It stresses addressing the

problems of youth along a continuum of

prevention and intervention activities,

from those aimed at the at-risk child to

the serious and violent juvenile

offender. Other overarching programs,

both new and continuation, that cross

programmatic themes will also receive

OJJDP funding under this Plan.

Application and Further Information

Program inquiries are to be addressed

to the attention of the OJJDP staff

contact person identified in the FY 1995

Competitive Discretionary Program

Announcements and Application Kit.

For general information, contact

Marilyn Silver, Management Analyst,

Information Dissemination Unit, (202)

307–0751. This is not a toll-free number.

Due dates for all competitive programs

are contained in the FY 1995

Competitive Discretionary Program

Announcements and Application Kit.

Please call the Juvenile Justice

Clearinghouse, toll-free, 24 hours a day,

(800) 638–8736 to obtain a copy.

Applications are invited from eligible

public and private agencies,

organizations, institutions, individuals,

or combinations thereof. Eligibility

differs from program to program. Please

consult the FY 1995 Competitive

Discretionary Program Announcements

and Application Kit for individual

competitive program announcements

and specific eligibility requirements.

Where eligible for an assistance award,

private for profit organizations must

agree to waive any profit or fee. Joint

applications by two or more eligible

applicants are welcome, as long as one

organization is designated as the

primary applicant and the other(s) as coapplicant(s). Applicants must

demonstrate that they have experience

in the design and implementation of the

type of program or program activity for

which they are an applicant.

Strengthening of the Juvenile Justice

System

All parts of the juvenile justice system

are straining under the burden of

increasing numbers of juvenile

offenders. In 1992, the juvenile arrest

rate was the highest in 20 years.

Between 1982 and 1992, juvenile courts

saw a 26% increase in the number of

delinquency cases. In 1990, a

congressionally mandated study

identified several areas in which

problems in secure juvenile facilities are

substantial and widespread, most

notably living space (crowding), health

care, security, and control of suicidal

behavior. OJJDP is continuing to fund
21868 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

several programs that aggressively

address these issues.

The limited resources of the juvenile

justice system must continue to target

the most difficult and intractable

problems of juvenile crime.

Strengthening the system requires

support of all parts of the justice system,

including law enforcement, prosecutors

and the courts, as well as detention and

corrections, including alternative

residential placements and aftercare. A

sound policy includes the assessment of

each offender’s needs and risks to the

community, and concentrates the more

formal, expensive, and restrictive

options of the juvenile justice system in

two areas:

■ Youth behavior that is most serious

and least amenable to preventive

measures and community responses.

■ Problems of youth and their

families that exceed community

resources and require more stringent

legal resolution. This approach should

promote accountability on the part of

individual juvenile offenders to their

victims.

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

The epidemic of youth violence is

striking fear in communities across the

Nation. While violent crime statistics

are generally down, violent criminal

activity is increasing among the young.

Juvenile arrests for violent crime

increased 57% between 1983 and 1992.

The nearly 54,200 juvenile weapons

arrests in 1992 accounted for nearly 1 of

4 weapons arrests. Violent youth gangs,

often associated with large urban areas,

are emerging in smaller cities.

While ultimately the reduction in

youth violence depends on overcoming

or changing those societal factors that

propel troubled youth toward violent

behavior, immediate public safety issues

require the justice system to

incapacitate the small number of

serious, violent and chronic offenders

responsible for the majority of juvenile

violence. However, a sound policy for

combating juvenile crime must not

indiscriminately treat children as small

versions of adults. Law enforcement

training on how to deal with juvenile

offenders and victims and how to

address the problems of youth gangs

and the increasing use of guns by

juveniles is an integral part of a

comprehensive response to the

escalating violence.

Delinquency Prevention and

Intervention

By the year 2005, the total population

of youths from 15 to 19 years old will

grow by an estimated 23 percent.

Research has shown that the peak age of

arrest for serious violent crime is 18

years. It has also shown that we must

focus on addressing the root causes of

delinquency as well as the symptoms.

OJJDP programs encourage a riskfocused approach based on public

health and social development models.

Communities cannot afford to place

responsibility for juvenile crime entirely

on the juvenile justice system. We must

maximize the use of a community’s less

formal, less expensive, and less

alienating responses to youthful

misbehavior, while at the same time

maintaining the safety of the public. The

science of prevention has taught us that

a sound policy for juvenile delinquency

prevention must strengthen the most

powerful contributing factor to good

behavior: A productive place for young

people in a law-abiding society. This

type of preventive measure can operate

on a large scale, providing gains in

youth development while reducing

juvenile delinquency.

Missing, Exploited and Abused Children

The Missing Children’s Assistance

Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 5771–5780, Title

IV of the Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as

amended) established OJJDP as the lead

federal agency in matters pertaining to

missing and exploited children. The

fiscal year 1995 Competitive

Discretionary Grant Programs for Title

IV Missing and Exploited Children’s

Program and Application Kit Notice was

published in the Federal Register on

January 5, 1995.

Fiscal Year 1995 Programs

Brief summaries of each of OJJDP’s

new and continuation programs for

fiscal year 1995 are provided below. The

programs are organized according to the

four areas that constitute the major

elements of OJJDP’s comprehensive

approach to preventing juvenile justice

and improving public safety.

A number of programs have been

identified for funding by Congress with

regard to the grantee(s), the amount of

funds, or both. Such programs are

indicated by an asterisk (*). The 1995

Appropriations Act Conference Report

for the Departments of Commerce,

Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and

Related Agencies Programs identified 13

programs for OJJDP to examine and fund

if warranted. Three of the programs are

included in this Plan for continuation

funding. Nine of the remaining ten have

been reviewed and will receive

consideration for funding in fiscal year

1995 at the levels indicated in the Final

Plan.

OJJDP’s new overarching

demonstration program, SafeFutures:

Partnerships to Reduce Youth Violence

and Delinquency Program, is presented

first since it addresses the major

elements that must be present in an

effective strategy to prevent and control

delinquency and provide the juvenile

justice system with the program

resources needed to do its job

effectively. This new program focuses

on a variety of services and funding

resources. Other overarching programs

are then presented, followed by

programs that seek to strengthen

juvenile justice, enhance public safety

and law enforcement, prevent

delinquency, and address the problem

of missing, exploited and abused

children.

Fiscal Year 1995 Program Listing

Overarching Programs

New Programs

SafeFutures: Partnerships to Reduce

Youth Violence and Delinquency—

$7,200,000

Information and Statistics Projects—

525,000

OJJDP Management Evaluation

Contract—360,000

Technical Assistance For State

Legislatures—262,500

Contra Costa County, California:

Continuum of Care Program*—

247,000

Evaluation of SafeFutures: Partnerships

to Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency Program—150,000

Overarching Programs

Continuation Programs

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse—

$1,031,167

Coalition for Juvenile Justice*—700,000

OJJDP Technical Assistance Support

Contract: Juvenile Justice Resource

Center—650,000

National Juvenile Court Data Archive*—

611,000

Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems

Development—550,000

Insular Area Support*—511,000

Development of OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders—500,058

Research Program on Juveniles Taken

Into Custody-NCCD—450,000

Children in Custody-Census—450,000

Contract for the Evaluation of OJJDP

Programs—290,000

Pulling America’s Communities

Together (PACT) Program

Development—261,000

Juveniles Taken Into Custody (JTIC):

Interagency Agreement—200,000

Juvenile Justice Data Resources—25,000
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21869

Strengthening Juvenile Justice

New Programs

Mental Health in the Juvenile Justice

System—$750,000

Bethesda Day Treatment Center—

320,000

Interventions to Reduce

Disproportionate Minority

Confinement in Secure Detention and

Correctional Facilities (The Deborah

M. Wysinger Memorial Program)—

300,000

The Juvenile Justice Prosecution

Center—300,000

Technical Assistance to Juvenile

Corrections and Detention (The James

E. Gould Memorial Program)—

200,000

Strengthening Juvenile Justice

Continuation Programs

Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offender Treatment Program—

$1,500,000

Juvenile Court Training*—1,074,000

Intensive Community-Based Aftercare

Demonstration and Technical

Assistance Program—620,000

Native American Alternative

Community-Based Program—600,000

Training for Juvenile Corrections and

Detention Staff—500,000

Technical Assistance to the Juvenile

Courts*—389,943

Due Process Advocacy Program

Development—250,000

Improvement in Correctional Education

for Juvenile Offenders—250,000

Robeson County, North Carolina*—

202,645

P.A.C.E., Center for Girls, Inc.*—

150,000

Juvenile Restitution: Balanced

Approach—100,000

Evaluation of Intensive CommunityBased Aftercare Demonstration and

Technical Assistance Program—

80,000

Douglas County, Nebraska*—67,055

Professional Development for Youth

Workers—50,000

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania*—

50,000

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

New Programs

Gangs and Delinquency Research—

$500,000

Field-Initiated Gang Research

Program—300,000

Juvenile Transfers to Criminal Court

Studies—275,000

Innovative Firearms Program—250,000

Gangs, Groups, Individuals, and

Violence Intervention—250,000

Youth Handgun Study/Model Juvenile

Handgun Legislation—202,838

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

Continuation Programs

Law Enforcement Training and

Technical Assistance Program—

$1,504,924

Comprehensive Communities

Program—Comprehensive Gang

Initiative—799,345

Targeted Outreach with a Gang

Prevention and Intervention

Component (Boys and Girls Clubs)—

600,000

Comprehensive Gang Initiative—

600,000

Violence Studies*—500,000

Violence Study—Causes and

Correlates—300,000

Child Centered Community-Oriented

Policing—300,000

National School Safety Center—250,000

Enhancing Enforcement Strategies for

Juvenile Impaired Driving Due to

Alcohol and Other Drug Use—150,000

Training in Cultural Differences for Law

Enforcement/Juvenile Justice

Officials—100,000

Delinquency Prevention

New Programs

Community-Based Gang Intervention—

$2,000,000

Family Strengthening and Support—

Including Non-English Speaking—

1,000,000

Comprehensive Community-Based

Services for At-Risk Girls and

Adjudicated Juvenile Female

Offenders—600,000

Innovative Approaches in Law-Related

Education*—600,000

Training in Risk-Focused Prevention

Strategies—500,000

Pathways to Success—450,000

Truancy—400,000

North Omaha B.E.A.R.S. (Building

Esteem and Responsibility

Systematically) Program*—300,000

Training and Technical Assistance for

Family-Strengthening Services—

250,000

Youth-Centered Conflict Resolution—

200,000

ASAP: Athlete Student Achievement

Pact*—150,000

Project Mister/Project Sister*—146,500

Facing History and Ourselves*—

100,000

La Nueva Vida*—64,000

Henry Ford Health System*—58,000

Anti-Crime Youth Council*—50,000

Delinquency Prevention

Continuation Programs

Law-Related Education (LRE)*—

$2,800,000

Teens, Crime, and Community: Teens in

Action in the 90s*—1,000,000

Satellite Prep School Program and Early

Elementary School for Privatized

Public Housing—720,000

Children at Risk—350,000

Nonviolent Dispute Resolution—

300,000

The Congress of National Black

Churches: National Anti-Drug Abuse

Program—250,000

‘‘Just Say No’’ International*—250,000

Jackie Robinson Center (JRC)*—250,000

Cities in Schools—Federal Interagency

Partnership—200,000

Hate Crimes—200,000

Community Anti-Drug Abuse Technical

Assistance Voucher Project—200,000

Race Against Drugs—150,000

Missing, Exploited and Abused Children

New Programs

Lowcountry Children’s Center, Inc.*—

$250,000

KidsPeace*—140,000

Multipurpose Educational Curriculum

for Young Victims—75,000

Missing, Exploited and Abused Children

Continuation Programs

Parents Anonymous, Inc.*—$250,000

Permanent Families for Abused and

Neglected Children*—225,000

Children as Witnesses to Community

Violence—170,658

Overarching Programs

New Programs

SafeFutures: Partnerships to Reduce

Youth Violence and Delinquency—

$7,200,000

Background

The SafeFutures: Partnerships to

Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency Program rests on two

important premises: The first is that

public safety can be improved by

providing prevention, intervention and

treatment services to all at-risk youth.

These three elements constitute a

continuum of care that should be

directed at youth throughout their

development. The second premise is

that the strategy for implementing this

continuum of care lies with a

comprehensive, customer-focused

approach in which there is broad

collaboration between all service

agencies, all levels of government, and

the public and private sectors.

Availability of services, community

responsiveness, and partnerships

leading to increased public safety

constitute the heart of the SafeFutures

Program.

Many communities throughout the

country have been engaged in reform

efforts to develop a comprehensive,

community-based service delivery
21870 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

system for disadvantaged children.

OJJDP’s Comprehensive Strategy for

Serious, Violent and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders presents a similar approach.

Under this strategy, a broad-based

community planning board

systematically assesses the risk factors

present in the environment that are best

known to foster delinquent behavior in

children. The community then develops

a strategy to address identified risk

factors for delinquency and increase

protective factors that promote healthy

and productive behavior. In addition,

the board develops a full range of

graduated sanctions, beginning with

immediate interventions, that are

designed to hold juvenile delinquents

accountable to the victim and the

community, ensure community security

and provide a continuum of services

that responds appropriately to the needs

of each juvenile offender.

SafeFutures builds on and expands

the model presented in the

Comprehensive Strategy. Five sites will

be selected: Three urban, one rural, and

one Native American site. Each must

have completed risk assessments and

developed a comprehensive

delinquency prevention, intervention

and treatment plan prior to application

to the SafeFutures program. At least one

of the sites will be an Empowerment

Zone or Enterprise community. Each

must have established a multidisciplinary community team to oversee

implementation efforts. Finally, each

site must have forged partnerships

between government, local businesses

and civic organizations, and leveraged

resources from a variety of sources. The

Native American site must have a Tribal

Court.

SafeFutures is geared toward

communities who have made significant

progress in reforming their systems and

implementing a strategy to reduce youth

violence and juvenile delinquency. It

will provide them with additional

resources to expand existing efforts and

fill in the gaps in service each has

identified.

Program Goals

Specifically, SafeFutures will assist

communities to:

1. Control and prevent juvenile

violence and delinquency by—

a. Reducing risk factors and increasing

protective factors

b. Developing a full range of graduated

sanctions, beginning with

intermediate interventions that are

designed to hold delinquents

accountable to the victim and ensure

community safety

c. Providing a continuum of services for

all youth, with appropriate treatment

for juvenile offenders

2. Develop a more efficient and

effective service delivery system for atrisk youth and their families, capable of

meeting their needs at any point of entry

into the system.

3. Build the capacity to

institutionalize and sustain coordinated

efforts through streamlining the service

delivery system, and expanding, and

diversifying its sources of funding.

4. Determine what outcomes have

been achieved and whether a

comprehensive strategy involving a

concentration of effort and resources is

successful at preventing and controlling

juvenile delinquency.

Many communities have begun this

process on their own, while others

throughout the country have received

support for these planning and

implementation activities through

OJJDP’s Title V Prevention Program and

programs designed to intervene with

delinquent juveniles. Failure to

previously participate under Title V,

however, does not preclude selection as

a SafeFutures applicant as long as the

requirements described in the next

section are met.

OJJDP will provide each site with up

to $1.44 million the first year, with

subsequent funding anticipated for four

additional years. This amount includes

not only OJJDP program dollars, but

other federal sources of support which

OJJDP has leveraged. In addition, OJJDP

will offer all sites a comprehensive

technical assistance package.

Grant Programs

Units of general local government or

combinations thereof are eligible to

apply. Successful applicants must

demonstrate the capacity to establish

and sustain a continuum of care for the

jurisdiction’s at-risk and delinquent

youth and their families. If the size or

makeup of the applicant’s local unit(s)

does not make jurisdictional-wide

services practical or desirable, the

applicant may request resources for an

identified local area(s) or neighborhood.

The applicant must provide evidence

of the following:

• The presence of risk factors for

delinquency in the target area such as

high rates of crime, poverty, teenage

pregnancy, child abuse and neglect,

dysfunctional or single parent families,

school drop-outs, unemployment or

other risk factors the community

identifies;

• An established planning board in

existence, with balanced representation

of public and private agencies,

community organizations and residents,

including youth representation;

• Completion of a needs and

resources assessment;

• A comprehensive delinquency

prevention, intervention, and graduated

sanction plan for their jurisdiction;

• Federal, State, local and private

partnerships, and a commitment to

leverage additional resources and

coordinate the necessary systemic

changes to both the juvenile justice and

social services system of care.

In addition to providing overall

administrative support for the

coordination and implementation

activities, SafeFutures provides specific

support for ten program components.

The applicant’s proposal must

demonstrate how each of the

components described below will be

implemented, its relationship to others

within the continuum of care, and its

impact upon at-risk youth and their

families. Applicants that can

demonstrate that they have adequately

addressed, with their own resources,

specific program components funded

with Part C monies, will have the

flexibility to use those designated funds

(with the exception of the Day

Treatment component) for alternative

delinquency prevention activities. Each

of the components is grouped below

according to major OJJDP goals. Each is

described in greater detail under these

same goal areas in the Fiscal Year 1995

Program Plan.

Strengthening the Juvenile Justice

System and Law Enforcement

• Serious,Violent, and Chronic

Juvenile Offender Accountability and

Treatment Programs (Part C—$500,000).

• Comprehensive Community-Based

Services for At-Risk Girls and

Adjudicated Female Juvenile Offenders

(Part C—$600,000).

• Day Treatment Services (Part C—

$150,000).

• Intensive Community-Based

Aftercare Program (Part C—Technical

Assistance).

• Community-Based Gang

Intervention (Part D—$2,000,000).

• Mental Health Services for At-Risk

and Adjudicated Youth, including

treatment services for juvenile sex

offenders and victims of sexual abuse

(Part C—$750,000).

Providing Opportunities and Role

Models for High-Risk Youth

• Youth Skills/Pathways to Success

(Part C—$200,000).

• Mentoring (Part G—$1,000,000).
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21871

Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through

Prevention

• Family Strengthening, including

services for non-English speaking

families (Part C—$1,000,000).

• Delinquency Prevention Program

(Title V—$1,000,000).

Sites funded under this initiative will

be eligible for program implementation,

training, and technical assistance

directly from OJJDP grantees and

contractors. In addition, sites will

receive training and technical assistance

from:

Boys and Girls Clubs of America, to

develop or enhance a Boys and Girls

Club in the target area;

National Association of Service and

Conservation Corps, to develop or

enhance a Juvenile Youth Corps

Program; and the

Home Builders Institute, to develop

an apprenticeship program for high-risk

youth in sites which have a local

association of home builders.

In addition, the Departments of Health

and Human Services (HHS), Housing

and Urban Development (HUD),

Education (DOE), and Labor (DOL),

AmeriCorps, and the National

Endowment for the Arts have agreed to

participate in the SafeFutures Program

by making available resources, technical

assistance, and linkages to existing grant

programs. OJJDP is also seeking other

public and private partnerships to

support substance abuse prevention,

jobs skills development, individual

youth assessment and evaluation

activities by the SafeFutures sites.

Evaluation

Sites will be expected to demonstrate

a strong capacity for data collection and

analysis in order to support a requisite

and stringent evaluation component

addressing both process and outcome

measures. Partnerships with academic

institutions to enhance evaluation

efforts are also encouraged.

Collaboration

Applicants are expected to

demonstrate how they have linked their

activities with other Federal, State, and

local programs; national and community

foundations; and private sector

programs. Federal programs include:

HUD’s Empowerment Zones/Enterprise

Communities and Hope Six; HHS’s

Family Preservation and Support

Services; DOE’s Safe and Drug Free

Schools; DOL’s Youth Fair Chance; and

the Department of Justice’s (DOJ)

Operation Weed and Seed, PACT,

Community Oriented Policing Services,

Boot Camps, Drug Courts,

Comprehensive Communities programs;

and the U.S. Attorneys’ anti-violence

strategies.

Application Process

OJJDP will utilize a two stage process

to select grantees. All applicants will

first submit concept papers.

Jurisdictions will be required to

document existing legislation, executive

orders, memoranda of understanding,

and other formal commitments of bona

fide partnerships. Preference will given

to jurisdictions that demonstrate

linkages with other Federal, State and

local programs as well as the ability to

secure additional financial and

programmatic resources. Those best

demonstrating an ability to qualify for

funding will then be invited to submit

full applications.

Prospective applicants should obtain

a copy of OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders and the

forthcoming Implementation Guide for

the Comprehensive Strategy. The Guide

identifies promising programs, suggests

effective community assessment tools

and in general offers guidance to

communities implementing a

continuum of care model. Copies of the

Guide will be available from OJJDP in

May 1995.

OJJDP plans to conduct several

workshops to answer questions about

SafeFutures requirements prior to the

concept paper submission date. To

obtain more information regarding these

workshops, please contact the Juvenile

Justice Clearinghouse.

Information and Statistics Projects—

$525,000

OJJDP recently conducted an

independent review of its Information

and Statistics Program to help the Office

develop a 5-year plan for information

and data collection. As a result of this

review, $525,000 will be allocated to the

following new projects: National

Juvenile Statistics Analysis Center;

National Indicators of Risk and

Protective Factors; Juveniles in the

Criminal Justice System; National

Program Directory; and Integrated

Juvenile Justice, Mental Health, and

Child Welfare Data Collection.

National Juvenile Statistics Analysis

Center—($200,000)

OJJDP is considering the

establishment of a center devoted to

collecting and analyzing statistics

generated by OJJDP programs, State

agencies, academic research, and other

Federal agencies and programs. This

National Juvenile Statistics Analysis

Center would focus on two principal

activities: (1) Retrieving Federal, State

and local research and data, and (2)

providing quick analyses to inform

Federal, State, and local policy and

program decisions. The impetus for the

Center comes from the recognition that

many States are collecting data and

performing statistical analyses of their

delinquency and juvenile justice

systems and that other jurisdictions can

benefit greatly from access to this

information. The Center would function

as a collection point for this research.

With an increased national emphasis on

juvenile justice issues, there is more

need for specific and quick analyses of

particular issues. The Center would

provide such analyses on a wide range

of subjects.

Other statistical activities identified

as important include:

• Analyzing demographic,

delinquency, and violence trends,

including surveys of delinquency and

related youth problems, Uniform Crime

Report data, and victimization surveys.

• Analyzing violent behavior trends

and patterns, particularly assaults and

robberies, to increase our understanding

of these phenomena.

• Maintaining national data sets on

juvenile justice system handling of

juveniles. State studies of

disproportionate minority confinement

and gender bias being conducted

pursuant to the JJDP Act would be of

particular interest.

• Retrieving statewide data sets for

analysis and cultivating State resources

for information and statistics.

• Maintaining data sets produced

under major studies of delinquency and

related juvenile problems.

• Distributing the results of statistical

analyses conducted by others at the

State and local level.

Once OJJDP determines the specific

nature of this project, a subsequent

announcement will be made.

National Indicators of Delinquency, Risk

and Protective Factors—($225,000)

Widespread adoption of the public

health model has stimulated interest in

viewing juvenile delinquency and other

problem behaviors in terms of risk and

protective factors. At the same time,

interest in developing social indicators

of delinquency has grown. Because of

these two developments, the collection

and analysis of national indicators of

risk and protective factors will be

explored. State and community level

baselines would enable measurement of

the impact of delinquency prevention

programs on risk and protective factors.

A national baseline, with annual

comparisons, would permit forecasts of

changes in delinquency and youth

violence levels and trends.
21872 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

Several projects have laid the

foundation for national and state-bystate baselines: Kids Count, the National

Youth Survey, OJJDP’s Causes and

Correlates Research Program, the Six

State Communities that Care Pilot

Program, and InfoNation. The key issue

concerns the feasibility of nationwide

establishment, at the State level, of

reporting requirements necessary to

generate comparable data.

OJJDP will explore the feasibility of

establishing comparable measurements

of risk and protective factors, and

prevalence measures for delinquency

and other problem behaviors, at the

individual, community, State, and

national levels. This effort will involve

a wide range of expertise, including

researchers, practitioners, and

policymakers. OJJDP will examine the

most direct and efficient manner of

gathering these indicators. In particular,

OJJDP will explore cooperation with

other Federal agencies. Once the nature

of this project has been finalized, OJJDP

will make a subsequent announcement.

Juveniles in the Criminal Justice System

Policymakers and legislators seeking

data on how juveniles get to criminal

court and on rates of conviction and

sentencing, treatment, and conditions of

confinement have found that existing

information is often inadequate to help

them make decisions about legislation,

policy, and program development.

OJJDP, in cooperation with the

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), seeks

to identify and fill these data gaps by

working collaboratively with interested

State and local officials. Through

OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Statistics and

Systems Development Program, a series

of meetings will be convened involving

prosecutors, judges, corrections

officials, State Statistical Analysis

Centers, researchers, and staff from

OJJDP, NIJ, and BJS. The purpose of the

meetings will be to plan multijurisdictional studies of the transfer

process and its outcomes. The project

also will identify information needs to

recommend for inclusion in the BJS

National Survey of State Prosecutors.

A number of multi-agency planning

teams will be invited to assist in the

collaborative design of the studies by

identifying core data elements and

definitions for cross-jurisdictional

collection and analysis. The design

process will be informed by a literature

review and the identification of existing

studies and data sets for secondary

analysis to fill immediate gaps. A

detailed review of the Government

Accounting Office’s pending waiver

study will inform the project as to the

feasibility of certain options. No funds

will be awarded in fiscal year 1995.

National Program Directory—$100,000

To further develop OJJDP’s statistical

capability, OJJDP will create a National

Program Directory. This directory will

contain the names and addresses of

specific juvenile justice programs along

with important identifying information

and will include prosecutors, juvenile

probation departments, juvenile court

judges, mental health agencies, youth

welfare agencies, and other executive

branch juvenile justice agencies. OJJDP

will use the directory as a sampling

frame for future surveys.

An important feature of this project is

a series of Quick Response Surveys

(QRS). Each QRS addresses a specific

problem and is directed to a specific

group of respondents. The goal of each

QRS will be to provide vital information

quickly on emerging problems and

issues. QRS’ will be made possible

through Census Bureau development of

program and facility directories on

juvenile courts, detention centers, and

long-term State confinement facilities.

These surveys will address such issues

as: characteristics of assaultive

behaviors, juveniles in police lock-ups,

juvenile sex offenders, family issues,

and overcrowding.

The initial phase of this project will

focus on developing a directory

structure, collecting core information,

and developing a QRS strategy. These

funds will be transferred to the Census

Bureau through an interagency

agreement.

Integrated Juvenile Justice, Mental

Health and Child Welfare Data

Collection

Recent research has documented the

co-occurrence of delinquency, mental

health problems, drug and alcohol

abuse, and child abuse and neglect.

However, linkage of client data from the

juvenile justice system with data from

the mental health and child welfare

systems is not possible with current

data collection mechanisms.

Information is needed on how the child

welfare and mental health systems

function as diversion programs and as

providers of alternative incarceration for

problem youth not served by the

juvenile justice system. Ways of linking

these data collection systems would be

explored in order to: (1) Understand the

interrelationships of the three systems,

(2) develop models that coordinate the

actions of the three systems, and (3)

integrate them into a continuum of care.

OJJDP will support a planning effort

to map out steps toward integrated

juvenile justice, mental health, and

child welfare data collection. OJJDP will

carry this work out in collaboration with

other Federal agencies that have an

interest in the objectives of this

program, including the National

Institute of Mental Health; the Center for

Mental Health Services; the National

Institute on Drug Abuse; the National

Institute on Alcohol Abuse; the

Administration on Children, Youth and

Families; and the Social Security

Administration. This project will also

involve practitioners and researchers

from the mental health, juvenile justice,

and child welfare fields. OJJDP’s

Statistics and Systems Development

Program will provide staff support for

this planning activity, including

conducting a literature review,

identifying useful data sets for

secondary analysis, and convening

planning meetings. The results will

include recommendations for future

implementation steps.

OJJDP’s current Statistics and System

Development Program grantee, the

National Center for Juvenile Justice, will

conduct this program activity. No funds

will be awarded in fiscal year 1995.

OJJDP Management Evaluation

Contract—$360,000

The purpose of this contract is to

provide OJJDP with an expert resource

capable of performing independent,

management-oriented evaluations of

selected OJJDP programs. Evaluations

will determine the effectiveness and

efficiency of either individual projects

or groups of projects.

Evaluations could include

demonstrations, tests, training, and

technical assistance programs.

Evaluations will be requested through

work orders issued by OJJDP and carried

out in accordance with work plans

prepared by the contractor and

approved by OJJDP. Each evaluation

will be defined by OJJDP and costs,

method, and timetable determined

through negotiation between OJJDP and

the contractor. The contract will be

funded through a competitive award in

fiscal year 1995.

Technical Assistance for State

Legislatures—$262,500

State legislatures are being pressed to

respond to public fear of juvenile crime,

and a loss of confidence in the

capability of the juvenile justice system

to respond effectively. For the most part,

State legislatures have had insufficient

information to properly address juvenile

justice issues. Consequently, OJJDP will

award a grant to the National

Conference of State Legislatures to

identify, analyze, and disseminate

information to help State legislatures
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21873

make more informed decisions about

legislation affecting the juvenile justice

system. A complementary task will

involve supporting increased

communication between State

legislators and State and local leaders

who influence decisionmaking

regarding juvenile justice issues. A

$262,500 grant will be awarded to the

NCSL in fiscal year 1995. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Contra Costa County, California:

Continuum of Care Program*—$247,000

The purpose of this program is to

develop and implement a model

continuum of care program for youth in

the Juvenile Justice System. The model

proposes three specific components: (1)

Development of risk and needs

assessment instruments that reflect law

enforcement and juvenile justice

consensus; (2) establishment of linkages

and coordination among several major

planning efforts; and (3) the

implementation and coordination of

existing programs.

Grant funds will be used to fund

several positions charged with building

the continuum of care infrastructure,

improving coordination, and managing

the implementation. This grant will also

contribute funding to an Employment

Aftercare Program for youth returning to

the community from secure institutional

confinement and will provide technical

support for a community education

effort, designed to build public

awareness and involvement in the

reform of the juvenile justice system and

the provision of services.

Evaluation of SafeFutures: Partnerships

to Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency—$150,000

OJJDP will fund five communities

(three urban, one rural, and one Native

American) under the SafeFutures:

Partnerships to Reduce Youth Violence

and Delinquency. SafeFutures will

provide a range of coordinated services

to meet the needs of at-risk youth and

families and juveniles in the juvenile

justice system. This Program will also

serve to strengthen the juvenile justice

system and develop the ongoing

sustainability of service collaboration

within the jurisdiction.

The evaluation of each of the five sites

will be supported by this Program and

will consist of both process and impact

components. The process evaluation, to

begin during the first year, will include

an examination of planning procedures

and the extent to which the sites’

implementation is consistent with the

principles of a continuum of care/

graduated sanctions model. The

evaluation process will identify the key

factors responsible for successful

implementation. It will also be

important for the evaluation to identify

substantial obstacles to successful

implementation of the SafeFutures

continuum model.

The selected evaluator will be

responsible for developing a cross-site

monograph that discusses Program

implementation for use by other

communities that want to develop and

implement a community strategy to

address serious, violent, and chronic

delinquency.

The evaluator will develop a research

design for the impact evaluation within

the first year. Data collection for the

impact evaluation would begin during

the second year of the evaluation and

will address the effects of the

community’s SafeFutures Program on

the clients served. Furthermore, it will

address the efficacy of the structure and

operation of the SafeFutures model.

OJJDP will award a single cooperative

agreement for up to $150,000 for firstyear funding of this multiyear

evaluation program. Significant funding

for the evaluation is anticipated in the

second and subsequent years of this

evaluation.

OVERARCHING PROGRAMS

Continuation Programs

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse—

$1,031,167

As part of the National Criminal

Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), the

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse provides

support to OJJDP in: (1) Collecting,

synthesizing, and disseminating

information to the public on all aspects

of juvenile delinquency; (2) developing

publications; and (3) preparing

specialized responses to information

requests from the public. The

Clearinghouse maintains a toll-free

number for information requests. It also

reviews reports, data, and standards

relating to the juvenile justice system in

the United States and develops

specialized resource products for the

juvenile justice community.

The Clearinghouse serves as a center

for acquiring and disseminating

information on juvenile delinquency,

including State and local juvenile

delinquency prevention and treatment

programs and plans; availability of

resources; training and educational

programs; statistics; and other pertinent

data and information. It also serves as

an information bank for the collection

and synthesis of data and knowledge

obtained from research and evaluation

conducted by public and private

agencies, institutions, or individuals

concerning all aspects of juvenile

delinquency.

Recognizing the critical need to

inform juvenile justice practitioners and

other policymakers on promising

program approaches, the Clearinghouse

continually develops and recommends

new strategies to communicate the

research findings and program activities

of OJJDP and the field to the practitioner

community.

The entire NCJRS, of which the

OJJDP-funded Juvenile Justice

Clearinghouse is a part, is administered

by the National Institute of Justice under

a competitively awarded contract.

Coalition for Juvenile Justice—$700,000

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice

supports and facilitates the purposes

and functions of each State’s Juvenile

Justice State Advisory Group (SAG). The

Coalition, acting as a Federal advisory

committee, reviews Federal policies and

practices regarding juvenile justice and

delinquency prevention, prepares and

submits an annual report and

recommendations to the President and

Congress, and provides advice to the

OJJDP Administrator. The coalition is

also authorized to develop an

information center for the SAGs and to

conduct an annual conference to

provide training for SAG members. The

program will be implemented by the

current grantee, the Coalition for

Juvenile Justice. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

OJJDP Technical Assistance Support

Contract: Juvenile Justice Resource

Center—$650,000

This contract provides technical

assistance and support to OJJDP, its

grantees, and the Coordinating Council

on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention in the areas of program

development, evaluation, training, and

research. Support of this program will

be supplemented in fiscal year 1995.

National Juvenile Court Data Archive*—

$611,000

The National Juvenile Court Data

Archive collects, processes, analyzes,

and disseminates automated data and

published reports from the Nation’s

juvenile courts. The Archive’s reports

examine referrals, offenses, intake, and

dispositions in addition to specialized

topics such as minorities in juvenile

courts and specific offense categories.

The Archive also provides assistance to

jurisdictions in analyzing their juvenile

court data. In fiscal year 1995, the

Archive will enhance the collection,

reporting, and analysis of more detailed

data on detention, dispositions, risk
21874 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

factors, and treatment data using

offender-based data sets from a sample

of juvenile courts.

The program will be implemented by

the current grantee, the National Center

for Juvenile Justice. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems

Development—$550,000

The purpose of the Juvenile Justice

Statistics and Systems Development

(SSD) Program is to improve Federal,

State, and local juvenile justice statistics

on juveniles as victims and offenders.

The SSD Program helps OJJDP to

formulate a comprehensive program for

the collection, analysis and

dissemination of national statistics on

juveniles as victims and offenders, and

to document the juvenile justice

system’s response. A major product to

be completed will be a national report

on juvenile offending and victimization.

Work on this product will consist

mainly of report production followup,

including the completion of a detailed

technical appendix and preparation of

additional products for dissemination.

The SSD program will focus on the

following areas in fiscal year 1995: (1)

Juveniles in the criminal justice system;

(2) development and testing of a training

curriculum for improving information

systems; (3) integration of juvenile

justice, mental health, and child welfare

data collection; and (4) improving

information on juvenile detention.

The program will be implemented by

the current grantee, the National Center

for Juvenile Justice. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Insular Area Support*—$511,000

The purpose of this program is to

provide supplemental financial support

to the Virgin Islands, Guam, American

Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific

Islands (Palau), and the Commonwealth

of the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds

are available to address the special

needs and problems of juvenile

delinquency in these insular areas, as

specified by section 261(e) of the JJDP

Act, 42 U.S.C. 5665(e).

Development of OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders—$500,058

The National Council on Crime and

Delinquency (NCCD), in collaboration

with Developmental Research and

Programs, Inc. (DRP), has completed

Phase I of a collaborative effort to

support development and

implementation of OJJDP’s

Comprehensive Strategy for Serious,

Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders. This effort involved assessing

existing and previously researched

programs in order to identify effective

and promising programs which can be

used in implementing the

Comprehensive Strategy. A series of

reports, which will be combined into a

Guide to the Comprehensive Strategy,

has been completed on early

intervention for ages 0 to 6, prevention

from childhood to adolescence,

graduated sanctions, risk and needs

assessments, and an operations manual.

Phase II, to be carried out in fiscal year

1995, will include: (1) convening a

national forum on youth violence; (2)

information dissemination; (3) program

development and implementation

activities; (4) providing information to

national, State and local organizations;

(5) providing training and technical

assistance to Title V Prevention,

Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offender Treatment and SafeFutures

sites; and (6) conducting a series of

regional training sessions for

representative groups of key leaders.

The national forum and regional

training sessions will contribute to

implementation of the National Juvenile

Justice Action Plan being formulated by

the Coordinating Council on Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The program will be implemented by

NCCD ($274,627) and DRP ($225,431)

under cooperative agreements. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Research Program on Juveniles Taken

Into Custody—NCCD—$450,000

The Research Program on Juveniles

Taken Into Custody was designed in

response to a statutory requirement to

produce a detailed annual summary of

juvenile custody data. During the next

24-month period, the National Council

on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) will

continue to implement and refine the

State Juvenile Correctional System

Reporting Program. It is anticipated that

individual-level data for 1993 will be

representative of more than 75 percent

of the at-risk juvenile population. In

addition, NCCD will prepare two

additional reports for OJJDP. These

reports will provide a detailed summary

and analysis of the most recent data

regarding: (1) The number and

characteristics of juveniles taken into

custody; (2) the rate at which juveniles

are taken into custody; and (3) the

trends demonstrated by the data.

The 1994 data collection will expand

coverage by collecting data from several

small, nonautomated State systems. In

order to better understand the data

collected under the State Juvenile

Corrections System Reporting Program,

NCCD will conduct a State Juvenile

Corrections Organizational Survey to

identify critical dimensions of

corrections administration that may

explain variation in results. NCCD, in

cooperation with the National Center for

Juvenile Justice, will assess the

proportion of all court commitments

that are covered by the State Juvenile

Corrections Reporting Program as

compared with direct commitments by

local authorities. NCCD will also

conduct a pilot data collection and

research effort on a small sample of

detention centers to generate data and

information on juveniles in detention.

This program will be implemented by

the current grantee, NCCD. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Children in Custody—Census $450,000

Under this ongoing collaborative

program between OJJDP and the U.S.

Bureau of the Census, OJJDP proposes to

transfer funds to the Census Bureau to

conduct the 1995 biennial census of

public and private juvenile detention,

correctional, and shelter facilities. The

census describes juvenile custody

facilities in terms of their resident

population, programs, and physical

characteristics. It provides information

on trends in the use of juvenile custody

facilities for delinquent juveniles and

status offenders. The Census Bureau’s

Center for Survey Methods Research

will also continue to develop and test a

roster-based data collection system

designed to significantly improve

information on juveniles in custody.

The Bureau’s Governments Division

will create a new directory of facilities.

The program will be implemented

under an interagency agreement with

the U.S. Bureau of the Census. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Contract for the Evaluation of OJJDP

Programs—$290,000

This contract will be extended and

supplemented in the amount of

$290,000 to complete evaluation reports

on OJJDP’s Boot Camp Pilot Program, to

continue the evaluation of the

Disproportionate Minority Confinement

and Title V Prevention Program

evaluations, and to provide other

evaluation services required by OJJDP

prior to the award of a new competitive

contract.

The contract supplement will be

awarded to Caliber Associates. A new

competitive contract will be solicited in

fiscal year 1995.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21875

Pulling America’s Communities

Together (PACT) Program

Development—$261,000

Project PACT is an initiative through

which Federal agencies work with State

and local agencies and communities to

develop a strategic plan to help reduce

crime and violence by building

healthier communities. The role of the

Federal government in Project PACT is

to support the community’s

identification of needs, formulation of a

coordinated community response, and

development of resources to implement

a community action plan. OJJDP will

continue to provide PACT cities with

technical assistance and information on

programs and services that offer the best

hope for success in the development of

antiviolence strategies for juvenile

offenders and victims.

The National Council on Crime and

Delinquency (NCCD) has provided the

Project PACT jurisdictions of Metro

Atlanta, Metro Denver, Nebraska, and

Washington, D.C., with technical

assistance for the past year. NCCD will

continue to provide such assistance

through fiscal year 1995 by responding

to requests for assistance in

implementing juvenile justice reform

through OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders.

This program will be implemented by

NCCD. No additional applications

would be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Juveniles Taken Into Custody (JTIC):

Interagency Agreement—$200,000

The U.S. Bureau of the Census is

working with OJJDP and the National

Council on Crime and Delinquency to

develop a comprehensive national

statistical reporting system that is

responsive to the information

requirements of the JJDP Act, the needs

of the juvenile justice field for data on

juvenile custody populations, and the

needs of State legislatures and juvenile

justice professionals for data to assist in

making informed planning and

policymaking decisions.

The Census Bureau acts as the data

collection agent for the JTIC program

under an interagency agreement. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Juvenile Justice Data Resources—

$25,000

This program enhances the

availability of juvenile justice data sets

for secondary analysis. The project takes

data files from OJJDP research and

statistical programs and prepares them

for use by other researchers. Data files

made available during fiscal year 1994

include the 1993 Children in Custody

Census, Juveniles Taken Into Custody,

and the Causes and Correlates Research

Program.

This program will be implemented

under an interagency agreement with

the University of Michigan. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Strengthening Juvenile Justice

New Programs

Mental Health in the Juvenile Justice

System—$750,000

This program addresses the mental

health and juvenile justice systems’ lack

of coordinated and adequate mental

health treatment for at-risk and

delinquent youth. The program will

target juveniles with mental health

problems and impairments (including

learning disabilities), those who are at

risk of becoming status or delinquent

offenders, status offenders, and

delinquents with undiagnosed or

untreated mental health problems,

including offenders in secure and nonsecure residential care.

Fiscal year 1995 funds will provide

up to $150,000 to each of the five

jurisdictions participating in the

SafeFutures Program. Their planning

process would be expected to provide

comprehensive, coordinated, and

collaborative approaches among

juvenile justice, youth service, and

mental health agencies to improve

mental health services for juveniles in

these five communities. A particular

focus of the fiscal year 1995 funding

will be to target victims of child abuse

and juvenile sex offenders.

Bethesda Day Treatment Center—

$320,000

Pennsylvania’s Bethesda Day

Treatment Center is a private nonprofit

agency established to provide intensive

day treatment and a variety of other

services that promote the social

adjustment of juvenile offenders in the

community.

For four years, OJJDP has provided

funds to the Center to develop and

document intensive, outpatient,

community-based treatment and care

centers for juveniles at risk of

delinquency and those who have been

referred to court and are in the

preadjudication or postadjudication

stages of the juvenile justice system.

Center services were initially designed

to help youth in rural areas or small

towns who committed offenses related

to family supervision and control. More

recently, the program has demonstrated

its effectiveness in larger cities,

including Kalamazoo, Michigan and

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with

juveniles who commit serious

delinquent acts.

Bethesda Day Treatment Center’s

services include intensive supervision,

counseling, and coordination of a range

of services necessary to develop skills

that enable youth to function

appropriately in the community.

Services are client, group, and family

focused. Client-focused services include

intake, casework, service and treatment

planning, individual counseling,

intensive supervision, and study skills.

Group-focused services include group

counseling; life and jobs skill training,

cultural enrichment, and physical

education. Family-focused activities

include family counseling, home visits,

parent counseling, and family

intervention services.

Day treatment services cost about 50

percent less than secure placement,

pose a minimal risk to community

safety, and can be implemented quickly.

With management systems and funding

in place, it takes only 6 to 9 months

from startup to full implementation of a

program.

The Bethesda Day Treatment Center

will offer to replicate the day treatment

model in the five SafeFutures sites.

Successful applicants will be eligible to

submit applications to the Bethesda Day

Treatment Center for up to $30,000,

with a $30,000 local contribution, in

training and technical assistance

services. Other local jurisdictions will

also be eligible to receive services from

the grantee under the same terms.

Interested jurisdictions should contact

the Bethesda Day Treatment Center at

(717) 568–1131. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Interventions to Reduce

Disproportionate Minority Confinement

in Secure Detention and Correctional

Facilities (The Deborah Wysinger

Memorial Program)—$300,000

National data and studies have

demonstrated that minority juveniles

are over-represented in secure facilities

across the country. In response to this

problem, OJJDP issued regulations in

1989 requiring States participating in

the Formula Grants Program to gather

and assess data to determine the

existence of disproportionate minority

confinement and, if it existed, to design

strategies to address the problem. To

date, 47 States have completed the

required data analyses, with all but five

determining that minority juveniles are

overrepresented in secure facilities.

Analysis of the data indicates that in a

majority of States minority juveniles are

disproportionately represented at
21876 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

several points of decision-making in the

juvenile justice system.

This competitive Special Emphasis

program will provide funds to States,

local units of government, and nonprofit

organizations to demonstrate effective

interventions designed to eliminate the

disproportionate confinement of

minority juveniles in secure detention

or correctional facilities, adult jails and

lockups, and other secure institutional

facilities. Activities appropriate for

funding under this initiative include

such programs as:

• Training and education programs

for law enforcement and juvenile justice

practitioners.

• Diversion programs for minority

youths who come in contact with the

juvenile justice system.

• Prevention programs in

communities with high numbers of

minority residents.

• Programs to increase the capacity of

community-based organizations to

provide alternatives to detention and

incarceration for minority youths.

• Aftercare programs designed to

assist minority youths returning to their

communities from secure institutions.

Grants will be available in amounts

ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 for the

implementation and evaluation of

interventions designed to reduce

disproportionate minority confinement.

In addition to the general selection

criteria applied to all OJJDP competitive

applications, OJJDP will consider the

relationship of the application to the

State’s development of multiple

strategies to address the State’s problem

based on minority overrepresentation

indices as identified in the Phase I data

collection analysis. Three to six

competitive applications will be funded

in fiscal year 1995 at $50,000 to

$100,000 each.

The Juvenile Justice Prosecution

Center—$300,000

For several years, OJJDP has

supported prosecutor training activities

through the National District Attorneys’

Association (NDAA). This project will

establish a Juvenile Justice Prosecution

Center to provide prosecutor training

and implement workshops on juvenile

justice related executive policy,

leadership, and management for chief

prosecutors and juvenile unit chiefs,

and provide background information to

prosecutors on juvenile justice issues

and programs.

The project will be implemented by

the American Prosecutors Research

Institute (APRI), based on planning and

input by prosecutors familiar with

juvenile justice needs. APRI is the

research and technical assistance

affiliate of NDAA. The project will

utilize a working group of chief

prosecutors and juvenile unit chiefs to

support the project’s staff in providing

training, technical assistance, and

juvenile justice related research and

program information to practitioners

nationwide. The expectation is that

within the next three years a selfsupporting Juvenile Justice Prosecution

Center will be established through links

with State prosecutor training programs.

The award for the Juvenile Justice

Prosecution Center will be made to

APRI. No additional applicants will be

considered in fiscal year 1995.

Technical Assistance to Juvenile

Corrections and Detention (The James E.

Gould Memorial Program)—$200,000

The purpose of this program is to

continue OJJDP’s capability to provide

technical assistance for juvenile

corrections and detention. A major

responsibility of the grantee will be to

plan and convene the annual Juvenile

Corrections and Detention Forum. The

forum provides an opportunity for 100

juvenile corrections and detention

leaders to meet and discuss issues,

problems, and solutions to corrections

and detention problems. A second

objective is to provide workshops and

training conferences on current and

emerging national issues in the field of

juvenile corrections and detention. The

grantee will provide limited technical

assistance through document

dissemination. OJJDP will award a

competitive grant to an organization

experienced in this area of expertise to

provide these services.

Strengthening Juvenile Justice

Continuation Programs

Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offender Treatment Program—

$1,500,000

In fiscal year 1993, under a

competitive announcement, OJJDP

awarded funds to enable two

jurisdictions (Allegheny County,

Pennsylvania and Washington, DC) to

develop a plan for systematic graduated

sanctions for juvenile offenders. The

plan combines accountability and

sanctions with increasingly intensive

community-based intervention,

treatment, and rehabilitation services as

the seriousness of a juvenile’s offenses

increases or a particular offense

warrants. The plan’s basic elements are

to: (1) Assess the existing continuum of

secure and nonsecure intervention,

treatment, and rehabilitation services in

each jurisdiction; (2) define the juvenile

offender population; (3) develop and

implement a program strategy; (4)

develop and implement an evaluation;

(5) integrate private nonprofit,

community-based organizations into

juvenile offender services; (6)

incorporate an aftercare program as a

formal component of all residential

placements; (7) develop a resource plan

to enlist the financial and technical

support of other Federal, State, and

local agencies, private foundations, or

other funding sources; and (8) develop

a victim assistance component using

local organizations.

In fiscal year 1994, these jurisdictions

each qualified for $500,000

implementation grants. Two additional

jurisdictions are being selected for

combined planning and implementation

awards of $500,000 each under a fiscal

year 1994 competitive program.

In fiscal year 1995, each of the

original jurisdictions will receive

continuation awards of $500,000 for

second year implementation. Also in

fiscal year 1995, up to $100,000 will be

available to each of the five SafeFutures

sites to refine and implement action

plans for graduated sanctions systems in

the target areas. The Bureau of Justice

Assistance will transfer $1,500,000 to

OJJDP to implement this program in

fiscal year 1995. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Juvenile Court Training*—$1,074,000

The primary purpose of this project is

to continue and refine the training and

technical assistance program offered by

the National Council of Juvenile and

Family Court Judges. The training

objectives are to supplement law school

curricula and provide judges with

current information on developments in

juvenile and family case law and

available options for sentencing and

treatment. Emphasis will also be placed

on drug testing, gangs and violence, and

intermediate sanctions. The project will

provide both basic training to new

juvenile and family court judges and

specialized training to experienced

judges.

The program will be implemented by

the current grantee, The National

Council of Juvenile and Family Court

Judges. No additional applications will

be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Intensive Community-Based Aftercare

Demonstration and Technical

Assistance Program—$620,000

This initiative is designed to support

implementation, delivery of training

and technical assistance, and evaluation

for a statewide intensive communitybased aftercare model in four states

competitively selected to participate in

this demonstration program.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21877

In fiscal year 1994, the Johns Hopkins

University was awarded funds to test its

intensive community-based aftercare

model in four demonstration sites in

Denver, Colorado; Clark County (Las

Vegas), Nevada; Camden and Newark,

New Jersey; and Richmond, Virginia.

Each of the four sites will receive up to

$100,000 to support program

implementation in fiscal year 1995. An

independent evaluation contractor is

providing an initial evaluation design

and documenting the implementation

process under a separate grant.

The Johns Hopkins University will

receive a supplemental award of

$220,000 to provide training and

technical assistance to the four selected

sites and to OJJDP’s Youth

Environmental Service Program, Boot

Camp Pilot Program, and SafeFutures

Program sites. This is the second budget

period of a three-year project. BJA will

contribute $500,000 to the support of

this program in fiscal year 1995.

Native American Alternative

Community-Based Program—$600,000

This program is designed as a

collaborative effort between OJJDP and

other public and private organizations

concerned about juvenile delinquency

among Native Americans. Its purpose is

to develop community-based alternative

programs for Native American youth

who are adjudicated delinquent and to

develop a re-entry program for Native

American delinquents returning from

institutional placements. A

multicomponent design has been

developed in the four project sites.

Fiscal year 1995 funding will support

continued implementation of these

projects. Training and technical

assistance will also be provided to

integrate the critical elements of OJJDP’s

intensive supervision and communitybased aftercare programs with cultural

elements traditionally used by Native

Americans to control and rehabilitate

offending youths.

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa

Indians, the Navajo Nation, the Gila

River Indian Community, and the

Pueblo of Jemez are the project sites

initially funded in fiscal year 1992. The

National Indian Justice Center provides

the sites with training and technical

assistance. No additional applications

will be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Training for Juvenile Corrections and

Detention Staff—$500,000

OJJDP will continue the development

and implementation of a comprehensive

training program for juvenile corrections

and detention management staff through

its interagency agreement with the

National Institute of Corrections (NIC).

The program is designed to offer a core

curriculum for juvenile corrections and

detention administrators and mid-level

management personnel in such areas as

leadership development, management,

training of trainers, legal issues, cultural

diversity, the role of the victim in

juvenile corrections, gang activity,

juvenile programming for specialized

needs of offenders, and overcrowding.

The training is conducted at the NIC

Academy and regionally. This program

is a continuation activity, implemented

in fiscal year 1995 under an interagency

agreement with NIC. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Technical Assistance to the Juvenile

Courts*—$389,943

The National Center for Juvenile

Justice (NCJJ), the research division of

the National Council of Juvenile and

Family Court Judges, provides four

types of technical assistance under this

grant: (1) Information resources; (2)

onsite consultation; (3) off-site

consultation; and (4) a cross-site

consultation. Emphasis will be placed

on intermediate sanctions for handling

juveniles involved in drug-related

offenses and gang activities and other

emerging issues confronting the juvenile

court.

The current grantee, the National

Center for Juvenile Justice, will

implement the program. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Due Process Advocacy Program

Development—$250,000

In fiscal year 1993, OJJDP funded the

American Bar Association (ABA), in

partnership with the Juvenile Law

Center (JLC) of Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, and the Youth Law

Center (YLC) of San Francisco,

California to develop due process

advocacy program strategies. The goals

of the program are: (1) To increase

juvenile offenders’ access to legal

services; (2) to improve the quality of

preadjudication, adjudication, and

dispositional advocacy for juvenile

offenders; and (3) to ensure due process

to all juveniles in the juvenile justice

system. The strategies will be made

available to State and local bar

associations and other relevant

organizations so that they can develop

approaches to increase the availability

and quality of counsel for juveniles. The

ABA, JLC, and YLC have completed an

assessment of the current state of the art

with regard to legal services, training,

and education. In fiscal year 1995, they

will develop strategies to improve

access, availability, and the quality of

counsel and provide a comprehensive

report on these issues. During this

second funding cycle, training materials

will be developed and tested in selected

sites. Training materials will be adjusted

based on experience in the test sites and

a dissemination strategy developed. The

ABA will establish mechanisms for

networking with legal service providers

such as public defender offices and

children’s law centers. Fiscal year 1995

funding will support the second six

months of the second year budget for

this 3-year effort. No new applications

will be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Improvement in Correctional Education

for Juvenile Offenders—$250,000

The purpose of this program is to

assist juvenile corrections

administrators in planning and

implementing improved educational

services for detained and incarcerated

juvenile offenders.

In fiscal year 1992, the National Office

for Social Responsibility (NOSR) was

awarded a three-year cooperative

agreement to conduct a comprehensive

assessment of the literature and to

produce a report documenting state of

the art practices in educational reform.

The results of this effort were utilized to

develop a training and technical

assistance program to improve

educational services for incarcerated

juveniles.

In fiscal year 1995, NOSR will be

awarded up to $250,000 to provide

training and technical assistance to

three sites to be competitively selected.

No additional applications would be

solicited for this training and technical

assistance program during fiscal year

1995.

Robeson County, North Carolina*—

$202,645

This grant to the State of North

Carolina will continue implementing a

pilot program for African-American

males, ages 12 to 15, who, in lieu of

confinement, will be supervised in the

community and assigned to a weekend

academy where they will receive

intensive services including counseling,

tutoring, conflict resolution, and job

training. In the first year, 100 juveniles

were expected to be served. Second-year

funds will be used to continue and

expand the program.

P.A.C.E. Center for Girls, Inc.*—

$150,000

The P.A.C.E. Center for Girls, Inc.,

headquartered in Orlando, Florida, will

expand its program to several new sites

and provide technical assistance to

jurisdictions that wish to adopt the

P.A.C.E. program model. P.A.C.E.
21878 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

provides juvenile court judges with an

alternative program for at-risk teenage

girls arrested for status and minor

delinquent offenses. Fiscal year 1995

funds will support the second year of

implementation.

Juvenile Restitution: Balanced

Approach—$100,000

OJJDP will continue to support the

juvenile restitution training and

technical assistance program in fiscal

year 1995. The project design is based

on practitioner recommendations for

current needs in the field. OJJDP

initiated a survey on how best to

integrate and institutionalize restitution

as a key component of juvenile justice

dispositions. In addition to the survey,

a working group was convened to help

map out the course of OJJDP’s support

for optimum development of the

components of restitution. These

components include community

service, victim reparation, victimoffender mediation, offender

employment and supervision,

employment development, and

potential program elements designed to

establish restitution as an important

alternative in improving the juvenile

justice system. This project is guided by

the need to provide a balance of

community protection and offender

competency development and

accountability in the provision of

community-based sanctions.

The Division of Applied Research of

Florida Atlantic University was

competitively selected in fiscal year

1992 to implement this project. The

grant will be extended into fiscal year

1995 to enable the grantee to provide

technical assistance and support to

States and localities seeking to

implement the balanced approach. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Evaluation of Intensive CommunityBased Aftercare Demonstration and

Technical Assistance Program—$80,000

This supplement will allow the

evaluation grantee, the National Council

on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), to

provide additional assistance in data

collection in fiscal year 1995 to the four

States implementing the Intensive

Community-Based Aftercare

Demonstration and Technical

Assistance Program.

The initial stage of this evaluation

will assess the process used by the four

demonstration states to implement an

intensive community-based aftercare

program, evaluate technical assistance

provided to these States, and develop a

preliminary impact evaluation research

design. This supplemental award will

provide for the initiation of data

collection efforts as soon as the research

design for the impact evaluation is

completed.

This program will be implemented by

NCDD. No additional applications will

be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Douglas County, Nebraska*—$67,055

This grant for a youth pre-trial

diversion program in Douglas County,

Nebraska was initially funded in fiscal

year 1994 for a two-year project period.

Fiscal year 1995 funding will support

second-year implementation.

Professional Development for Youth

Workers—$50,000

The primary purpose of this program

is to promote professional development

of youth service and juvenile justice

system providers through formal

training. The program will include an

inventory of existing training programs

and their effectiveness, a needs

assessment training survey,

development of curricula for several

program settings, design of a

dissemination strategy, and an

implementation plan for the third year

of a three-year program.

Initially funded in fiscal year 1992,

the Academy for Educational

Development, Inc., located in

Washington, D.C., will continue the

project for six months to train trainers

in the new curricula. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania*—

$50,000

With fiscal year 1994 funds, the

District Attorney’s Office in

Lackawanna County created a

Comprehensive Juvenile Crime Unit to

investigate, prosecute, and prevent

juvenile crime and to coordinate with

other county agencies that are helping

youth avoid delinquent behavior and

become productive citizens. The

primary activity will be to establish a

Juvenile Justice Task Force to work with

the Juvenile Probation Office to assess

the needs and services of Lackawanna

County. The Task Force will also review

the last five years of the Juvenile

Probation Office files to determine

demographics, numbers of juvenile

crimes committed, recidivism, and

school district disciplinary and

rehabilitation programs. Fiscal year

1995 funds will complete

implementation of this program.

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

New Programs

Gangs and Delinquency Research—

$500,000

In fiscal year 1994, OJJDP channeled

its gang-related activities into the

Comprehensive Gang Program, made

possible by an increased Part D

appropriation. The National Gang

Assessment and Resource Center,

funded under the fiscal year 1994

Program Plan, will provide a national

baseline study of the presence and

characteristics of violent gangs. This

year, OJJDP proposes to supplement this

baseline study with two studies

designed to develop detailed

information on various aspects of gangs

in gang-plagued cities identified in the

baseline studies. The main purpose of

these supplemental studies is to

examine gang behavior as a subset of

overall delinquency. This program will

fund the addition of gang studies to

ongoing studies of juvenile delinquency,

including serious, violent, and chronic

delinquency. Specific issues to be

examined include assessing the

relationship of gang participation to

other forms of delinquency and violence

associated with gang membership and

determining the proportion of violent

youth crime accounted for by youth

gangs. Proposals are encouraged that

incorporate gang studies into ongoing

studies of large samples of juveniles.

OJJDP will provide up to four

assistance awards in amounts ranging

from $100,000 to $150,000 each under

this program.

Field-Initiated Gang Research

Program—$300,000

OJJDP’s Field-Initiated Research

Program offers support for research

ideas generated in the field rather than

by OJJDP. Fiscal year 1995 FieldInitiated Research Program funding will

be directed to the support of research on

gangs, reflecting the growth in violence

among youth gangs. Priority research

topics include evaluation of prevention

and intervention approaches aimed at

diverting at-risk youth from becoming

gang members, factors related to joining

and leaving gangs, ethnographic studies

on the dynamics of gang creation or

joining, or other topics identified by

applicants.

OJJDP will provide up to three

assistance awards ranging from $75,000

to $125,000 each under this program.

Juvenile Transfers to Criminal Court

Studies—$275,000

States are increasingly enacting new

legislation mandating transfer of
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21879

juveniles to criminal courts. This trend

includes the development of innovative

procedures such as blending traditional

features of juvenile and criminal justice

procedures and sanctions and statutes

that categorize juvenile offenders into

different classes according to the

seriousness of the offense, designating

juvenile or criminal court for each class.

Research in this area has been limited.

Few studies have evaluated juvenile and

criminal court handling of serious or

violent juvenile offenders.

OJJDP proposes to support two

studies in fiscal year 1995. The first will

compare juvenile and criminal court

handling of juveniles. This comparison

would be made between a State(s) that

allows for judicial waiver of serious or

violent juvenile offenders and a State(s)

that mandates criminal court handling

for specified categories of offenders. The

second study will evaluate an

innovative system of blending criminal

and juvenile justice systems to handle

serious or violent juvenile offenders.

Funding for the initial phase of each

of these studies will be competitively

awarded and will be up to $150,000

each for up to two grant awards.

Innovative Firearms Program—$250,000

The purpose of the Innovative

Firearms Program is to assist State and

local jurisdictions to develop and

implement new or enhanced projects to

prevent the possession and use of

firearms by juveniles and control illicit

firearm trafficking. Law enforcement,

prosecutorial agencies, schools,

community groups, and juvenile justice

system representatives may participate

in the program. The grantee(s), in

cooperation with the Bureau of Justice

Assistance (BJA), OJJDP, and the Bureau

of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, will

also work with U.S. Attorneys to

develop and implement State and local

projects related to the new Youth

Handgun Safety Act that prohibits the

possession of a handgun or ammunition

by, or the private transfer of a handgun

or ammunition to, a juvenile. BJA and

OJJDP will also work with local

jurisdictions to develop a program to

reduce firearms crimes by juvenile

gangs through improved enforcement of

firearms laws and other laws and

regulations, such as tax and business

laws, that are used to control firearm

sales. OJJDP and BJA will jointly fund

this program at $500,000. BJA will

administer the program.

Gangs, Groups, Individuals, and

Violence Intervention—$250,000

Little is known about the

interrelationships among gang

participation, group delinquency, and

individual violence. The dynamics of a

juvenile’s movement in and out of these

relationships is not well understood.

How these patterns of delinquency

contribute to the careers of serious and

violent offenders is also unknown. Nor

do we have a clear understanding of the

prevention and intervention program

implications of these patterns of

delinquency.

This project will involve a systematic

review, assessment, and synthesis of

existing research results on gangs, other

types of group involvement, and

individual serious and violent

delinquency to determine the

implications for prevention and

juvenile/criminal justice system

interventions. The framework to be used

in conducting this review of existing

knowledge is a criminal career model,

including onset, acceleration,

maintenance, and desistance elements.

Implications for OJJDP’s

Comprehensive Strategy for Serious,

Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders

project will be drawn.

Recommendations will be made for

prevention programs and interventions

in the juvenile and criminal justice

systems that take into account metaanalyses of prevention and intervention

programs. One cooperative agreement

will be competitively awarded to

implement this project in fiscal year

1995.

The results of this program will be of

interest to other OJP agencies addressing

serious, violent and chronic offender

careers. The results also will be shared

with OJP agencies through the Gangs

Working Group and with other Federal

agencies through the National Gang

Consortium.

Youth Handgun Study/Model Juvenile

Handgun Legislation—$202,838

Reducing and preventing gun

violence is a primary concern of

Federal, State, and local governments.

This violence affects youth not only as

perpetrators but also as victims and

witnesses. There is a need to know

about the various State laws concerning

youth and handguns. This project will

collect, analyze, and compare selected

provisions of State firearms codes,

particularly as they pertain to juveniles.

The purpose is to develop a body of

information about key provisions of

State firearms codes. The results of this

study will assist in formulating laws,

policies, and programs to reduce

firearms-related violence.

The product to be developed is a

guide to selected State firearm

provisions. This study, and the

development of a model juvenile

handgun law, are mandated by the

Violent Crime Control and Law

Enforcement Act of 1994. In order to

immediately begin collecting study data

to assist in developing the model law,

a total of $75,290 was transferred to the

Bureau of Justice Assistance for a joint

award to the National Criminal Justice

Association for the purpose of

collecting, examining, and analyzing

existing and proposed State firearms

codes. The Crime Act requires the

Attorney General, through the

Administrator and the National Institute

for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, to develop a Constitutional

and enforceable model juvenile

handgun law. This model law will guide

the States in their development of laws

concerning juvenile handgun

possession. The model law will be

stated in a format designed to enable

States to determine which provisions

are best suited to their individual needs.

This effort is being assisted by the

National Criminal Justice Association

under a grant in the amount of

$127,548. No additional applications

will be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

Continuation Programs

Law Enforcement Training and

Technical Assistance Program—

§ 1,504,924

This continuation award will

supplement the contract between OJJDP

and Fox Valley Technical College in

Appleton, Wisconsin. Fiscal year 1995

funds will be used to conduct a

nationwide training and technical

assistance program designed to improve

law enforcement’s capability to respond

to serious juvenile crime, to contribute

to delinquency prevention, and to

address issues of missing and exploited

children and child abuse and neglect.

Technical assistance under this contract

is provided in response to a wide

variety of requests from Federal, State,

local, and county agencies with

responsibility for the prevention and

control of juvenile delinquency and

juvenile victimization. The contract

supports continuation of the Police

Operations Leading to Improved

Children and Youth Services (POLICY)

series of training programs and other

law enforcement training programs

offered by OJJDP. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Comprehensive Communities

Program—Comprehensive Gang

Initiative—$799,345

Under the Comprehensive

Communities Program, the Bureau of

Justice Assistance (BJA) provides funds
21880 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

to communities to implement a

Comprehensive Gang Initiative. Funding

for fiscal year 1995 would be a joint BJA

and OJJDP effort, with OJJDP

transferring $799,345 to BJA to support

continued implementation of the

Comprehensive Gang Initiative. The

program includes a training curriculum

and the provision of technical assistance

to model demonstration sites by the

Police Executive Research Forum

(PERF). Four competitively selected

demonstration sites were funded during

fiscal year 1993 with technical

assistance provided by PERF. Four

additional sites will be funded in fiscal

year 1995 through a competitive

process. Applications will be solicited

by BJA.

Targeted Outreach With a Gang

Prevention and Intervention Component

(Boys and Girls Clubs)—$600,000

This program is designed to enable

local Boys and Girls Clubs to prevent

youth from entering gangs and to

intervene with gang members in the

early stages of gang involvement to

divert them from gang activities and

into more constructive programs. The

National Office of Boys and Girls Clubs

will provide training and technical

assistance to existing Gang Prevention

and Intervention sites and expand the

gang prevention and intervention

program to other Boys and Girls Clubs,

including those in the SafeFutures sites.

The program will be implemented by

the current grantee, the Boys and Girls

Clubs of America. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Comprehensive Gang Initiative—

$600,000

Under the Comprehensive Gang

Initiative, BJA has developed a model

comprehensive approach to gang issues

that carefully balances prevention,

intervention, and suppression

approaches. The model incorporates

strategies that bring together cooperative

and coordinated efforts of the police,

other criminal justice agencies, human

services providers, and community

programs. Funds in the amount of

$600,000 will be transferred to the

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). In

fiscal year 1995, BJA will provide

continuation funding for the four

currently funded project sites.

Violence Studies*—$500,000

The 1992 Amendments to the JJDP

Act required OJJDP to conduct studies

on violence. Sites were selected and

grants awarded in Columbia, South

Carolina; Los Angeles, California;

Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and

Washington, DC. Building on the results

of OJJDP’s Program of Research on

Causes and Correlates, these studies

address the incidence of violence

committed by or against juveniles in

urban and rural areas of the United

States. In fiscal year 1993, OJJDP

initiated these studies by supporting a

planning phase and providing funding

to each of four programs with fiscal year

1994 funds. Awards will be required to

continue studies in two of the four

designated sites in fiscal year 1995. No

additional applications would be

solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Violence Study—Causes and

Correlates—$300,000

OJJDP proposes to support additional

analyses of data collected under its

Program of Research on the Causes and

Correlates of Delinquency, conducted at

the State University of New York at

Albany, the University of Pittsburgh,

and the University of Colorado. Because

of the richness and scope of the data

base, many issues have yet to be

addressed. The main purpose of

additional analyses to be conducted

under this program is to inform the

further development of OJJDP’s

Comprehensive Strategy for Serious,

Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders. In addition to conducting

analyses specifically related to the

Comprehensive Strategy, the grantees

will produce an updated summary of

their research results.

This program will be implemented by

the grantees noted above. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Child Centered Community-Oriented

Policing—$300,000

In fiscal year 1993, OJJDP provided

support to the New Haven, Connecticut,

Police Department and the Yale

University Child Development Center to

document a child-centered communityoriented policing model, which is being

implemented in New Haven. The basic

elements of the model are a 10-week

training course in child development for

all new police officers, and child

development fellowships for all

community-based district commanders

who direct neighborhood police teams.

The fellowships provide 4 to 6 hours of

training each week over a 3-month

period at the Child Study Center. The

program also includes: (1) 24-hour

consultation from a clinical professional

and a police supervisor to patrol officers

who assist children in violent

situations; (2) weekly case conferences

with police officers, educators, and

child study center staff; and (3) open

police stations, located in

neighborhoods and accessible to

residents for police and related services,

community liaison, and neighborhood

foot patrols.

In fiscal year 1994, Community

Policing funds transferred from the

Bureau of Justice Assistance supported

a technical assistance and training grant

to allow the Yale/New Haven project to

serve as a host site for jurisdictions

interested in replicating the essential

elements of the model. In fiscal year

1995, OJJDP funds will support the

continuation of this project in two to

four replication sites. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

National School Safety Center—

$250,000

The purposes of this collaborative

program between OJJDP and the

Department of Education are: (1) To

provide training and technical

assistance regarding school safety for

elementary and secondary schools and,

(2) to identify methods for diminishing

crime, violence, and illegal drug use in

schools and on campuses, with special

emphasis on gang-related crime. The

National School Safety Center maintains

a library and clearinghouse with

specialized information, does research

on school safety issues, and develops

publications and training programs. The

program focuses on preventing drug

abuse and violence in schools and

providing State personnel trained in

school safety to give technical assistance

to localities.

The Department of Education

contributed $1 million to the program in

fiscal year 1994. The program will be

implemented by the current grantee, the

National School Safety Center at

Pepperdine University. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Enhancing Enforcement Strategies for

Juvenile Impaired Driving Due to

Alcohol and Other Drug Use—$150,000

Through a $75,000 interagency

agreement with the National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration of the

Department of Transportation, OJJDP

($75,000) is supporting an initiative on

Enhancing Enforcement Strategies for

Juvenile Impaired Driving Due to

Alcohol and Other Drug Use. The goals

of this program are: (1) To increase the

use of the arrest sanction among law

enforcement agencies in cases where

juvenile drivers are impaired by alcohol

and other drugs, by developing and

testing a model comprehensive program

in selected demonstration sites and by

disseminating training and technical

assistance materials for police,
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21881

prosecutors, judges, and probation

officers on effective procedures and law

enforcement strategies, and (2) to

increase community reliance on a

unified systemwide response to juvenile

impaired driving by involving the

criminal justice system and other

elements of the community in

encouraging enforcement efforts that use

the arrest sanction.

This three-phase program is entering

its third and final phase. To date, the

grantee, the Police Executive Research

Forum (PERF), has developed a draft

comprehensive Juvenile Driving Under

the Influence Enforcement Working

Model, training curricula, and technical

assistance materials. Five sites have

been selected and are testing the model

and receiving training and technical

assistance from PERF. The

demonstration sites are Albany County,

New York; Astoria, Oregon; Hampton,

Virginia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Tulsa,

Oklahoma.

In the third phase of the program, the

observations and lessons learned from

the demonstration sites will be

categorized, analyzed, consolidated, and

organized into a replicable model. The

model will be presented to law

enforcement and other interested public

and private organizations through a

variety of ‘‘how-to’’ materials. Program

work products will be developed as a

series of discrete, stand-alone

publications to be published and

distributed with the notation that the

materials, like the various model

components, must be coordinated in

order to produce the desired result—a

cooperating local criminal justice

system that supports its police in the

use of the arrest sanction as a principle

deterrent to juvenile impaired driving.

No additional applications will be

solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Training in Cultural Differences for Law

Enforcement/Juvenile Justice Officials—

$100,000

Under a previous OJJDP award, The

American Correctional Association

(ACA), in collaboration with the Police

Executive Research Forum (PERF),

developed and tested a 21⁄2 day cultural

diversity training curriculum that is

applicable to all juvenile justice system

components. The curriculum has been

presented by ACA and PERF trainers,

and has been well received by training

attendees, particularly juvenile justice/

law enforcement trainers. In addition,

the ACA has received numerous

requests from juvenile justice agencies

to provide the training to their

personnel.

In recognition of the need for and

benefits of cultural diversity training,

OJJDP will continue support for the

above project in fiscal year 1995. The

purpose of the additional funding is to

enable the grantee to implement

additional State and regional trainingof-trainers programs across the country

in response to requests from the field.

The competitively awarded grant to

the ACA for this project will be

supplemented in fiscal year 1995 in the

amount of $100,000.

Delinquency Prevention

New Programs

Community-Based Gang Intervention—

$2,000,000

This program is designed to help

communities build coalitions to reduce

gangs and violence in public housing

developments in partnership with

public and federally subsidized housing

residents. Fiscal year 1995 funding will

establish the program in public and

federally subsidized housing

developments in the five SafeFutures

sites. Under this program, communitybased groups that can demonstrate a

successful record of providing services

to public housing youth and residents

will be eligible to receive funds for a

community coalition to address the

needs of youth at risk for gang

involvement. Program components will

include: (1) Prevention and intervention

activities directed at elementary school

through high school gang violence; and

(2) on-site technical assistance to

community-based groups, including

members of the local public housing

resident association, and residents who

are parents of youth to be served.

Each grantee must conduct a

community assessment of current

conditions and programs directed at

youth and at preventing violence that

uses a planning committee composed of

residents and representatives from those

sectors of the community which the

residents believe can help reduce youth

violence. Based on this assessment, the

committee will develop and initiate its

local program. Under an interagency

agreement between OJJDP and the

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, $250,000 will be

provided for the technical assistance

and training component of this program.

Family Strengthening and

Support—Including Non-English

Speaking—$1,000,000

Strengthening and supporting

families, including non-English

speaking families, is a priority area in

the JJDP Act and a key component of the

comprehensive approach to

delinquency prevention and control

envisioned in OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy to Address Serious, Violent,

and Chronic Delinquency and the

proposed SafeFutures: Partnerships to

Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency. OJJDP will provide

funding to each of the five communities

selected to implement a SafeFutures

Program. Funds will be used to initiate

or expand family-strengthening

intervention and treatment programs,

including programs for English and nonEnglish-speaking families, that involve

juveniles who are parents and are in the

juvenile justice system, and that enlist

schools and other local entities in

family programming.

A major family-strengthening research

project funded by OJJDP was recently

completed. The grantees, the University

of Utah and the Pacific Institute for

Research and Evaluation, produced a

user’s guide, Strengthening America’s

Families: Promising Parenting and

Family Strategies for Delinquency

Prevention, and an executive summary

that reviews both the current impact of

family characteristics on risk for

delinquency and the most promising

family change interventions. Given the

multiple variations of intervention

strategies, the project recommends the

organization of family-strengthening

programs and services according to the

family’s level of functioning and the

child’s age. A representative group of 25

particularly promising programs were

identified.

Under this program area, OJJDP will

support implementation of new or

expanded family-strengthening efforts

designed to improve parental

functioning as part of an overall plan to

prevent delinquency or intervene with

juveniles and their families who are in

the juvenile justice system.

Communities that compete and are

selected as SafeFutures sites will be

eligible to receive funding under this

program. Family Strengthening and

Support Program funds will be available

to the five selected SafeFutures

communities at $200,000 per site.

Comprehensive Community-Based

Services for At-Risk Girls and

Adjudicated Juvenile Female

Offenders—$600,000

This program will focus on providing

comprehensive, gender-specific

prevention, intervention, treatment, and

alternative services that include an

intensive aftercare component for

juvenile female offenders and girls who

are at high-risk of entering the juvenile

justice system. The program will be part

of the SafeFutures program. Applicants

must assess existing community

services for at-risk and adjudicated

female juvenile offenders and document
21882 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

the need for a new or improved

comprehensive prevention,

intervention, treatment, or alternative

service project in their target area. An

aftercare component will be required to

assist juvenile female offenders who are

returning to the community from an outof-home placement.

While intervention services should be

provided in the least restrictive

environment, the increase in arrests of

female juvenile offenders indicates that

community-based intervention is not

always possible. In order to offer needed

prevention and intervention services to

as many juveniles as possible, this

program will focus on girls in

nonresidential and nonsecure

residential programs such as day

treatment and group homes. One

hundred and twenty thousand dollars

will be available to each of the five

SafeFutures grantees to coordinate

community service providers, assess

existing services, identify local

resources to supplement funded

services, and provide training for project

staff.

Innovative Approaches in Law-Related

Education*—$600,000

The purpose of this competitive

program is to support and advance the

practices of law-related education (LRE)

for the prevention of delinquency

within and outside the classroom.

Funds will be available for assistance

awards to support up to six projects, at

up to $150,000 each, that promote

innovative methods, techniques,

approaches, or delivery related to LRE.

The promising approaches or ideas

submitted will be judged on their

applicability to delinquency prevention,

on whether the proposed approach

differs from previously funded efforts of

OJJDP, and on the extent to which they

provide an innovative approach

consistent with accepted LRE program

principles.

Training in Risk-Focused Prevention

Strategies—$500,000

OJJDP will provide additional training

in fiscal year 1995 for communities

interested in developing a risk-focused

delinquency prevention strategy. This

training is designed to support OJJDP’s

Title V Delinquency Prevention Program

and similar federally funded programs

by providing the knowledge and skills

necessary for local, State, and private

agency officials and citizens to identify

and address risk factors that are known

to lead to violent and delinquent

behavior in children and youth. In fiscal

year 1994, this training was offered in

all 50 States and the District of

Columbia, and to State and local

officials engaged in planning associated

with Department of Health and Human

Services prevention programs.

OJJDP will award a contract to

provide the training, including the

following: (1) Orientation training on

risk and resiliency-focused prevention

theories and strategies for State, local

and private community leaders; (2)

identifying, assessing, and addressing

risk factors; (3) training for trainers in

selected States to provide statewide

capacity to train communities on riskfocused prevention; and (4)

development of training curricula,

materials, and media to increase the

capacity of States and localities to

conduct risk-focused prevention

training. This training will be provided

through a competitive contract award.

Pathways to Success—$450,000

This project will support a

collaborative effort among OJJDP, the

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and

the National Endowment for the Arts

(NEA). The project will promote

vocational skills, entrepreneurial

initiatives, recreation, and arts

education for after-school, weekend

hours, and summer that make a variety

of opportunities available to at-risk

youth outside the regular school

curriculum. Hours considered to be

outside the regular school curriculum

include after-school, weekend hours,

and summer; however, the project

would not need to, but may, cover the

full year.

This program will be jointly funded

by OJJDP ($200,000), BJA ($200,000),

and NEA ($50,000). Through a

competitive concept paper and

application process, it will fund five

sites, at up to $50,000 each, for the first

year of a two-year project period.

Prospective applicants will be asked to

submit a pre-application concept paper.

Based on OJJDP’s review of these

papers, those best demonstrating an

ability to qualify for funding will be

invited to submit full applications.

Applicants interested in applying for

this program must demonstrate that

collaboration has taken place with

existing education, business, arts, and

community groups, and youth-serving

agencies in the development of its

program including, where appropriate,

collaboration with existing after-school,

weekend, and summer youth programs.

The applicant should develop and

submit written documentation of

existing and proposed collaboration as

part of the application process, such as

memoranda of understanding,

legislation, executive orders, and/or

other formal commitments of bona fide

partnership (e.g., collapsed funding

streams, wrap-around services, multiservice centers, and procedures for

service coordination). Prospective

applicants must serve at-risk youth who

are 6 to 18 years of age, but a project

would not need to cover the full age

range.

Truancy—$400,000

The Truancy Project will be part of a

joint effort with the Bureau of Justice

Assistance and the under the Youth Out

of the Education Mainstream Initiative

(Initiative). The Initiative will address

the needs of truants, dropouts, children

who are afraid to go to school, children

who have been suspended or expelled,

and children in the juvenile justice

system who need to maintain or

enhance their educational status and be

reintegrated into the school system

upon their release from residential

placement. The Initiative proposes a

series of activities that includes regional

hearings, training and technical

assistance, and related support services

for communities that wish to

comprehensively address the needs of

these youth. The training and technical

assistance services will help

jurisdictions direct their efforts at model

prevention and intervention programs

that address the needs of the students

through a wide range of collaborative

services. These models will make

collaborative multi-disciplinary services

available to students from agencies

within the school, law enforcement,

social services, and community

organizations. These services would

include student and parent attendance

policy review, attendance review

boards, parental notification of

absences, individual education

programs for students with special

needs, mental health counseling, drug

and alcohol abuse treatment, career and

vocational courses, tutorial assistance,

in-school suspension, parenting

training, law enforcement partnerships,

and transitional programs assisting

students reentering the mainstream

school.

The National School Safety Center

(NSSC) will work with jurisdictions to

develop and implement model programs

to address the problems of youth out of

the education mainstream. Those

jurisdictions that have current programs

working with these students, but would

like to expand and improve support

services to better address the needs of

these youth, may also request training

and technical assistance services

through NSSC. Funds for implementing

the truancy component of the Initiative

will be awarded to the NSSC as a

supplement to its current grant. The

Office of Juvenile Justice and
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21883

Delinquency Prevention and the Bureau

of Justice Assistance are each

contributing $200,000 to this effort. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

North Omaha B.E.A.R.S. (Building

Esteem and Responsibility

Systematically) Program*—$300,000

The North Omaha B.E.A.R.S. Program

will enhance and expand its

delinquency prevention program over a

three-year period. This program focuses

on at-risk youth ages 7–14 from the city

of Omaha, Nebraska, using athletic

participation as a means of providing

tutoring, social enhancement and other

services to Omaha youth. Funds will be

used to enhance the linkages between

the B.E.A.R.S. Program and the

community. These funds will also be

utilized to expand the number of at-risk

juveniles and juveniles in the juvenile

justice system being served by this

program.

Training and Technical Assistance for

Family-Strengthening Services—

$250,000

Prevention, early intervention, and

effective crisis intervention are critical

elements in a community’s family

support system. In many communities,

support services are geared toward

intervention following a traumatic

event, or toward the point when a child

comes into contact with the justice

system as a result of repeated behavioral

problems. Over the years, OJJDP’s

program support and technical

assistance has focused primarily on

youth in the juvenile justice system.

Technical assistance and training have

not generally been available to

community organizations and agencies

focused upon family-oriented

prevention services or early intervention

initiatives. Currently, training is being

provided to communities interested in

implementing risk focused prevention.

Following this training, communities

will be better able to apply for and use

Title V funds to support prevention

programs.

Title V funds, along with funds

available through the State Challenge

Activities Grant Program, provide

resources through State agency

recipients of formula grant funds for

jurisdictions and communities wanting

to strengthen family support services,

develop services where gaps exist, or

augment and retool existing services to

respond to new populations. In fiscal

year 1995, OJJDP will support a program

to provide technical assistance and

training to public and private nonprofit

agencies and organizations interested in

structuring or enhancing family

strengthening program models in

communities where such services are

designed as part of community-wide

efforts to prevent delinquency and

reduce violence. Such assistance will be

offered for a selected number of family

support models that have been

demonstrated to be effective in diverse

communities. OJJDP will award a

competitive grant to an organization

experienced in this area of expertise to

provide these services.

Youth-Centered Conflict Resolution—

$200,000

Violence in and around school

campuses, conflict among students

within schools, and conflicts between

schools related to intramural activities

have become increasingly problematic

for school administrators, teachers,

parents, and community leaders. While

experts may debate the merits and

impact of the varied contributing

factors, most would agree that public

school curricula, for the most part, do

not provide for the systematic

development of problem- and conflictresolving skills. Inclusion of problemsolving skills in school curricula and

community activities can be expected to

provide a continuum in problem-solving

skills and approaches that will enhance

school discipline and lead to improved

functioning in a democratic society.

OJJDP will award a grant to a

qualified organization to develop, in

concert with other established

organizations currently providing

conflict resolution services, a national

strategy for broad-based education,

training, and utilization of conflict

resolution skills. In support of this task,

the grantee would conduct four regional

technical assistance workshops on the

use of the joint publication being

developed by the Departments of Justice

and Education, Conflict Resolution

Programs in Schools: A Guide to

Program Selection and Implementation.

This guide will be available late summer

1995. A complementary task may

include the compilation of a

compendium of model programs for this

publication.

ASAP: Athlete Student Achievement

Pact*—$150,000

The Sports Museum of New England

will refine and continue developing the

Athlete Student Achievement Pact

(ASAP) mentoring program. ASAP

focuses on at-risk school aged youth

demonstrating poor academic

achievement or participation. Through a

signed agreement between a mentor and

the student, tutoring is provided to

assist these youth in their academic

progress, and by acting as role models,

to help students understand how to

become successful in society. This

program also utilizes high profile sports

figures as role models for these youth.

The overall purpose of this program is

to reduce gang involvement, drug use,

delinquency and drop-out rates within

the target population.

Project Mister/Project Sister*—$146,500

This school-based delinquency

prevention program will provide at-risk

youth in three alternative high schools

in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington with

expanded counseling and case

management services, pre-employment

training, job search and placement, and

parenting education. Many youth in

these schools are teen parents and gang

members. Most have been out of school

at least once. Funds will support a full

time case manager and job developer,

and part-time parenting lab instructors.

The goals of the program are to reduce

the dropout rate, provide employment

opportunities within two weeks of

school completion, and prevent teen

pregnancy.

Facing History and Ourselves*—

$100,000

Facing History and Ourselves (FHO)

is a national program aimed at

promoting citizenship through

increased awareness of racism and

examples of positive actions for

participating in democracy. This

awareness-training is conducted

through in-depth examination of the

Holocaust as a historical case study in

which youth study the roles and actions

of various persons such as bystanders,

victims, rescuers, and resisters. FHO,

headquartered in Boston,

Massachusetts, serves approximately

600,000 youth beginning in the eighth

grade in 39 states. This grant will enable

FHO to expand to reach more

approximately 40,000 more youth

through 350 newly trained teachers.

La Nueva Vida*—$64,000

La Nueva Vida is a residential

treatment program that has recently

expanded to create a school-based

prevention program. It has been active

in four schools where special classes on

prevention-related subjects are

presented twice a week. With the funds

provided through this grant, La Nueva

Vida proposes to establish a youth

leadership development program in the

public housing areas of Santa Fe, New

Mexico. Youth aged 16 to 21 will

receive leadership training and

supervision as they engage in cross-age

teaching and mentoring type

relationships with younger children in

the public housing areas in Santa Fe.
21884 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

Henry Ford Health System*—$58,000

The Henry Ford Health System

(HFHS) will implement a two-year

Program called Reducing Youth

Violence through School-Based

initiatives in the Northern High School

area of Detroit. The Program will

develop and test a health care based

violence prevention program through

school-based health centers being

established by HFHS at seven

elementary schools, two middle schools,

and the high school in this area.

Participants will include teachers,

family members, community programs

and agencies, as well as student and

health center staff. The initial program

activities will involve an assessment of

the problem in these school areas, and

a coordinated planning process. The

Program will then test approaches to

violence prevention, evaluate the effort,

and if it is successful, seek

implementation funding from State,

local and private funding sources.

Anti-Crime Youth Council*—$50,000

The Anti-Crime Youth Council

program was developed as a forum in

New Haven, Connecticut in which

students could get together to discuss

crime and be empowered to develop

and implement solutions. The Council

holds monthly public forums either in

the evening on a weeknight or during

the school day. The youth have

developed several committees, focusing

on areas such as law enforcement and

community service. One hundred and

fifty students are currently involved in

the Council. This grant will facilitate the

operation and expansion of the Council

program in Connecticut.

Delinquency Prevention

Continuation Programs

Law-Related Education (LRE)*—

$2,800,000

The national Law-Related Education

(LRE) Program, titled ‘‘Youth for

Justice’’, includes five coordinated LRE

projects and programs operating in 48

States and four non-State jurisdictions.

The Program’s purpose is to provide

training and technical assistance to

State and local school jurisdictions that

will result in the institutionalization of

quality LRE programs for at-risk youth.

The focus of the program during fiscal

year 1995 will be on linking LRE,

violence reduction and youth action.

The major components of the program

are coordination and management,

training and technical assistance,

preliminary assistance to future sites,

public information, program

development, and assessment.

This program will be implemented by

the current grantees, the American Bar

Association, the Center for Civic

Education, the Constitutional Rights

Foundation, the National Institute for

Citizen Education in the Law, and the

Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Teens, Crime, and Community: Teens in

Action in the 90s*—$1,000,000

This continuation program is

conducted by the National Crime

Prevention Council (NCPC) in

partnership with and the National

Institute for Citizen Education in the

Law (NICEL). Teens in Action in the 90s

is a special application of the Teens,

Crime, and Community program, which

operates on the premise that teens are

disproportionately victims of crimes,

and they can contribute to improving

their schools and communities through

a broad array of activities.

Under the fiscal year 1995 award,

NCPC and NICEL will work through the

National Teens, Crime, and Community

Program Center to harness the energies

of young people toward constructive

activities designed to reduce crime and

violence. The Program Center will be

enlarged to serve as a formal

clearinghouse for information and

materials dissemination and to provide

technical assistance and training. With

fiscal year 1995 funds, NCPC and NICEL

will significantly expand the number of

communities participating in this

program.

This program will be implemented by

the current grantee. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Satellite Prep School Program and Early

Elementary School for Privatized Public

Housing—$720,000

This is a continuation of a

demonstration program under which

OJJDP supports the operation of an early

elementary school program on the

premises of the Ida B. Wells Public

Housing Development in Chicago,

Illinois. The program is a collaborative

effort among OJJDP, the Chicago

Housing Authority, and the Westside

Preparatory School and Training

Institute to establish a prep school for

children in kindergarten through 4thgrade who live in the Development.

On October 1, 1991, the Wells prep

school opened with kindergarten and

1st-grade students. In September 1993, a

2nd grade was added and in September

1994, a 3rd grade was added. The prep

school operates as an early intervention

educational model based on the Marva

Collins Westside Preparatory School

educational philosophy, curriculum,

and teaching techniques. The Westside

Preparatory School, a private institution

located in Chicago’s inner-city Weed

and Seed neighborhood, has had

dramatic success in raising the

academic achievement level of lowincome minority children. Fiscal year

1995 funds will be used to continue the

operation and management of the Wells

prep school and to add a 4th grade. No

additional applications will be solicited

in fiscal year 1995.

Children at Risk—$350,000

OJJDP, the Bureau of Justice

Assistance (BJA), and the Center on

Addiction and Substance Abuse of

Columbia University have undertaken a

joint program to help communities

rescue high-risk pre-adolescents from

the interrelated threats of crime and

drugs. The program tests a specific

intervention strategy for reducing and

controlling illegal drugs and related

crime in target neighborhoods and

fosters healthy development among

youth from drug- and crime-ridden

neighborhoods. Multi-service, multidisciplinary, neighborhood-based

programs are established to provide a

range of opportunities and services for

pre-adolescents and their families who

are at high risk of involvement in illegal

drugs and crime. Simultaneously, the

criminal and juvenile justice systems

are targeting resources to reduce illegal

drug use and crime in the

neighborhoods where these young

people reside. OJJDP funds are used for

the delinquency prevention component

of the program.

The Center has received funding from

a number of foundations that has been

matched by OJJDP and BJA. Based on

the proposals submitted, six

communities were selected to receive

funds beginning in fiscal year 1992 to

implement programs over a three-year

period: Austin, Texas; Bridgeport,

Connecticut; Memphis, Tennessee;

Newark, New Jersey; Savannah, Georgia;

and Seattle, Washington. Foundation

and government funding ranging from

$500,000 to $1 million was allocated to

each community. The program will be

implemented by the current grantee in

each of the six communities. OJJDP

funds will be transferred to BJA to

implement the program. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Nonviolent Dispute Resolution—

$300,000

This program is a joint effort of OJJDP

and the Bureau of Justice Assistance

(BJA) to test a variety of strategies to

train teenage students to constructively
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21885

manage anger, resolve conflicts, learn

the importance of mutual respect, and

be responsible for their actions.

Organizations or agencies in

jurisdictions participating in the

Comprehensive Communities Program

will be selected to implement program

models. To qualify, applicants must

have demonstrated successful work in

programs that include collaborative

efforts among educators, counselors,

criminal justice representatives, and

parents or caretakers. Applications will

be solicited and awarded by BJA on a

competitive basis under the

Comprehensive Communities Program.

The Congress of National Black

Churches: National Anti-Drug Abuse

Program—$250,000

OJJDP will continue to fund The

Congress of National Black Churches’

(CNBC) national public awareness and

mobilization strategy to address the

problem of drug abuse and enhance

drug abuse prevention efforts in targeted

communities. The goal of the CNBC’s

national mobilization strategy is to

summon, focus, and coordinate the

leadership of the black religious

community, in cooperation with the

Department of Justice and other Federal

agencies and organizations, to mobilize

groups of community residents to

combat drug abuse and drug-related

crime activities among adults and

juveniles. CNBC operates this program

in 31 cities.

The program will be expanded in

fiscal year 1995 to address family

violence intervention issues and target

up to six additional cities for a total of

37 cities. Consideration will be given to

expanding to SafeFuture sites when

selecting the six new CNBC locations.

No additional applications will be

solicited in fiscal year 1995.

‘‘Just Say No’’ International*—$250,000

This two-year program is designed to

assist ‘‘Just Say No’’ International to

expand its Youth Power anti-drug

program to public housing projects in

Oakland, California, and Baltimore,

Maryland. In fiscal year 1994, Just Say

No expanded the program to Oakland,

California and, in fiscal year 1995, will

expand into Baltimore, Maryland.

Jackie Robinson Center (JRC)*—

$250,000

The Jackie Robinson Center (JRC)

provides a comprehensive program of

cultural education, sports, and

counseling services for at-risk youth.

This is the second year of the three year

program designed to support expansion

of the program to new sites in New York

City.

Cities in Schools—Federal Interagency

Partnership—$200,000

This program is a continuation of a

national school dropout prevention

model developed and implemented by

Cities in Schools, Inc. (CIS). CIS

provides training and technical

assistance to States and local

communities, enabling them to adapt

and implement the CIS model. The

model brings social, employment,

mental health, drug prevention,

entrepreneurship, and other resources to

high-risk youth and their families at the

school level. Where CIS State

organizations are established, they will

assume primary responsibility for local

program replication during the Federal

interagency partnership.

This program is jointly funded by

OJJDP and the Departments of the Army,

Health and Human Services, and

Commerce under an OJJDP grant. The

project will be implemented by the

current grantee. No additional

applications will be solicited in fiscal

year 1995.

Hate Crimes—$200,000

The Education Development Center,

Inc. (EDC) is developing a multipurpose

curriculum for hate crime prevention in

the schools and sanctions for juveniles

who commit hate crimes. This

curriculum is being pilot tested in the

8th grade of the Collins Middle School

in Salem, Massachusetts. Once the pilot

is evaluated and the curriculum

redesigned, EDC will test the revised

curriculum in two additional sites to

ensure that it is geographically and

demographically representative.

In consultation with the Office of

Victims of Crime, EDC will develop a

dissemination strategy for the

curriculum and other products,

including a judges’ guide for dealing

with hate crimes.

No additional applications will be

solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Community Anti-Drug-Abuse Technical

Assistance Voucher Project—$200,000

In July 1991, OJJDP entered into a

cooperative agreement with the National

Center for Neighborhood Enterprise

(NCNE) to extend its outreach to

community-based grassroots

organizations around the country that

are working effectively to solve the

problems of youth drug abuse. This

project has three goals: (1) To allow

various neighborhood groups to

inexpensively purchase needed services

through the use of technical assistance

vouchers disbursed by NCNE; (2) to

demonstrate the cost-effective use of

vouchers to help neighborhood groups

secure technical assistance for antidrug-abuse projects to serve high-risk

youth; and (3) to extend OJJDP technical

assistance to groups that are

traditionally excluded because they lack

the administrative sophistication,

technical and grantsmanship skills, and

resources to participate in traditional

competitive grant programs.

In order to accomplish these goals,

NCNE : (1) Provides support to

community groups in developing and

implementing a strategy under the

‘‘Weed and Seed’’ program; (2)

functions as a clearinghouse for

information on community anti-drugprevention initiatives; and (3) reviews

all technical assistance applications and

select 15–25 eligible community-based

anti-drug programs for award of

vouchers.

This continuation award is designed

to provide more than $90,000 in

vouchers to 20–30 organizations and to

provide clearinghouse services to an

additional 300 community groups.

Vouchers, which range in value from

$1,000 to $10,000, can be used for

planning, proposal writing, program

promotion, legal assistance, financial

management, and other activities.

Selection of awardees and amounts is

determined by the degree to which

applicants meet the following criteria:

■ Not previously funded by OJJDP or

NCNE.

■ Lack of access to traditional

funding sources.

■ Need for technical assistance and

training.

■ Small budget.

■ Comprehensiveness of youth antidrug programs.

■ Clarity and feasibility of strategies

presented on application.

No additional applications will be

solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Race Against Drugs—$150,000

Race Against Drugs (RAD) is a unique

drug awareness, education and

prevention campaign designed to help

young people understand the dangers of

drugs and live a non-impaired lifestyle.

With the help and assistance from 21

motorsports organizations, and the

cooperation of the Federal Bureau of

Investigation and the National Child

Safety Council, it has become a fun and

exciting addition to drug abuse

prevention programs. RAD now

includes national drug awareness and

prevention activities at schools, malls

and motorsports events; television

public service announcements, posters,

and signage on T-shirts, hats, decals,

etc.; and specialized programs like the

‘‘Adopt-A-School Essay and

Scholarship’’ and ‘‘Winner’s Circle’’
21886 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

programs. Curriculum materials include

the Be A Winner Action Book for 6–8

graders, a RAD Adult Guide and a RAD

Coloring Book for K–4 graders. This

program will be supplemented and

expanded to provide additional and

updated curriculum materials, reach

additional program sites, and

demonstrate the Winner’s Circle

Program in Seattle, Washington. It will

be funded by the Bureau of Justice

Assistance (BJA) ($25,000), OJJDP

($25,000), and the Center for Substance

Abuse Prevention (C-SAP) ($100,000). It

will be implemented by the current

grantee, the National Child Safety

Council. No additional applications will

be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Missing, Exploited and Abused

Children

New Programs

Lowcountry Children’s Center, Inc.*—

$250,000

The Lowcountry Children’s Center,

Inc., is a community-based program that

offers services to children who are

victims of violence. The Center is a

nonprofit organization located in

Charleston, South Carolina. Its mission

is to coordinate a full range of services

for abused and victimized children and

their families. A major goal of the

program is to restore child victims and

their families to a healthy level of

functioning. One Center currently

provides an initial assessment,

psychological testing, and individual,

group, and family therapy. In addition,

lay and expert testimony in court

hearings, investigative/law enforcement

services, on-going multidisciplinary

case coordination and case tracking,

professional training, and case and

program consultation services are

provided by the center. OJJDP funds

will enable the Center to provide the

array of services necessary to create a

model comprehensive program of

intervention for these children and their

families. The Center will also focus on

program evaluation and research to

determine effective interventions in

particular types of case-enabling the

model created by this funding to be

fully evaluated and, if successful,

replicated. No additional applications

will be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

KidsPeace*—$140,000

This program provides therapeutic

foster care to children in crisis. Eighty

percent of the children who are referred

to the project are victims of child abuse.

However, these children may be referred

for delinquency, substance abuse,

teenage pregnancy or other problems.

The program now serves children in

Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York, and

Indiana. The grant will enable the

program to expand into one additional

state in fiscal year 1995.

Multipurpose Educational Curriculum

for Young Victims—$75,000

Funds for this program will be

transferred to the Office for Victims of

Crime. The project will develop

curriculum and training materials for

use by school personnel, youth groups,

and victim services providers to teach

adolescents about the impact of crime

on victims, about available victim

assistance resources, and about

strategies for providing effective peer

support for young victims of crime. The

program is expected to enhance victim

service provider outreach activities

targeting youth at risk and promote

violence prevention.

Missing, Exploited and Abused

Children

Continuation Programs

Parents Anonymous, Inc.*—$250,000

Parents Anonymous, Inc., (PA) will

continue the program started in fiscal

year 1994 and expand services in

communities that have existing PA

chapters to families and youth at highest

risk of delinquency. The main focus of

this program is to prevent child abuse

and neglect through the creation of

parent support groups.

Permanent Families for Abused and

Neglected Children*—$225,000

This is a national project to prevent

unnecessary foster care placement of

abused and neglected children, to

reunify the families of children in care,

and to ensure permanent adoptive

homes when reunification is impossible.

The purpose is to ensure that foster care

is used only as a last resort and as a

temporary solution. Accordingly, the

project is designed to ensure that

government’s responsibility to children

in foster care is acknowledged by the

appropriate disciplines. Project

activities include national training

programs for judges, social service

personnel, citizen volunteers, and

others under the Reasonable Efforts

Provision of 42 U.S.C. 671(a)(15),

training in selected lead States; and

development of a model guide for risk

assessment. The program will be

implemented by the current grantee, the

National Council of Family and Juvenile

Court Judges. No additional applications

will be solicited in fiscal year 1995.

Children as Witnesses to Community

Violence—$170,658

This project develops, implements,

and evaluates after-school interventions

to protect elementary-school-age

children in Washington, DC from the

aftereffects of exposure to violence. The

intervention program is expected to

prevent or reduce the occurrence of

certain negative psychological

symptoms among children exposed to

community violence. It should also help

children develop coping skills that can

reduce the likelihood of their future

involvement in violence. The program is

administered by Howard University and

managed by the National Institute of

Justice (NIJ). OJJDP funds will be

transferred to NIJ to complete this

program in fiscal year 1995.

Discussion of Comments

OJJDP published its proposed

Comprehensive Plan for fiscal year 1995

in the Federal Register on December 30,

1994, 59 FR 68080, for a 45-day period

of public comment. The Office received

58 letters commenting on the proposed

plan. All comments have been

considered in the development of the

Final Comprehensive Plan for Fiscal

Year 1994.

The majority of the letters OJJDP

received provided positive comments

about the overall plan and its programs.

The following is a summary of the

substantive comments and the

responses by OJJDP. Unless otherwise

indicated, each comment was made by

a single respondent.

Comment: A respondent noted

agreement with an emphasis on

prevention and early intervention and

the establishment and utilization of a

system of graduated sanctions for

juvenile offenders. The respondent

further noted that this is a prudent and

logical approach that covers the entire

spectrum of responses to youth involved

with the juvenile justice system and

addresses community concerns about

the escalation of youth violence.

Response: OJJDP’s Comprehensive

Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders incorporates

the two principal components of

delinquency prevention and improving

the juvenile justice system’s response to

delinquent offenders through a system

of graduated sanctions and a continuum

of treatment alternatives. The delivery

of services must be provided with a

balance of: (1) Community protection

and public safety; (2) juvenile offender

accountability; (3) competency

development; (4) individualization; and

(5) representation of the interests of the

community, victim and juvenile. By
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21887

taking these factors into account in each

program component, a new direction in

the administration of juvenile treatment

services is fostered.

Comment: A respondent encouraged

the ‘‘renewed’’ focus on aftercare. In

addition, the respondent suggested that

special attention be given to the

coordination of mental health, medical,

substance abuse, educational,

independent living, and crisis

intervention services well in advance of

discharge. It was further suggested that

these services should be an automatic

extension of care given while in

placement.

Response: OJJDP’s Intensive

Community-Based Aftercare for High

Risk Juvenile Offenders Project (IAP)

incorporates this approach. The IAP

model is currently being implemented

in four competitively selected

jurisdictions, following a multi-year

research and development initiative

conducted by Johns Hopkins University

and California State University

(Sacramento). Each Serious, Violent,

and Chronic Juvenile Offender

Treatment Program site and the

SafeFutures jurisdictions are expected

to incorporate aftercare services as a key

component of the graduated sanctions

continuum. OJJDP will provide

technical assistance on implementing

the IAP model, as necessary, in these

and other jurisdictions.

Comment: A respondent

recommended the use of ‘‘teen mentors’’

or peers as role models, presenters and

speakers in programs for youth, based

on the writer’s success in using such

youth in delivering various positive

messages.

Response: OJJDP agrees that involving

peers as role models in delinquency

prevention and intervention can be

effective and that ‘‘peer-related

prevention must be an essential part of

comprehensive prevention

programming.’’ (Pransky, 1991) As

reflected in the ‘‘Ensure Education’’

issue area of the SafeFutures program,

peer mediation is addressed through

‘‘encouraging the development of

positive values and teaching critical

social skills, including conflict

resolution and peer mediation.’’

Comment: Two respondents

recommended that input on prevention

and intervention programs be sought

and utilized from youth involved in the

program. It was suggested that by

making these involved youth part of the

process, they will stay involved and

programs will be improved.

Response: OJJDP agrees with the

respondents. Research has demonstrated

that ‘‘Young people are more likely to be

active program participants if they

themselves are involved in creating and

running (the program)’’ (Pransky, 1991).

Comment: A respondent

recommended that OJJDP support the

development and/or acquisition of

videos and provide information and

training on promising and effective

programs to assist in replication.

Response: Through OJJDP’s Juvenile

Justice Clearinghouse (JJC), the Office

makes available a variety of program

materials developed through OJJDP

funded grants and contracts. This

material includes videos, manuals,

surveys, program summaries and

directories of promising programs. In

addition, JJC collects and disseminates

similar materials on other programs of

various types not funded by OJJDP. JJC

can be reached by calling 1–800–638–

8736 or sending an Internet message to

‘‘askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com’’. OJJDP

routinely provides training and

technical assistance on promising

programs such as Law-Related

Education and the Intensive

Community-Based Aftercare for

Juveniles Program.

Comment: A respondent

recommended that OJJDP identify and

promote existing and new programs. It

was suggested that these programs be

identified by soliciting responses from

police, court, school, and media

personnel.

Response: Since 1992, OJJDP has

annually awarded the Gould-Wysinger

Award to State and local programs in

order to recognize exceptional

achievements in juvenile justice

programming. This program is designed

to both recognize and acknowledge

outstanding local programs and to

encourage replication in communities

facing similar challenges. Each year,

projects are nominated by each State’s

Formula Grants program agency, in

consultation with the State Advisory

Group. Winners of the award are

published in OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice

Magazine and in an OJJDP Bulletin with

a short description of each program

along with a contact name and phone

number for more information on the

program. Since 1992, a total of 72

programs have received the GouldWysinger Award.

It has also been recognized that

identifying promising programs for

delinquent and at-risk youth in the

juvenile justice system is a key concern

of juvenile justice practitioners and

others. In 1992, OJJDP awarded a grant

to the National Center for Juvenile

Justice to identify programs that

effectively address the needs of juvenile

offenders. During the data collection

process, 3,000 juvenile court judges,

probation administrators, and line staff

nominated more than 1,100 programs in

49 States. The result is What Works:

Promising Interventions in Juvenile

Justice, a directory of 425 intervention

programs deemed effective by the

practitioners who use them. This

directory and descriptions of those

programs having received the GouldWysinger Award are available from the

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse by

calling 1–800–638–8736, or sending an

Internet message to

askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com’’.

Comment: A respondent

recommended that ‘‘vocational

education’’ be provided to youth in

various parts of the juvenile justice

system, including ‘‘community service,

probation and to suspended students in

an atmosphere conducive to youth

involvement.’’ It was further

recommended that a ‘‘recreational

hook’’ be used to ‘‘get kids involved and

build upon that ‘activity’ in order to

allow youth to learn ‘practical trades’

and skills that can later be used in

industry.’’

Response: OJJDP agrees in principle

with the respondent and recognizes the

need for comprehensive service

delivery, including supplementing

traditional academic education with

vocational training. OJJDP also intends

to address a number of these issues in

the SafeFutures Program, including

ensuring education, increasing the

effectiveness of juvenile justice by

providing youth vocational training and

meaningful job opportunities,

addressing truancy and school dropouts

through alternative education, and

providing a continuum of services to

respond appropriately to the needs of

each juvenile offender.

OJJDP also agrees that ‘‘recreation’’,

including cycling, baseball, football, and

basketball, can be an effective ‘‘hook’’ to

get youth involved in prevention

services. However, it should be made

clear that recreation alone is not an

effective intervention. Wrap-around

services that address the needs and risk

factors of the youth involved are a

necessity. For example, the Boys and

Girls Clubs of America have

successfully and consistently used

recreation and other activities to reach

out to at-risk youth in order to make

available prevention and intervention

services available once inside the clubs.

Comment: A respondent

recommended that ‘‘job training skills’’

be incorporated with the education

process so as to allow youth ‘‘to stay

involved in a program by keeping them

interested.’’ Students who have been

suspended should be allowed to

‘‘prove’’ themselves in a program that

offers a variety of job opportunities. An
21888 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

‘‘apprenticeship’’ period should be

created so they can be educated in the

‘‘field’’ by subsidizing their employment

and allowing them to earn credits

toward their High School Diploma.

After graduation, this job opportunity

should be available on a full time basis.

Response: OJJDP is entering into a

collaborative effort with the Bureau of

Justice Assistance and the National

Endowment for the Arts to promote

business vocational skills,

entrepreneurship, recreation, and arts

programs for afterschool, weekend

hours, and summer. Apprenticeships

and other job skills programs would be

developed with the involvement of the

business sector. The Pathways to

Success Program will be implemented

as part of the SafeFutures Program to

provide vocational, job, and other skills

training as part of a comprehensive

service delivery system. Five additional

Pathways to Success grants will be

competed and awarded independent of

the SafeFutures Program.

It is also possible that various

components of the SafeFutures Program

can be effectively linked with school-towork opportunities in the applicant’s

State, if available. Created through the

School-to-Work Opportunities Act, this

collaborative initiative between the U.S.

Departments of Education and Labor

prepares youth for first jobs in highskill, high-wage careers, to achieve high

academic and occupational standards,

and for further postsecondary education

and training. The initiative has three

core elements, including: (1) Schoolbased learning consisting of classroom

instruction based on high academic and

occupational skill standards that

integrates work-based learning and

school-based learning; (2) work-based

learning which includes work

experience, structured training and

mentoring at job sites; and (3)

connecting activities, which include a

variety of activities that build and

maintain bridges between school and

work. Examples of connecting activities

include courses that integrate classroom

and on-the-job instruction, matching

students with participating employers

and training job-site members.

For more information on School-toWork Opportunities, contact the Schoolto-Work Opportunities Information

Center at (202) 260–7278.

Comment: A respondent

recommended that the prevention

component of the Program Plan include

youth suicide and teenage grief as well

as provide a holistic approach to

preventing delinquent behavior.

Response: Teenage grief and suicidal

patterns are common signs of

psychological disturbances in juveniles

at high risk of getting involved in

delinquent behavior or social acting out.

To address psychological needs, OJJDP

is looking to mental health services to

provide evaluation (diagnosis),

prevention, and treatment of mental

disorders for high-risk juveniles and

juveniles in the juvenile justice system.

Under the SafeFutures program, funds

will be available to establish or enhance

mental health services in the juvenile

justice system and to promote, develop,

and implement mental health services

for at-risk children, including victims of

child abuse.

Comment: After studying OJJDP’s

proposed Comprehensive Program Plan

for fiscal year 1995, one respondent

commented that the Plan is still

addressing symptoms rather than the

core problem of family dysfunction.

Response: OJJDP recognizes the

critical importance of strong families

and their essential role in nurturing

strong, healthy children. The Office also

recognizes the link between

dysfunctional families and juvenile

delinquency. OJJDP has long supported

family-related studies and programs

designed to strengthen families and

family strengthening remains a program

priority. In 1988, OJJDP launched a

major parenting initiative entitled

Effective Parenting Strategies for

Families of High-Risk Youth. An

interdisciplinary team comprised of

family researchers at the University of

Utah and policy scientists at the Pacific

Institute for Research and Evaluation

conducted an extensive literature

review focused on the causes and

correlates of delinquency, and the

effectiveness of prevention,

intervention, and treatment strategies

for high-risk families. The results of the

study are summarized in a publication

entitled Strengthening America’s

Families: Promising Parenting Strategies

for Delinquency Prevention, User’s

Guide. The fiscal year 1995 OJJDP

Comprehensive Program Plan provides

funding support for family

strengthening activities that build on the

findings and recommendations of this

study.

Comment: A respondent noted that

various segments of OJJDP’s Proposed

Comprehensive Program Plan touched

on the lack of employment skills as a

major contributor to juvenile crime, but

did not thoroughly address this problem

area and the need for early career and/

or employment preparation. The

suggested strategy for addressing this

area is to teach employment skills and

career preparation to all school children

by incorporating instruction into the

curriculum of every grade level,

beginning in kindergarten.

Response: OJJDP has long recognized

the importance of providing juveniles

with the skills they need to increase

their employment potential and pursue

the career of their choice. For this

reason, many of the OJJDP supported

programs have components that address

this area. For example, the national

Cities in Schools (CIS) dropout

prevention program teaches job skills at

the elementary, middle and high school

levels. CIS has also established a

number of alternative schools. A key

component of their program is not only

to provide young people with job skills,

but to provide them with career

exploration through job shadowing.

Youth are also encouraged to pursue

entrepreneurial activities. Several other

fiscal year 1995 programs have

components that address this issue.

OJJDP also partners with other agencies

such as the Departments of Commerce,

Health and Human Services, Education,

Labor and others and hopes to expand

those partnerships in the future.

Comment: One respondent was

concerned that the Family

Strengthening Program did not place

greater emphasis to prevention or

acknowledge a role for communitybased organizations.

Response: OJJDP remains committed

to addressing the wide range of family

strengthening needs that encompass

prevention, intervention and treatment.

The OJJDP publication, Strengthening

America’s Families: Promising

Parenting and Family Strategies for

Delinquency Prevention, User’s Guide,

stresses that there is no ‘‘one-size-fitsall’’ family strategy for preventing

delinquency. Several types of parenting

programs are needed. There are

programs designed for parents of

infants, children and adolescents. Some

programs are best suited for wellfunctioning families, while others

address the needs of dysfunctional

families. OJJDP also remains committed

to encouraging the involvement of

community-based organizations. The

Family Strengthening Program calls for

the creation or expansion of programs

‘‘that enlist schools and other local

entities in family programming.’’ ‘‘Other

local entities’’ includes communitybased organizations. Many of the

representative 25 programs that the

researchers identified as particularly

promising classified themselves as

‘‘prevention’’ programs and most

included relevant community- based

organizations in aspects of their

program strategy. OJJDP will continue to

emphasize family strengthening through

prevention, intervention and treatment

utilizing a range of available resources

that are community-based.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21889

Comment: One respondent felt that

the Proposed Comprehensive Program

Plan outline was unclear as to which

programs allow a community-based

organization to compete for funding and

that many of the eligibility requirements

seem to exclude community

organizations with experience,

providing only limited opportunities for

these qualified organizations to receive

OJJDP funding.

Response: OJJDP recognizes the

importance of community-based

organizations, particularly in the

planning phase of any collaborative

project. The SafeFutures Program

specifically calls for community-based

collaboratives. Community-based

organizations have the experience to

operate a broad range of programs. In

cases where only local units of

government are eligible for awards,

community-based organizations should

pursue the option of partnering with

them as a service provider or

administering agency.

Comment: A community-based

organization commented that despite its

varied experiences in a number of areas,

including mentoring, it would be unable

to compete for Part G Mentoring Funds,

Title V Incentive Grants, and Part E

State Challenge Activities. The

respondent organization felt that these

activities should require that funds go to

community-based organizations that

have significant experience providing

culturally appropriate programs to atrisk ethnic minorities. Without this

requirement, a real partnership will not

be achieved.

Response: For the activities

mentioned above, community

organizations can still qualify for

support but they must do so through a

local unit of government. For example,

$1 million in fiscal year 1995 Part G

Mentoring Program funding is being

awarded through the SafeFutures

program. Mentoring is a logical

component of a continuum of care for

youth-at-risk. Under Part G and the

SafeFutures Program, mentoring

programs are required to be conducted

either by LEA’s (local education

agencies) or by non-profit private

organizations (including communitybased organizations) or public agencies

in partnership with LEA’s.

Comment: One respondent questioned

whether the Native American

Alternative Community-Based Program

will receive additional funding in fiscal

year 1995.

Response: Continuation funding of

$600,000 will be available for this

program in fiscal year 1995.

Comment: One respondent

commented that the description of the

Juvenile Justice Prosecutor Training

Project is vague and that training should

include cultural awareness and how

poverty-related and misunderstood

cultural behaviors affect decisions.

Response: The Juvenile Justice

Prosecution Training Center will

support prosecutor training in areas of

need identified by a working group of

chief prosecutors. OJJDP expects that

cultural differences and poverty-related

problems among juvenile offenders will

be covered in the training. In addition,

OJJDP continues to support training in

cultural differences for juvenile justice

officials under a grant to the American

Correctional Association for the

Training in Cultural Differences for Law

Enforcement/Juvenile Justice Officials

Program.

Comment: A respondent noted that

the description of Interventions to

Reduce Disproportionate Minority

Confinement in Secure Detention and

Correctional Facilities Program

indicates that the application process is

open to new applicants. However, the

program is listed under Continuation

Programs. It is unclear if additional

organizations can apply.

Response: This project was

inadvertently listed under the

Continuation Programs section. New

applicants will be eligible to apply for

OJJDP funding in fiscal year 1995.

Comment: A respondent noted that

the Nonviolent Dispute Resolution

Program is listed under Continuation

Programs, indicating that only prior

recipients can apply. The description,

however, seems to contradict this by

indicating a competitive application

process.

Response: This is a competitive

program being administered by the

Bureau of Justice Assistance for cities

which have been selected to receive

funds under the Comprehensive

Communities Program. OJJDP is

contributing funds to the program.

Comment: One State official

commented that OJJDP should notify the

State Formula Grants Program Agency

when a project is selected for funding

within a given State.

Response: OJJDP agrees that in the

interest of comprehensive planning and

interagency coordination, cognizant

State agencies should be notified when

OJJDP awards funds directly to projects

operating with the State. A formal

notification process will be initiated to

provide information on all discretionary

grant awards to State agencies.

Comment: One respondent proposed

that OJJDP adopt a policy to provide

periodic updates to State agencies on

projects selected for funding under the

SafeFutures Program.

Response: The SafeFutures Program is

based on a continuum of care model

that calls for maximum coordination

and cooperations among agencies

serving juveniles. OJJDP encourages

States having SafeFutures sites to

include SafeFutures in the

comprehensive planning undertaken for

the Formula Grants Program and make

maximum use of Formula Grant, Title V,

and Challenge Grant funds to enhance

juvenile justice and delinquency

prevention activities in SafeFutures

sites. While the level of State agency

participation expected in SafeFutures

should obviate the need for ‘‘periodic

updates’’ by OJJDP, funded sites will be

required to provide the cognizant State

agency with a copy of their quarterly

progress report.

Comment: A national organization

expressed concern about the level of

support in the fiscal year 1995 Program

Plan for programs to address

disproportionate minority confinement.

Response: OJJDP is strongly

committed to supporting State efforts to

address the disproportionate

confinement (DMC) of minority

juveniles in secure custody in States

where such condition exists. The Office

has supported demonstration efforts

under the Special Emphasis

discretionary grant program, as well as

research, program evaluation, and

training and technical assistance in this

area. Many States are allocating

significant amounts of their Formula

Grants Program funds to address section

223(a)(23) of the JJDP Act.

OJJDP is working with the Coalition

for Juvenile Justice’s Committee on

Ethnic and Cultural Diversity to find

other ways to improve our DMC

programming. OJJDP looks forward to

cooperative efforts with the Coalition

and others committed to improving

juvenile justice by addressing the DMC

issue.

Comment: One respondent suggested

that OJJDP add language to the section

which describes organizations with

whom OJJDP would coordinate the

SafeFutures Program to include Youth

Corps that are certified by the National

Association of Service and Conservation

Corps and provide participants with a

six to twelve month, full-time, crewbased, highly structured, and adult

supervised work and learning

experience, and that promote the

development of citizenship, life and

employment skills.

Response: OJJDP concurs with the

importance of coordinating the

SafeFutures program with Youth Corps

programs that have a component serving

a juvenile population. The Office has

incorporated appropriate language into
21890 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

the fiscal year 1995 Final

Comprehensive Program Plan.

Comment: A number of respondents

representing juvenile justice agencies

across the country wrote in support of

continued and/or increased funding for

the Balanced and Restorative Justice

Project (BARJ), a key component of

OJJDP’s Juvenile Restitution Program.

They noted that the BARJ Project has

advanced the implementation of the

‘‘Balanced Approach’’ and the use of

restitution and community service in a

number of juvenile justice systems and

that additional jurisdictions are

interested in implementing this major

shift in system philosophy and practice

through BARJ Project training and

technical assistance.

Response: The BARJ Project will

receive continuation funding of

$100,000 in fiscal year 1995 and a

similar amount is anticipated as a

supplement from fiscal year 1996 funds.

This will give the Project a twelvemonth budget of $200,000 to complete

its activities under this multi-year

funded Program. State and local

jurisdictions interested in adopting the

balanced and restorative justice

approach should also request technical

assistance through OJJDP’s technical

assistance support contract under the

Formula Grants program or seek local

support for implementation funding.

Comment: A respondent

recommended giving youth access to

their police chief and officers through

programs funded under the Final

Comprehensive Program Plan.

Response: In fiscal year 1993, OJJDP

provided support to the New Haven,

Connecticut Police Department and the

Yale University Child Development

Center to document a child-centered

community-oriented policing model.

This is a continuation program of OJJDP

and the Bureau of Justice Assistance and

will serve as a model for other sites to

replicate.

Comment: A respondent stated that

OJJDP has omitted a key group of

professionals who have been trained in

diversion and have demonstrated

success in working to divert juveniles

from the juvenile justice system,

recommending that OJJDP include parks

and recreation professionals in the

SafeFutures Program.

Response: OJJDP agrees that those

within the ‘‘justice system’’ cannot

make a difference alone. This is a key

premise of the SafeFutures Program.

OJJDP encourages local jurisdictions to

develop a continuum of care that

includes professionals representing all

aspects of youth development,

especially those who are in a position to

promote positive youth development.

OJJDP agrees with the National Parks

and Recreation Association that the

perception of public recreation should

move beyond ‘‘fun and games’’ to the

status of an essential service (National

Parks and Recreation Association,

1994). OJJDP will work with the

Association and other parks and

recreation organizations during fiscal

year 1995 to highlight the many

outstanding delinquency prevention

and intervention programs that are

being implemented by local parks and

recreation departments across the

country and to further the evaluation of

these programs.

Due to the fact that OJJDP is not

requiring the involvement of specific

types of professionals, it is ultimately

up to the jurisdictions chosen to

implement the SafeFutures program to

identify key resources to support a

continuum of care. It is expected that

parks and recreation professionals will

be an integral part of this group. One

possibility for parks and recreation

professionals is involvement in the

development and implementation of the

‘‘Pathways to Success’’ program within

the SafeFutures program. This program

emphasizes, in part, recreational

alternatives during after-school and

weekend hours.

Comment: One respondent felt that

the budget for Training for FamilyStrengthening Services ($250,000)

should be increased to support trained

individuals who provide technical

assistance for family strengthening.

Response: One million dollars in

Family Strengthening and Support

funds will be available to the five

SafeFutures program sites. These funds

can be used for both training/technical

assistance and direct service programs

in the five sites. An additional $250,000

will be available for training/technical

assistance in other communities

interested in improving their Family

Strengthening Service programs. Further

support can be drawn from other OJJDP

training/technical assistance projects,

including the newly established

National Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention Training and

Technical Assistance Center.

Comment: One respondent questioned

why virtually all funds for law-related

education were being awarded on a noncompetitive basis to the Law-Related

Education National Training and

Dissemination Program, with only

$200,000 in competitive funding being

made available for ‘‘Innovative

Approaches in Law-Related Education,’’

thereby limiting opportunities for other

organizations to seek funding for new

law-related education programs.

Response: Eighty percent of the funds

set aside for Law-Related Education are

earmarked for the Law-Related

Education National Training and

Dissemination Program (Youth for

Justice). OJJDP proposed to set aside

$500,000 of the remaining $700,000 for

a competitively awarded impact

evaluation. However, because

Department of Education funds were not

available for a joint evaluation project,

$600,000 of the $700,000 is being made

available to support the ‘‘Innovative

Approaches in Law-Related Education’’

program. One hundred thousand dollars

will be awarded to fund the Facing

History and Ourselves Program.

Shay Bilchik,

Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention.

National Institute of Justice—Research

Plan 1995–1996

For general information regarding

NIJ’s 1995–96 Research Plan, please

contact Edwin Zedlewski, at (202) 307–

2953, or Winifred Reed, at (202) 307–

2952. For other general NIJ information,

contact Carrie Smith, at (202) 616–3233.

For document publication information,

contact Mary Graham, at (202) 514–

6207.

For information about the Violent

Crime Control and Law Enforcement

Act of 1994 (Crime Law), contact the

Department of Justice Response Center,

at (202) 307–1743 or (800) 421–6770.

For substantive questions regarding

specific Goals, please contact the

appropriate Program Manager. Names

and telephone numbers of all Program

Managers are listed at the end of each

Goal. To inquire about NIJ receipt of

applications, contact Louise Loften, at

(202) 307–2965.

For general information about NIJ

programs and funding opportunities,

and application procedures; for requests

for reprints, literature, final reports,

funded grants on related topics, etc.; for

names of researchers or practitioners

working on related topics, contact the

National Criminal Justice Reference

Service (NCJRS), at (800) 851–3420.

The NIJ 1995–96 Research Plan is also

available electronically via the National

Criminal Justice Reference Service

Bulletin Board System. You can access

the Bulletin Board through the Internet

(telnet to ncjrsbbs.aspensys.com or

gopher to ncjrs.aspensys.com 71) or

through a modem (set at 9600 baud and

8–N–1; dial 301–738–8895). The NIJ

Research Plan is listed under the

‘‘National Institute of Justice

Information’’ menu.

For Internet access information, email lively@justice.usdoj.gov.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21891

National Institute of Justice Staff

Jeremy Travis, Director

Office of the Director

Margaret Battle

Chriss Wetherington

Christy Visher

Planning and Management Division

Carol Petrie, Director

Sheila Parker-Darby

Denise Gadson

Phyllis Poole

Carrie Smith

Office of Research and Evaluation

Sally T. Hillsman, Director

Louise Lofton

Evelyn Washington

Criminal Behavior

Thomas Feucht

James Trudeau

Crime Control

Lois Mock

Rosemary Murphy

Richard Titus

Winnie Reed

Criminal Justice

Bernard Auchter

Laurie Bright

Voncile Gowdy

Pamela Lattimore

Edwin Zedlewski

Office of Science and Technology

David Boyd, Director

Audrey Blankenship

Raymond Downs

Kevin Jackson

Richard Rau

Robert Tolle

Office of Communication and Research

Utilization

Paul Cascarano, Director

Tamara Ross

Reference and Dissemination Division

Paul Estaver, Director

Mary Graham

Eugene Hebert

G. Martin Lively

Daniel Tompkins

Research Applications and Training

Division

Virginia Baldau, Director

Cheryl Crawford

Marilyn Moses

Carolyn Peake

Samuel McQuade

John Spevacek

John Thomas

Introduction

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

is the research and development agency

of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Created in 1968 by Congress pursuant to

the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe

Streets Act, the Institute is authorized

to:

Sponsor research and development to

improve and strengthen the Nation’s

system of justice with a balanced

program of basic and applied

research.

Evaluate the effectiveness of criminal

justice and law enforcement programs

and identify those that merit

application elsewhere.

Support technological advances

applicable to criminal justice.

Test and demonstrate new and

improved approaches to strengthen

the justice system.

Disseminate information from research,

development, demonstrations, and

evaluations.

This Plan signals the new

administrative direction that NIJ will

follow to achieve its research and

evaluation goals. Conceptually, the Plan

is the basis of NIJ’s pyramid of research.

It will be supplemented over the coming

months by a series of solicitations on

topics that speak to current or persistent

policy concerns that warrant research

investments. By their nature, those

solicitations will represent a somewhat

more focused part of this pyramid.

Intramural studies are at the apex of the

research pyramid. Questions with strong

policy orientation or immediate concern

may best be addressed by NIJ staff who

can interact directly with the

policymakers asking the questions.

Readers of prior NIJ Plans will find

that this Plan has been substantially

shortened. Much of the traditional

background text has been discarded;

suggested research topics have been

reduced from paragraphs to phrases.

This change in style, however, implies

no change in the kinds of research being

sought. NIJ believes that this

abbreviated format is more consistent

with the spirit and intent of the Plan as

a vehicle to encourage the field to

submit original ideas on a wide range of

research issues.

Focused solicitations will appear

intermittently over the next year. These

will address more specific topics for

which special funding is available.

Certain activities funded under the

Violent Crime Control and Law

Enforcement Act of 1994 (Crime Law)

will be focal points—specifically,

community policing, violence against

women, boot camps, and drug courts—

as will evaluations of selected Bureau of

Justice Assistance programs. NIJ will

also initiate solicitations in

collaborative arrangements with other

Federal agencies, as well as for topics

that NIJ believes merit special attention

for the development of knowledge.

These solicitations will be announced

through the Federal Register and other

NIJ communications channels including

the Internet (the Department of Justice

and NCJRS Online) and special

mailings. Interested applicants should

telephone the National Criminal Justice

Reference Service (NCJRS) at 800–851–

3420 or e-mail

askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com for

pending releases and dates of

announcement.

Partnerships are another new priority

for the Institute. NIJ believes that many

of today’s crime problems require

solutions that extend beyond criminal

justice boundaries. The Institute has

been active in discussions with other

Federal agencies and private

foundations and has established a

variety of collaborative relationships.

Some of these will manifest themselves

in the form of special solicitations on

specific topics or programs. Others will

simply encourage collaborative or

interdisciplinary research and offer the

prospect of joint funding. Still others

will result in the development of shared

research agendas. NIJ encourages

researchers from all disciplines to

explore the opportunities for

collaborative efforts presented in this

Plan and subsequent announcements,

and to propose arrangements that they

are able to construct beyond those

mentioned. NIJ particularly encourages

coordination of research applications

with submissions in other OJP agency

Plans.

An organizational change has also

occurred. The factors that distinguish

‘‘research’’ from ‘‘evaluation’’ are subtle

and secondary to the substance of the

issues. Therefore, the Institute has

merged these functions into a single

Office of Research and Evaluation that

will review submissions for both areas.

The Plan invites proposals for a range of

funding amounts. It includes a category

of small grants (less than $50,000)

across all goals and subjects. Readers

should consult the administrative

sections of the Research Plan for

additional information on the

differences in application requirements.

Six Strategic Long-Range Goals

In FY 1993, the Institute set forth six

long-range goals as the focus of NIJ

research, evaluation, and development

in the coming years. The creation of this

long-range agenda was well received; a

large number of research and evaluation

proposals were submitted, providing an

interdisciplinary framework for 1994.
21892 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

In this 1995–96 Research Plan, the

Institute specifies the research,

evaluation, and technology projects that

NIJ anticipates supporting under each

goal. The numeric order of the goals

does not indicate levels of priority for

the Institute.

Many of the special grant programs

for individuals—such as the Data

Resources Program, various Fellowship

programs, the NIJ Internship

Program—are now described in a

separate publication, which will be

announced in the Federal Register.

NIJ solicits research and evaluations

to develop knowledge that will further

these long-range goals:

I. Reduce violent crime.

II. Reduce drug- and alcohol-related crime.

III. Reduce the consequences of crime.

IV. Improve the effectiveness of crime

prevention programs.

V. Improve law enforcement and the criminal

justice system.

VI. Develop new technology for law

enforcement and the criminal justice

system.

Studies that involve the use of

randomized experimental designs are

encouraged, as are multiple strategies

for data collection, and well-controlled,

quasi-experimental designs and

equivalent comparison group designs.

Qualitative studies, including

ethnographic data collection, are also

encouraged.

Research Collaborations

NIJ encourages joint research and

evaluation projects with other Federal

agencies and private foundations

interested in crime and criminal justice

issues. Applicants may wish to consider

whether their proposed project might

lend itself to joint funding with another

agency or foundation. Applicants

interested in exploring possible

partnerships should contact the

potential partner agency directly, or the

relevant NIJ program manager, to

discuss specific topics for possible

collaborative projects. NIJ has entered

into memorandums of agreement or is in

other ways collaborating with the

Departments of Defense, Education,

Energy, Health and Human Services,

Housing and Urban Development, and

Treasury. Agencies and foundations that

have indicated a desire to collaborate

with NIJ on projects of mutual interest,

or are currently involved in joint

research efforts with NIJ, include:

Agencies

Advanced Research Projects Agency

(DOD)

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and

Firearms

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

Center for Mental Health Services

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Corrections Program Office (OJP)

Drug Courts Program Office (OJP)

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

National Institute of Mental Health

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism

National Institute of Corrections

National Institute on Drug Abuse

National Science Foundation

Office of Community-Oriented Policing

Services (DOJ)

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention

Office of Assistant Secretary for

Planning and Evaluation (HUD)

Office of National Drug Control Policy

Office for Victims of Crime

State Justice Institute

Violence Against Women Program

Office (OJP)

Foundations

The Annie E. Casey Foundation

The Carnegie Corporation of New York

The Ford Foundation

The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim

Foundation

The J.C. Kellogg Foundation

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur

Foundation

The Pew Charitable Trusts

The Prudential Foundation

The Ronald McDonald Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation

The Institute cannot guarantee that

joint funding for research and

evaluation projects will be forthcoming

from these sources. Applicants should

consider whether their proposals are in

accord with the goals of these agencies

and private foundations.

Specific information about applying

for Institute grants is contained in the

section ‘‘Administrative Guidelines’’

See p. 23 of this Plan.

Goal I: Reduce Violent Crime

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to

encourage research and evaluation

projects spanning six broad areas:

family violence, violence against

women, homicide, firearms and

violence, gangs, and juvenile violence.

Through this solicitation the National

Institute of Justice (NIJ) expects to

support research that will improve the

criminal justice knowledge base on

crimes and criminal behavior that

increasingly concern the public.

Background

Violent crime is a leading concern

among the American public today.

According to the National Crime

Victimization Survey (NCVS), in 1992

there were 6.6 million violent

victimizations in the United States—

including 141,000 rapes, 1.2 million

robberies, and 5.3 million assaults. The

violent crime rate is steadily increasing,

especially among juveniles, and in 1992

was the highest ever recorded for blacks;

homicide is now the leading cause of

death for young black males.

Handguns are a major factor in the

increasing violence, especially in the

commission of homicide. Of the 23,760

murders reported to the FBI in 1992,

handguns were used in 55 percent. One

of the most critical issues in any

consideration of ways to reduce

violence and its consequences is the

role firearms play in contributing to

violent crime, serious injury, and death.

The NCVS estimates the rate of nonfatal

handgun victimizations in 1992 at 4.5

crimes per 1,000 persons aged 12 or

older—the highest such figure on

record. Findings from an NIJ and Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP) study of incarcerated

juveniles and inner-city high school

students showed that 83 percent of

inmates and 22 percent of students had

possessed guns, with 55 percent and 12

percent respectively having carried guns

all or most of the time. Between 1988

and 1992, arrests of juveniles for violent

crimes increased by 47 percent—more

than double the increase for persons 18

years of age or older. Over the same

period, juvenile arrests for homicide

increased by 51 percent and statistics on

weapons law violations indicate that

juvenile use of guns has increased

dramatically.

Spousal abuse commonly comes to

mind when violence against women is

discussed, but violence against women

is much broader. According to the

NCVS, more than 2.5 million women

experience violence each year; nearly

two in three female victims of violence

were related to or knew their attacker;

about a third were injured as a result of

the crime; nearly half the victims of rape

believed the offender to have been

under the influence of drugs or alcohol

at the time of the attack. The issue has

emerged as a topic of national interest

and led to the inclusion of the Violence

Against Women Act (VAWA) in the

1994 Crime Law.

The Crime Law contains many other

provisions directed toward the

prevention, control, and reduction of

violent crimes—enhancements for law

enforcement, correctional facilities, and

drug treatment options; restrictions on

firearms; provisions to deal with

juvenile crime and gangs; and increases

in the programs and research about
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21893

family violence as well as violence

against women. Through this general

solicitation NIJ encourages studies that

will address these areas of broad general

concern and that examine the specific

priorities identified in the 1994 Crime

Law, particularly with regard to

violence among juveniles and the illegal

possession and use of firearms. The

Institute is especially interested in

filling critical gaps in current

knowledge and identifying and

evaluating existing programs of crime

prevention and control.

Research Areas of Interest

Listed below are examples of research

areas that could advance criminal

justice knowledge and practice under

Goal I of the NIJ Research Plan.

Individuals are encouraged to suggest

their own topics of interest. Research is

encouraged in, but not limited to, the

following areas:

Studies of Offenders and Offenses.

Criminal careers of offenders who

engage in violent crime, including risk

and protective factors, and initiation,

frequency, and termination patterns.

Studies of specific offenses and

offenders, including robbery, sexual

assault, child sexual assault, stalking,

and homicide. Offender perceptions of

criminal justice response to violent

offenders. Juvenile violence, including

escalation patterns, racial conflicts, and

influence of peers and gangs. Family

violence involving intimate partners,

spouses, children, and elders.

Violent Situations. Role of gangs and

group offending in criminal violence.

Studies of patterns in violent events,

including triggering events, situational

elements, and predisposing influences.

Protective factors in neighborhoods and

communities at high risk of violence.

Violence in specific situations and

locations including schools, families,

recreational settings, and the workplace.

Firearms Violence. Adult and juvenile

patterns of gun availability, sources of

guns, and use in violent crime. Role of

illegal markets in weapons on patterns

of firearms violence, especially among

juveniles. Impact of firearms laws on

gun crimes, substitution of other

weapons, and offense patterns.

Feasibility studies of innovative

firearms regulations.

Responses to Violent Offenders.

Differentiating system responses to

violence from responses to other crimes.

Violence prevention. Evaluation of

innovative programs and practices.

Evidentiary concerns, including

uncooperative witnesses. Management

of violent offenders on probation and

parole including risk assessment,

treatment programs, and community

supervision.

Violence Against Women. Note: NIJ is

not receiving applications for research

on violence against women under the

June and December 1995 deadlines.

Instead, researchers should await the

special solicitation to be issued in 1995,

as noted in the Introduction to this Plan.

Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact

NIJ Program Managers to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals. To

obtain specific information on the

programs described under this goal,

potential applicants may contact:

Bernard Auchter, (202) 307–0154, for

family violence and violence against

women.

Lois Mock, (202) 307–0693, for firearms

violence.

Winifred Reed, (202) 307–2952, for

gangs.

James Trudeau, (202) 307–1355, for

studies of offenders and offenses,

violent situations, and responses to

violent offenders.

Goal II: Reduce Drug- and AlcoholRelated Crime

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to

encourage research and evaluation

projects that will improve the criminal

justice knowledge base about crimes

and criminal behavior involving the use

of drugs and alcohol. Through this

solicitation the National Institute of

Justice (NIJ) seeks to clarify further the

relationship between substance abuse

and crime and to reduce drug- and

alcohol-related crime.

Background

Substance abuse and drug-related

crimes continue to affect the lives of

countless Americans residing in both

urban and rural neighborhoods across

the Nation. NIJ’s Drug Use Forecasting

(DUF) data show an increase in

marijuana use and relatively stable but

high levels of major addictive substance

use among booked arrestees in the 23

urban areas monitored by DUF. Recent

data from the Drug Abuse Warning

Network (DAWN) indicate that the use

of heroin and cocaine is on the rise.

Efforts to prevent and reduce drugrelated crime, and thereby improve the

quality of life in these areas, continue to

occupy the criminal justice community.

Alcohol is used by both offenders and

victims in a significant proportion of

violent events, with documented

connections between both situational

and chronic drinking and aggressive or

violent behavior. The National Academy

of Sciences Panel on the Understanding

and Control of Violent Behavior has

called for more research into the role of

alcohol in promoting violent events,

particularly since little is known about

how alcohol and violence may reinforce

one another or how the alcohol-violence

relationship may vary depending on

type of violence.

The criminal justice system is the

largest single source of external pressure

influencing abusers who otherwise

would not enter substance abuse

treatment programs. Half or more of the

admissions to community-based

residential and outpatient substance

abuse treatment programs are offenders

on probation or parole. Criminal justice

referral to treatment relieves courts and

prisons of overcrowding and reduces

the high cost of continued incarceration,

while providing an added degree of

supervision beyond what probation or

parole offices may be able to afford.

When successful, treatment further

reduces criminal justice costs by

breaking the pattern of recidivism that

brings typical substance abusers back

into the criminal justice system again

and again.

Research on criminal justice-involved

populations suggests that substance

abuse treatment can be effective in

reducing substance abuse and criminal

activity while the client is in treatment

and for some time thereafter. As

substance abuse programs are

implemented, it is important to provide

critical feedback on how they are

working and for whom they are most

effective. It is also important to

determine how best to provide

treatment—through public criminal

justice agencies or through private

treatment agencies under contract.

Substance abuse prevention programs

continue to proliferate in response to

public concerns. Comprehensive

substance abuse programs for youths

can promote antidrug social norms and

thereby reduce or prevent the use of

cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, heroin,

and cocaine. NIJ seeks to evaluate

comprehensive community-based

substance abuse programs that develop

partnerships among criminal justice and

schools, health centers, families, peers,

and media.

NIJ’s Drug Use Forecasting (DUF)

program gathers offense and drug use

information from samples of adult and

juvenile arrestees at 23 sites nationwide,

providing access to a national sample of

arrestees within hours of arrest. Along

with a brief, voluntary interview, urine

specimens are obtained to test for

evidence of recent use of drugs. For 7

years, data from NIJ’s DUF program
21894 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

have traced the trends in drug use

among persons arrested for a wide range

of offenses. Beginning in 1995, NIJ

solicits proposals that capitalize and

expand upon the research potential

provided through the DUF program’s

quarterly collection of interviews and

urine specimens from samples of adult

and juvenile arrestees brought to jails in

23 cities nationwide.

Researchers are encouraged to

develop proposals that present

innovative ways of utilizing the DUF

program as a research ‘‘platform’’ for

pursuing a wide range of hypotheses

related to drug use and criminal

activity. For instance, in collaboration

with existing DUF sites, the basic data

collection protocol could be

supplemented with additional interview

assessments or bio-assays. NIJ is also

interested in proposals that examine

specific research questions by applying

the DUF protocol to targeted samples of

arrestees such as those in suburban or

rural jails, or those arrested for specific

offenses.

Research Areas of Interest

Listed below are examples of research

areas that could advance criminal

justice knowledge and practices under

Goal II of the NIJ Research Plan.

Individuals are encouraged to suggest

their own topics of interest. Research is

encouraged in, but not limited to, the

following areas:

Substance Abuse and Criminal

Behavior. Relationships between drugs,

alcohol, and violence, including the

individual and environmental

circumstances. Relationship between

substance abuse and related criminal

behavior of all types, including family

violence. Understanding substance

abuse careers and how they track with

criminal careers over time. Inventory of

the validity, scope, and gaps in current

substance abuse data sets.

Substance Abusing Offenders and the

Criminal Justice System. Impact of

pretrial services, adjudication,

sentencing, and corrections (including

community corrections) programs.

Effect of strategies implemented in one

segment of the system on the rest of the

system. Offender attitudes, perceptions,

and experiences as they move through

particular components/programs.

Effective use of a series of graduated

sanctions for noncompliance behaviors.

(For research on treatment drug courts,

see page 16.)

Substance Abuse Prevention. Cost

benefit analyses. Impact of criminal

justice-based strategies on later

substance abuse and other related

criminal behavior. Development and

identification of demand-reduction

strategies and programs for high-risk

populations.

Treatment and Aftercare Evaluations.

Assessment of treatment drop-outs.

Determination of the optimal mix of

various treatment and after-care

components for various criminal justice

populations.

Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) Research

Platform Initiatives. Expansion of adult

and juvenile research protocols to

address additional research questions

such as drug market analysis, drug

treatment history of arrestees, the onset

of drug use among arrestees, the

relationship between drug acquisition

and other criminal activities, and the

role of alcohol and drug consumption in

the commission of crimes.

Drug Enforcement. Research on the

effectiveness of interdiction efforts and

control strategies such as increased

penalties for drug trafficking in prisons

and drug dealing in drug-free school

zones.

Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact

NIJ Program Managers to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals. To

obtain specific information on the

programs described under this goal,

potential applicants may contact:

Laurie Bright, (202) 616–3624, for

substance abuse research and

evaluations related to the criminal

justice system. Thomas E. Feucht, (202)

307–2949, for substance abuse research

related to DUF research platform

initiatives. James Trudeau, (202) 307–

1355, for substance abuse research

related to criminal behavior.

Goal III: Reduce The Consequences of

Crime

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to

encourage research and evaluation

projects that explore the causes of

victimizations, their consequences in

injury, fear, property damage, and other

forms of cost; and the institutional

responses of criminal justice agencies to

victims. In addition to individual

victims, the Institute is interested in the

ways that households, organizations,

and communities become victims, and

how victimizations harm and otherwise

alter daily functioning. NIJ is also

interested in how victim service

institutions can best serve victims to

reduce the harm done. The goals of the

research solicited are to understand how

natural circumstances can lead to

victimizations, as well as the nature and

extent of harm caused by crime, and to

use these findings to reduce both

victimization risk and severity.

Background

The extent of criminal victimization

within the United States is disturbing:

In 1992, approximately 1 in every 4

households was victimized by 1 or more

crimes, and 1 in 20 had at least one

member age 12 or older who was the

victim of a violent crime. Violent crime

victimization rates, after declining

through most of the 1980’s, have again

begun to increase, most notably among

blacks and persons ages 12–24.

National public opinion surveys

consistently indicate that crime has

displaced other issues as the Nation’s

most serious concern. In a 1994 New

York Times/CBS News nationwide

telephone poll, 23 percent of

respondents listed crime as ‘‘the most

important problem facing this country

today,’’ and 40 percent said they live

within a mile of an area where they

would be afraid to walk alone at night.

The harm of victimization includes

injury, dollar loss, and a pervasive sense

of insecurity that disrupts and truncates

the victim’s daily activities and

satisfactions. This harm also touches

those close to or acquainted with the

victim.

The victim’s needs are imperfectly

understood by researchers and

practitioners and are inadequately

responded to by available programs of

assistance. The victim’s dealings with

the criminal justice system often

compound the damage rather than

serving to restore the victim and create

a sense of justice.

We are limited in our understanding

of the antecedents and causes of

victimization. ‘‘Routine activities’’

research—that includes the victim along

with the offender, environment, and

‘‘guardians’’—has the potential to

improve the validity and effectiveness

of crime prevention programs. Such

research might examine specific types of

victims, specific activity domains, or

specific locations. A special emphasis

might be topics suggested by the

Violence Against Women Act, which is

discussed in Goal I.

The effects of crime reach far beyond

their impact on individuals and

households, extending into businesses,

public housing areas, neighborhoods,

and ultimately into entire communities.

Within the community, violent crime,

gangs and the threat they pose,

vandalism, drugs, and disorder may

cause businesses to close or relocate,

reduce employment and shopping

opportunities, and decrease property

values. Where this grim process is not

interrupted, urban neighborhoods and

communities decay, investments

dwindle or disappear, and law-abiding
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21895

residents and their organizations move

out.

Crimes against business range from

the armed robbery of a neighborhood

grocery to the electronic swindle of an

international corporation and include

such offenses as the theft of cash or

property (by customers, employees, and

suppliers), burglary, vandalism, billing

scams, embezzlement, extortion,

computer hacking, hijacking of

shipments, kidnaping, arson, and theft

of intellectual property. The cost of

crime to business is, of course,

ultimately borne by consumers,

employees, and residents of areas that

experience a decline because of crime’s

effect on local business.

Through this general solicitation NIJ

encourages studies that will address

these critical areas of citizen concern.

The Institute is particularly interested in

research that advances our knowledge of

the extent and consequences of criminal

victimization in the following areas:

Assessing the harm caused by

victimization, improving the delivery of

services to victims and their treatment

by the criminal justice system,

increasing our understanding of the

causes and means of prevention of

victimization, improving data about the

victimization of businesses, and the

effects of crime and victimization on the

delivery of services in affected areas.

Research Areas of Interest

Listed below are examples of research

topics that will advance criminal justice

knowledge of the extent, causes, and

consequences of criminal victimization

under Goal III of the NIJ Research Plan.

Individuals are encouraged to suggest

their own topics of interest. Research is

encouraged in, but not limited to, the

following areas:

Assessing Victim Needs. Diagnostic

instruments for use by victim services

providers that would assist staff intake

assessment of victim harm and required

services. Victim-based evaluations of

services.

Program Evaluations. Evaluations of

victim services programs in such areas

as restorative justice, use of computers

by victim services, incorporation of

victim services in community policing,

programs tailored to victims with

special needs, including child victims,

and local program compliance with

victim services mandated by State

legislation.

Criminal Justice System Response to

Victims. How treatment of victims and

witnesses by the criminal justice system

affects the public’s willingness to

cooperate with the system at all stages

of its processes.

Victimization Patterns. How routine

activities, behavior, perceptions, and

knowledge interact with situational

variables and offender behavior to

increase or lower the risk of

victimization. Knowledge that can

contribute to reducing the level of

victimization.

Impact of Crime on Business. The

quality of data on the costs of

victimization of business, its customers,

suppliers, and employees, and the

community. Priorities for new data

collection and the utility of the data for

combating crimes against business.

Impact of Crime on Service Delivery.

Effects of fear of crime and victimization

on the ability of communities, public

agencies, and nonprofit organizations to

provide services and meet the needs of

residents of affected neighborhoods.

Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact

NIJ Program Managers to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals. To

obtain specific information on the

programs described under this goal,

potential applicants may contact

Richard Titus, at (202) 307–0695.

Goal IV: Improve the Effectiveness of

Crime Prevention Programs

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to

encourage research and evaluation

projects that will increase the safety of

individuals within families, and in

schools, businesses, workplaces, and

community environments; that will

advance the knowledge of criminal

justice practitioners and help prevent

crime and criminal behavior, and

develop and improve crime prevention

programs. NIJ seeks research and

evaluations aimed at preventing

involvement in crime, and individual,

community, and workplace efforts to

improve safety and security.

Background

Crime prevention takes many forms.

NIJ research in crime prevention

continues to focus on potential

offenders, potential victims, and

particular locations and emphasizes

both individual and community

responses to crimes that occur in

various settings. There is a need to

examine how certain characteristics of

neighborhoods, households, schools,

businesses, public housing

developments, parks and other public

areas promote or constrain criminal

activity. It is equally important to study

populations that may be especially

vulnerable, or invulnerable, to crime in

those locations. It is also important to

examine crime prevention programs and

strategies in the context of the

communities and jurisdictions in which

they are found.

Crime prevention can and should

focus on deterring potential offenders by

formulating strategies directed at highrisk groups that are likely to become

involved with the criminal justice

system. NIJ research emphasizes

prevention strategies that may influence

the attitudes and behaviors of persons

living in high-risk environments by

addressing their needs in a

comprehensive manner and by

promoting positive and constructive

forms of behavior. This approach to

crime prevention requires the

coordination of mutually reinforcing

efforts that involve the family, school,

and community as crime prevention

agents. Research has shown that efforts

to assist youths at risk are more likely

to be effective when they start early and

provide forms of intervention based on

an understanding of the developmental

processes that influence the attitudes

and behavior of youths over time.

Crime prevention programs can also

focus on potential victims of crime and

ways to prevent their victimization. A

major issue in prevention research is

how to influence the behavior of

individuals, households, organizations,

and community groups. Lessons learned

in studies of citizen patrols, changes in

physical design, the relationship

between fear and physical signs of

disorder, and the redeployment of

police officers, have all been

incorporated in national crime

prevention campaigns and in the

development of programs and strategies

designed to reduce crime victimization.

Citizens and community groups can

accept and respond to the challenge of

shared responsibility for community

security. Diverse crime prevention

efforts undertaken include means of

preventing victimization as well as ways

of addressing the personal and social

needs of victims resulting from crime

and drug abuse. In addition, citizen and

community anti-crime efforts are more

likely to be effective when they are part

of a comprehensive approach to

neighborhood problem solving that

involves citizens in a partnership with

police and other municipal agencies.

We have learned that crime can be

reduced through the proper design and

effective use of environmental crime

prevention methods in commercial

sites, public and private housing,

recreational areas, and transportation

systems. Research has underscored the

importance of incorporating

environmental strategies as key
21896 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

components of community crime

prevention programs.

One possible way to protect people

from crime is to develop a more

thorough understanding of such factors

about offenders as how they select their

victims and targets; their modus

operandi during the commission of an

offense, including any involvement with

co-offenders; their methods of disposing

of noncash proceeds from crime; their

perceptions of the opportunity structure

of different locations, environments,

and situations; and their perceptions of

the criminal justice system’s

effectiveness in apprehending and

prosecuting them.

Research Areas of Interest

Listed below are examples of research

areas that could advance crime

prevention knowledge and practice

under Goal IV of the NIJ Research Plan.

Individuals are encouraged to suggest

their own topics of interest. Research is

encouraged in, but not limited to, the

following areas:

Crime Prevention Programs for HighRisk Youths. (In coordination with the

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention.) Development

of methods that foster positive and

constructive forms of behavior. Focus

on resilient youth and families.

Interaction between community, family

and individual factors in promoting

positive behavior.

Developing Community-Based Crime

Prevention Partnerships. Identification

of factors that enhance or diminish

partnerships. Development and testing

of strategies to revitalize and reclaim

high-crime areas. Ways to organize

community resources in an integrated

manner. How to develop useful

problem-solving strategies.

Location-Specific Crime Prevention

Programs. Schools and routes to and

from school. Public housing.

Commercial settings. Parks and

recreation facilities. Parking lots. Use of

traffic barriers for crime and drug

prevention. Understanding the actions

and responses of potential victims and

offenders in these and other settings.

(See Goal III: ‘‘Routine Activities and

Victimization’’ for a description of

victim-related research using the routine

activities approach). Focus on

environmental and design features.

Focus on a comprehensive approach.

Crimes and Offender Behavior.

Offender daily activity patterns. Offense

selection and planning. Target and

victim selection. Modus operandi

during the commission of an offense

including co-offending. Disposition of

noncash proceeds from crime. Offender

perception of criminal justice system

effectiveness. Disruption of stolen

property markets.

Crime By and Related to Illegal

Aliens. Recruitment, transportation, and

smuggling of illegal aliens into the

United States. Provision of false

documentation to illegals. Employers’

role in committing crimes related to

hiring illegals and fostering crime

among illegal aliens.

Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact

NIJ Program Managers to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals. For

specific information on the programs

described under this goal, potential

applicants may contact:

Rosemary Murphy, (202) 307–2959,

for school-based prevention programs,

crime prevention in public housing,

crime prevention partnerships and

prevention for high-risk youths.

Richard Titus, (202) 307–0695 for

location specific prevention (except

schools and public housing), crimes and

offender behavior, and crime by and

related to illegal aliens.

Goal V: Improve Law Enforcement and

the Criminal Justice System

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to

encourage efforts in research and

evaluation that will advance criminal

justice knowledge in the areas of

policing, prosecution, defense,

adjudication, and corrections. The

primary focus of research and

evaluation under this goal is

improvement of the efficiency,

effectiveness, and fairness of the system.

Certain types of cases, however, take

priority. These involve violent juvenile

and adult offenders, drug and alcohol

abusers, and family violence offenders.

Also of interest are the consequences of

decisions and practices in one part of

the system on other criminal justice

agencies and on related social service

agencies. Through this solicitation, NIJ

also seeks a greater understanding of the

relationship among the offender, victim,

and the criminal justice system. All

issues surrounding the case are of

interest, but projects that focus on an

issue from the perspective of the various

participants—prosecutor, defender,

judge, legislator—are encouraged.

Background

Each part of the criminal justice

system faces new challenges. Juvenile

arrests for violent crimes increased by

47 percent between 1988 and 1992;

juvenile arrests for homicide increased

by 51 percent during the same period.

FBI data indicate that juvenile use of

guns has risen dramatically. Prosecutors

nationwide note that youthful offenders

are being brought to their offices in

increasing numbers.

The Nation’s prison and jail

population reached 1 million in the past

year, with more than 5 million persons

under some form of correctional

supervision. Data from jails and prisons

show a high incidence of substance

abuse disorders among inmates.

Approximately 70 percent of jail

detainees have a history of substance

abuse; 56 percent were under the

influence of drugs or alcohol at the time

of arrest.

A significant proportion of inmates

with drug abuse problems have a high

prevalence of other disorders. About 75

percent of inmates with mental

disorders, for example, are also

substance abusers. Other inmates abuse

both drugs and alcohol. Few programs

exist for such inmates who have special

needs. In most State prison systems, for

example, inmates may receive services

from either mental health or substance

abuse programs but not from programs

designed to treat those with both

conditions.

The 1994 crime law encourages

innovations to improve criminal justice

effectiveness in many of these areas,

including community policing; prison

construction and construction of

alternative facilities such as boot camps

for nonviolent offenders; and drug

courts that combine court-supervised

abstinence with outpatient treatment

and sanctions for those who fail to

comply. NIJ expects to issue separate

solicitations for research in these areas

by mid-1995.

White collar and organized crime

pose a serious threat to the stable and

orderly functioning of society. These

complex and sophisticated crimes

threaten our economic stability, corrupt

legitimate institutions, and undermine

the public respect for government and

law.

Research is also needed on the

consequences of the decisionmaking

process within the criminal justice

system. Much criminal justice research

has been specific to a single criminal

justice agency, such as the decisions of

police in using deadly force, charging

decisions and plea bargaining practices

of prosecutors and use by judges of

intermediate sanctions. However, such

studies rarely focus on the relationship

among police, defense attorneys, public

prosecutors, and judges in plea or

sentence bargaining.

Moreover, much research on criminal

justice evaluates effectiveness in terms

of standards internal to a particular

agency rather than the consequences
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21897

that decisions and practices in one part

of the system have for other components

in the system or on system processes.

There are studies of jail and prison

overcrowding and of early release as a

result of judicially mandated standards

for maintaining correctional facilities,

but little is known about their

consequences for the criminal careers of

offenders who have been released early.

Likewise, there is little research on the

effect of sentence length or a given type

of sentence for any given offense.

Relatively little is known about how

different kinds of crime are detected and

selected by social service and other

agents and the processes by which they

are referred to law enforcement. NIJ

seeks research addressing these broader

issues.

Research Areas of Interest

Listed below are examples of research

topics that could advance criminal

justice knowledge under Goal V of the

NIJ Research Plan. Individuals are

encouraged to suggest their own topics

of interest. Research is encouraged in,

but not limited to, the following areas:

Law Enforcement

Note: NIJ is not receiving applications for

policing research against the June and

December 1995 deadlines. Instead,

researchers should await the special

solicitation to be issued in 1995, as noted

above.

Prosecution, Defense, and Adjudication

Issues at the Pretrial Stage. Effective

release and detention decisions,

charging decisions, and diversion

decisions. Effective responses to witness

intimidation. Impact of variations in

discovery policy.

New Approaches. Specialized courts,

e.g., domestic violence, firearms

offenses. Community courts. Restorative

justice. Community-based prosecution

and defense services.

Drug Courts. Note: NIJ is not receiving

applications for research on drug courts

under the June and December 1995

deadlines. Instead, researchers should

await the special solicitation to be

issued in 1995, as noted above.

Juvenile Justice. (In coordination with

the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention) Juvenile case

processing, emphasizing waiver to adult

courts. Diversion to noncriminal justice

programs. Postarrest preconviction

programs for chronic, serious juvenile

offenders.

Community and Institutional

Corrections

Boot Camps. Note: NIJ is not receiving

applications for research on boot camps

under the June and December 1995

deadlines. Instead, researchers should

await the special solicitation to be

issued in 1995, as noted above.

Sanctions and Punishments.

Operating community-based sanctions

as a system. Prosecutors’ role in

intermediate sanctions. Innovative

programs in domestic violence, child

abuse, firearms.

Meeting Offender Needs. Offenders

with mental health and drug addiction

conditions. Creating parity in services

for incarcerated women. Coordinating

transitional care and community

reintegration.

Preserving Safety. Planning and

managing ‘‘super’’ maximum security

prisons. Managing juvenile offenders in

adult facilities. Correctional officer

health and safety risks.

Managing Change. Understanding the

impacts of prison expansion.

Correctional management of changing

inmate populations. Inmate and

correctional officers’ safety. Managing

offenders in the community.

Systemwide Issues

Consequences of Decisions on System

Responses. The impact that reforms or

major resources changes in one part of

the system may have on another.

Perceived fairness of the criminal justice

system, particularly in minority

communities, and appropriate responses

by criminal justice professionals.

Sentencing. Costs and benefits of

various State sentencing reforms. Impact

of sentencing policy changes on

prosecution, defense, and the courts,

e.g.,‘‘truth in sentencing’’ and ‘‘three

strikes’’ legislation, abolition of parole,

mandatory minimums, enhanced

sentencing schemes for juvenile

offenders.

Illegal Aliens. U.S. policy toward

arrested illegal aliens. Impact on local

criminal justice system. Links with

immigration. Management of foreign

language populations in correctional

settings.

White Collar and Organized Crime.

For White Collar Crime, research on the

prevention and control of health care

fraud, insider insurance fraud, and

environmental crime, including

regulatory issues, detention,

investigation, and prosecution. For

organized crime, research on the

criminal justice response to

international organized crime networks

and enterprise, and organized crime

corruption of legitimate industries and

markets.

Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact

NIJ program managers to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals. To

obtain specific information on the

programs described under this goal,

potential applicants may contact:

Lois Mock, (202) 307–0693, and

Winifred Reed, (202) 307–2952, for

policing

Bernard Auchter, (202) 307–0154, for

adjudication

Laurie Bright, (202) 616–3624, for

prosecution and defense

Voncile Gowdy, (202) 307–2951, for

corrections and sanctions

Richard Titus, (202) 307–0695, for

illegal aliens and the criminal justice

system

Lois Mock, (202) 307–0693, for white

collar and organized crime

Goal VI: Develop New Technology for

Law Enforcement and the Criminal

Justice System

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to

encourage technological development

projects that will improve the

operational efficiency of the criminal

justice system. Through this solicitation

the National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

expects to support research that will

enhance the safety and effectiveness of

law enforcement and correctional

officers and other officers of the court.

Background

Science and technology programs cut

across the entire range of criminal

justice issues and goals at NIJ; programs

already in progress or in the early stages

of planning and development promise

to provide significant benefits in the

21st century. The Institute’s science and

technology mission is accomplished

through three major program areas: The

collection and dissemination of

technical information, the development

of standards and operation of an

equipment testing program, and a

research and development grants

program.

To strengthen the collection and

dissemination of technology

information, NIJ is developing the

capabilities of the National Law

Enforcement Technology Center

(NLETC) (the former Technology

Assessment Program Information

Center) and establishing regional law

enforcement technology centers. The

purpose of these centers is to provide

criminal justice professionals with

information on available technology,

guidelines and standards for these

technologies, and technical assistance in

implementing them. These centers will

be linked through a Technology

Information Network (TIN) to provide

Federal, State and local agencies with
21898 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

objective, reliable, and timely

information on technologies and

equipment, such as who are the

producers and users; where high-cost,

seldom-used equipment can be

borrowed for temporary or emergency

situations; what the current equipment

standards are; tests and evaluations; and

what safety, health, or procedure

bulletins have been issued. The TIN will

also link the centers with the current

Regional Information Sharing Service

(RISS) that will then create an overall

law enforcement technology exchange

network. NIJ is also in the process of

establishing an Office of Law

Enforcement Technology

Commercialization (OLETC) to help

bring technology to the market place for

criminal justice procurement.

One of the most significant

developments of NIJ’s criminal justice

technology and standards program was

the development of soft body armor for

police officers and standards governing

its manufacture and sale. NIJ has also

developed standards for vehicle tracking

devices, security systems for doors and

windows, breath alcohol testing,

autoloading pistols, mobile antennas,

and other equipment. The Institute is

currently completing the development

of performance standards for two DNA

testing procedures: Restriction Fragment

Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The

standards program is funded by NIJ

through the Office of Law Enforcement

Standards (OLES) at the National

Institute of Standards and Technology

(NIST).

NIJ’s research and development

efforts have also been significant and

broad in scope in other areas. In the area

of forensic science, NIJ has supported a

wide range of research on fingerprints,

blood and semen, DNA, trace evidence,

bite marks, and forged or altered

documents. Further research is needed,

particularly in DNA testing, weapons

identification, fingerprinting, and trace

evidence. Progress is also being made to

develop alternatives to lethal force.

When confronted with the need to use

force, officers are limited to the use of

firearms, batons, physical ‘‘hands-on’’

restraint, or, more recently, chemical

agents such as pepper spray. To provide

alternatives, NIJ initiated a Less-ThanLethal technology program to develop

innovative, nonlethal measures suitable

for use in situations involving fleeing

suspects, domestic disturbances,

barricades, issuing search warrants,

drug raids, prison or jail disturbances,

etc.

This announcement also supports

research recommendations of the

Department of Justice (DOJ) and the

Department of Defense (DOD) under a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

for interagency collaboration in

developing and sharing dual-use

technologies for law enforcement

agencies and military operations other

than war. Congress has appropriated

fiscal year 1995 funds for this program

through the Defense Authorization Bill.

The day-to-day management of the

program is carried out at the DOD

Advanced Research Projects Agency

(ARPA) under a Joint Program Steering

Group (JPSG) with equal numbers of

program managers from the Defense and

Justice Departments.

In soliciting research and

development topics, NIJ principally

focuses on technologies and studies that

will support the needs of State and local

criminal justice agencies. The Institute’s

science and technology research also

addresses the legal and social issues

related to the employment of new

technologies in order to ensure that they

will be acceptable to the agency and the

community.

Research Areas of Interest

Listed below are examples of research

areas under Goal VI of the NIJ Research

Plan where new or improved

technologies could enhance the efficacy

of the criminal justice system and

reduce the level of injuries and death

during policing and correctional

operations. Individuals are encouraged

to suggest their own topics of interest.

Projects should be directed toward the

production of affordable and practical

equipment or systems that will have

reasonably wide application to Federal,

State, and local agencies. Research is

encouraged in, but not limited to, the

following areas:

Forensic Sciences. Identification and

development of evidence in DNA/

serology, finger-prints, trace evidence,

pathology, entomology, odontology,

toxicology, questioned documents, and

weapons identification.

Less-Than-Lethal Technology.

Reduction in the incidence of injuries

and death to officers and the public

during confrontations, especially those

requiring the use of force, arrest of

suspects, transport of suspects or

prisoners, pursuit of fleeing suspects on

foot or in vehicles, and control of

violent individuals or crowds in the

streets or in prisons and jails.

Enhancement of officer safety. Field

evaluations of new less-than-lethal

technology.

Science and Technology. Virtual

reality technology for officer training;

command and control operations;

providing improved courtroom security;

improving the efficiency of probation

and parole operations; identifying

concealed weapons; monitoring the

status, health, and location of officers or

prisoners; and detecting and disabling

explosives. Technology useful in the

detection and apprehension of persons

engaged in computer crime.

Drug Testing. Developing or adapting

analytic techniques for extracting drugrelated material from hair and urine and

other body fluids. Comparative

efficiencies and relative costs as well as

the utility of the testing techniques in

various criminal justice settings.

Contact

Grant Proposals

Applicants are encouraged to contact

NIJ Program Managers to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals. To

obtain specific information on the

programs described under this goal,

potential applicants may contact:

Richard M. Rau, (202) 307–0648, for the

Forensic Sciences Program and the

Drug Testing Program

Raymond Downs, (202) 307–0646, for

the Less-Than-Lethal Program and the

Science and Technology Program

Kevin Jackson, (202) 307–2956, for the

Standards Development and Testing

Program and the Law Enforcement

Technology Centers. DOD/DOJ

Memorandum of Understanding

Peter Nacci, (703) 351–8608, for

information on the law enforcement

aspects of the DOJ/DOD MOU

John Pennella, (703) 696–2372, for

information on the Military

Operations Other Than War aspects of

the DOJ/DOD MOU

General Law Enforcement Technology

Information

Marc Caplan, National Law

Enforcement Technology Center, (800)

248–2742, for information on specific

law enforcement technologies that are

under development or in production,

technologies in use by law enforcement

agencies, soft-body armor and other

equipment standards, equipment testing

and results, and other such nongrantrelated questions.

Administrative Guidelines

In this section applicants will find

recommendations to grant writers,

requirements for grant recipients,

general application information, and a

reiteration of the 1995–1996 grant

application deadlines.

Application Information

Please see ‘‘Requirements for Award

Recipients’’ below for general

application and eligibility requirements
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21899

and selection criteria. Proposals not

conforming to these application

procedures will not be considered.

Award Period. NIJ limits its grants

and cooperative agreements to a

maximum period of 24 months.

Due Date. Ten (10) copies of fully

executed proposals should be sent to:

(Name and Number of Specific Goal),

National Institute of Justice, 633 Indiana

Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20531.

Completed proposals must be

received at the National Institute of

Justice by the close of business on June

15 and December 15, 1995, and June 17

and December 16, 1996. Extensions of

these deadlines will not be permitted.

Contact. Applicants are encouraged to

contact NIJ Program Managers in the

appropriate goal areas to discuss topic

viability, data availability, or proposal

content before submitting proposals.

Recommendations to Grant Writers

Over the past 4 years, Institute staff

have reviewed approximately 1,500

grant applications. On the basis of those

reviews and inquiries from applicants,

the Institute offers the following

recommendations to help potential

applicants present workable,

understandable proposals. Many of

these recommendations were adopted

from materials provided to NIJ by the

State Justice Institute, especially for

applicants new to NIJ. Others reflect

standard NIJ requirements.

The author(s) of the proposal should

be clearly identified. Proposals that are

incorrectly collated, incomplete, or

handwritten will be judged as submitted

or, at NIJ’s discretion, will be returned

without a deadline extension. No

additions to the original submission are

allowed. The Institute suggests that

applicants make certain that they

address the questions, issues, and

requirements set forth below when

preparing an application.

1. What is the subject or problem you

wish to address? Describe the subject or

problem and how it affects the criminal

justice system and the public. Discuss

how your approach will improve the

situation or advance the state of the art

of knowledge or state of the science and

explain why it is the most appropriate

approach to take. Give appropriate

citations to the scientific literature. The

source of statistics or research findings

cited to support a statement or position

should be included in a reference list.

2. What do you want to do? Explain

the goal(s) of the project in simple,

straightforward terms. The goals should

describe the intended consequences or

expected overall effect of the proposed

project, rather than the tasks or

activities to be conducted. To the

greatest extent possible, applicants

should avoid a specialized vocabulary

that is not readily understood by the

general public. Technical jargon does

not enhance an application.

3. How will you do it? Describe the

methodology carefully so that what you

propose to do and how you would do

it is clear. All proposed tasks should be

set forth so that a reviewer can see a

logical progression of tasks and relate

those tasks directly to the

accomplishment of the project’s goal(s).

When in doubt about whether to

provide a more detailed explanation or

to assume a particular level of

knowledge or expertise on the part of

the reviewers, err on the side of caution

and provide the additional information.

A description of project tasks also will

help identify necessary budget items.

All staff positions and project costs

should relate directly to the tasks

described. The Institute encourages

applicants to attach letters of

cooperation and support from agencies

that will be involved in or directly

affected by the proposed project.

4. What should you include in a grant

application for a program evaluation?

An evaluation should determine

whether the proposed program, training,

procedure, service, or technology

accomplished the objectives it was

designed to meet. Applicants seeking

support for a proposed evaluation

should describe the criteria that will be

used to evaluate the project’s

effectiveness and identify program

elements that will require further

modification. The description in the

application should include how the

evaluation will be conducted, when it

will occur during the project period,

who will conduct it, and what specific

measures will be used. In most

instances, the evaluation should be

conducted by persons not connected

with the implementation of the

procedure, training, service, or

technique, or the administration of the

project.

5. How will others learn about your

findings? Include a plan to disseminate

the results of the research, evaluation,

technology, or demonstration beyond

the jurisdictions and individuals

directly affected by the project. The plan

should identify the specific methods

that will be used to inform the field

about the project such as the publication

of journal articles or the distribution of

key materials. Expectations regarding

products are discussed more fully in the

following section, ‘‘Requirements for

Award Recipients.’’ A statement that a

report or research findings ‘‘will be

made available to’’ the field is not

sufficient. The specific means of

distribution or dissemination as well as

the types of recipients should be

identified. Reproduction and

dissemination costs are allowable

budget items. Applicants must concisely

describe the interim and final products

and address each product’s purpose,

audience, and usefulness to the field.

This discussion should identify the

principal criminal justice constituency

or type of agency for which each

product is intended and describe how

the constituent group or agency would

be expected to use the product or report.

Successful proposals will clearly

identify the nature of the grant products

that can reasonably be expected if the

project is funded. In addition, a

schedule of delivery dates of all

products should be delineated.

6. What are the specific costs

involved? The budget application

should be presented clearly. Major

budget categories such as personnel,

benefits, travel, supplies, equipment,

and indirect costs should be identified

separately. The components of ‘‘Other’’

or ‘‘Miscellaneous’’ items should be

specified in the application budget

narrative and should not include setasides for undefined contingencies.

7. How much detail should be

included in the budget narrative? The

budget narrative should list all planned

expenditures and detail the salaries,

materials, and cost assumptions used to

estimate project costs. The narrative and

cost estimates should be presented

under the following standard budget

categories: Personnel, fringe benefits,

travel, equipment, supplies, contracts,

other, and indirect costs. For multiyear

projects, applicants must include the

full amount of NIJ funding for the entire

life of the project. This amount should

be reflected in item 15g on Form 424

and line 6k on 424A. When appropriate,

grant applications should include

justification of consultants and a full

explanation of daily rates for any

consultants proposed. To avoid

common shortcomings of application

budget narratives, include the following

information:

Personnel estimates that accurately

provide the amount of time to be spent

by personnel involved with the project

and the total associated costs, including

current salaries for the designated

personnel (e.g., Project Director, 50

percent of 1 year’s annual salary of

$50,000=$25,000). If salary costs are

computed using an hourly or daily rate,

the annual salary and number of hours

or days in a work year should be shown.

Estimates for supplies and expenses

supported by a complete description of

the supplies to be used, nature and

extent of printing to be done,
21900 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

anticipated telephone charges, and other

common expenditures, with the basis

for computing the estimates included

(e.g., 100 reports × 75 pages each ×

$0.05/page = $375.00). Supply and

expense estimates offered simply as

‘‘based on experience’’ are not

sufficient.

8. What travel regulations apply to the

budget estimates? Transportation costs

and per diem rates must comply with

the policies of the applicant

organization, and a copy of the

applicant’s travel policy should be

submitted as an appendix to the

application. If the applicant does not

have a travel policy established in

writing, then travel rates must be

consistent with those established by the

Federal Government. The budget

narrative should state which regulations

are in force for the project and should

include the estimated fare, the number

of persons traveling, the number of trips

to be taken, and the length of stay. The

estimated costs of travel, lodging,

ground transportation, and other

subsistence should be listed separately.

When combined, the subtotals for these

categories should equal the estimate

listed on the budget form.

9. Which forms should be used? A

copy of Standard Form (SF) 424,

Application for Federal Assistance, plus

instructions, appears in the back of this

book. Please follow the instructions

carefully and include all parts and

pages. In addition to SF 424, recent

requirements involve certification

regarding (1) lobbying; (2) debarment,

suspension, and other responsibility

matters; and (3) drug-free workplace

requirements. The certification form

that is attached to SF 424 should be

signed by the appropriate official and

included in the grant application.

10. What technical materials are

required to be included in the

application? A one-page abstract of the

full proposal, highlighting the project’s

purpose, methods, activities, and when

known, the location(s) of field research.

A program narrative, which is the

technical portion of the proposal. It

should include a clear, concise

statement of the problem, goals, and

objectives of the project and related

questions to be explored. A discussion

of the relationship of the proposed work

to the existing literature is expected.

A statement of the project’s

anticipated contribution to criminal

justice policy and practice. It is

important that applicants briefly cite

those particular issues and concerns of

present-day criminal justice policy that

stimulate the proposed line of inquiry

and suggest what their own

investigation would contribute to

current knowledge.

A detailed statement of the proposed

research or study design and analytical

methodologies. The proposed data

sources, data collection strategies,

variables and issues to be examined,

and procedures of analysis to be

employed should be delineated

carefully and completely. When

appropriate, experimental designs are

encouraged because of their potential

relevance to policymaking and the

strength of the evidence they can

produce.

The organization and management

plan to conduct the study. A list of

major milestones of events, activities,

and products and a timetable for

completion that indicates the time

commitments to individual project tasks

should be included. All grant activities,

including writing of the final report,

should be completed within the

duration of the award period.

The applicant’s curriculum vitae

should summarize education, research

experience, and bibliographic

information related to the proposed

work.

11. Use of grant funds. Grant funds

may be used to purchase or lease

equipment essential to accomplishing

the objectives of the project. The budget

narrative must list such equipment and

explain why the equipment is

necessary. Funds may not be used for

operating programs, writing texts or

handbooks, training, etc.

12. To what extent may indirect costs

be included in the budget estimates? It

is the policy of the Institute that all

costs should be budgeted directly;

however, if an applicant has an indirect

cost rate that has been approved by a

Federal agency within the past 2 years,

an indirect cost recovery estimate may

be included in the budget. A copy of the

approved rate agreement should be

submitted as an appendix to the

application. If an applicant does not

have an approved rate agreement, the

applicant should contact the Office of

the Comptroller, Office of Justice

Programs, (202) 307–0604, to obtain

information about preparing an indirect

cost rate proposal.

13. What, if any, matching funds are

required? Units of State and local

governments (not including publicly

supported institutions of higher

education) are encouraged to contribute

a match (cash, noncash, or both) of

requested funds. Other applicants also

are encouraged to seek matching

contributions from other Federal

agencies or private foundations to assist

in meeting the costs of the project.

14. Should other funding sources be

listed? Applicants are expected to

identify all other Federal, local, or

private sources of support, including

other NIJ programs, to which this or a

closely related proposal has been or will

be submitted. This information permits

NIJ to consider the joint funding

potential and limits the possibility of

inadvertent duplicate funding.

Applicants may submit more than one

proposal to NIJ, but the same proposal

cannot be submitted in more than one

program area.

15. What are the deadlines? June 15

and December 15, 1995, and June 17

and December 16, 1996.

16. Is there a page limit? The Institute

has established a limit of 30 doublespaced pages for all normal grant

applications. This page limit does not

include references, budget narrative,

curriculum vitae, or necessary

appendices. Applications for small

grants ($1,000–$50,000) are limited to

15 double-spaced pages. NIJ does not

wish to create elaborate regulations

regarding type fonts, margins, and

spacing. Applicants are cautioned,

however, that obvious attempts to

stretch interpretations of the Institute’s

limits have, in the past, caused proposal

reviewers to regard such efforts

unfavorably.

17. What is the page order? The

following order is mandatory. Omission

can result in rejection of the application:

1. SF 424.

2. Names and affiliations of all key

persons from applicant and

subcontractor(s), advisors, consultants,

and Advisory Board members. Include

the name of the Principal Investigator,

title, organizational affiliation (if any),

department (if institution of higher

education), address, phone, and fax.

3. Abstract.

4. Table of Contents.

5. Budget narrative.

6. Assurances and Certifications, etc.

7. Negotiated rate agreement.

8. Program narrative.

9. References.

10. Re ́sume ́s of key personnel.

18. What does the review process

entail? After all applications for a

competition are received, NIJ will

convene a series of peer review panels

of criminal justice professionals and

researchers. NIJ will assign proposals to

peer panels that it deems most

appropriate. Panel members read each

proposal and meet to assess the

technical merits and policy relevance of

the proposed research. Panel

assessments of the proposals, together

with assessments by NIJ staff, are

submitted to the Director, who has sole

and final authority over approval and
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21901

awards. The review normally takes 60 to

90 days, depending on the number of

applications received. Each applicant

receives written comments from the

peer review panel concerning the

strengths and weaknesses of the

proposal. These comments may include

suggestions for how a revised or

subsequent application to NIJ might be

improved.

19. What are the criteria for an award?

The essential question asked of each

applicant is, ‘‘If this study were

successful, how would criminal justice

policies or operations be improved?’’

Four criteria are applied in the

evaluation process:

Impact of the proposed project.

Feasibility of the approach to the

issue, including technical merit and

practical considerations.

Originality of the approach, including

creativity of the proposal and capability

of the research staff.

Economy of the approach. Applicants

bear the responsibility of demonstrating

to the panel that the proposed study

addresses the critical issues of the topic

area and that the study findings could

ultimately contribute to a practical

application in law enforcement or

criminal justice. Reviewers will assess

applicants’ awareness of related

research or studies and their ability to

direct the research or study toward

answering questions of policy or

improving the state of criminal justice

operations.

Technical merit is judged by the

likelihood that the study design will

produce convincing findings. Reviewers

take into account the logic and timing

of the research or study plan, the

validity and reliability of measures

proposed, the appropriateness of

statistical methods to be used, and each

applicant’s awareness of factors that

might dilute the credibility of the

findings. Impact is judged by the scope

of the proposed approach and by the

utility of the proposed products.

Reviewers consider each applicant’s

understanding of the process of

innovation in the targeted criminal

justice agency or setting and knowledge

of prior uses of criminal justice research

by the proposed criminal justice

constituency. Appropriateness of

products in terms of proposed content

and format is also considered.

Applicants’ qualifications are

evaluated both in terms of the depth of

experience and the relevance of that

experience to the proposed research or

study. Costs are evaluated in terms of

the reasonableness of each item and the

utility of the project to the Institute’s

program.

20. Are there any other considerations

in selecting applications for an award?

Projects should have a national impact

or have potential relevance to a number

of jurisdictions. Because of the broad

national mandate of the National

Institute of Justice, projects that address

the unique concerns of a single

jurisdiction should be fully justified.

Projects that intend to provide services

in addition to performing research are

eligible for support, but only for the

resources necessary to conduct the

research tasks outlined in the proposal.

The applicant’s performance on

previous or current NIJ grants will also

be taken into consideration in making

funding decisions.

21. Who is eligible to apply? NIJ

awards grants to, or enters into

cooperative agreements with,

educational institutions, nonprofit

organizations, public agencies,

individuals, and profitmaking

organizations that are willing to waive

their fees. Where appropriate, special

eligibility criteria are indicated in the

separate solicitations.

22. Does NIJ accept resubmission of

proposals? The Institute will accept

resubmission of a previously submitted

proposal. The applicant should indicate

for Question 8, Form 424, that the

application is a revision. The applicant

should include this information in the

abstract. Finally, the applicant should

prepare a one-page response to the

earlier panel review (to follow the

abstract) including (1) the title,

submission date, and NIJ-assigned

application number of the previous

proposal and (2) a brief summary of

responses to the review and/or revisions

to the proposal.

NIJ Policy Regarding Unsolicited

Proposals

It is NIJ’s policy to submit all

unsolicited proposals to peer review.

NIJ’s peer review process takes place in

periodic cycles; unsolicited proposals

received will be included in the next

available review cycle. NIJ will offer the

applicant the option of revising the

proposal in accordance with the

program goals established in the Plan or,

alternatively, submitting the original

proposal to the peer panel it deems most

appropriate.

Requirements for Award Recipients

Required Products

Each project is expected to generate

tangible products of maximum benefit

to criminal justice professionals,

researchers, and policymakers. In

particular, NIJ strongly encourages

documents that provide information of

practical utility to law enforcement

officials; prosecutors; judges;

corrections officers; victims services

providers; and Federal, State, county,

and local elected officials. Products

should include:

A summary of approximately 2,500

words highlighting the findings of the

research and the policy issues those

findings will inform. The material

should be written in a style that will be

accessible to policy officials and

practitioners and suitable for possible

publication as an NIJ Research in Brief.

An NIJ editorial style guide is sent to

each project director at the time of the

award.

A full technical report, including a

discussion of the research question,

review of the literature, description of

project methodology, detailed review of

project findings, and conclusions and

policy recommendations.

Clean copies of all automated data

sets developed during the research and

full documentation prepared in

accordance with the instructions in the

NIJ Data Resources Manual.

Brief project summaries for NIJ use in

preparing annual reports to the

President and the Congress. As

appropriate, additional products such as

case studies and interim and final

reports (e.g., articles, manuals, or

training materials) may be specified in

the proposal or negotiated at the time of

the award.

Public Release of Automated Data Sets

NIJ is committed to ensuring the

public availability of research data and

to this end established its Data

Resources Program in 1984. All NIJ

award recipients who collect data are

required to submit a machine-readable

copy of the data and appropriate

documentation to NIJ prior to the

conclusion of the project. The data and

materials are reviewed for

completeness. NIJ staff then create

machine-readable data sets, prepare

users’’ guides, and distribute data and

documentation to other researchers in

the field. A variety of formats are

acceptable; however, the data and

materials must conform with

requirements detailed in Depositing

Data With the Data Resources Program

of the National Institute of Justice: A

Handbook. A copy of this handbook is

sent to each project director at the time

of the award. For further information

about NIJ’s Data Resources Program,

contact Dr. Pamela Lattimore, (202)

307–2961.
21902 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

Standards of Performance by

Recipients

NIJ expects individuals and

institutions receiving its support to

work diligently and professionally

toward completing a high-quality

research or study product. Besides this

general expectation, the Institute

imposes specific requirements to ensure

that proper financial and administrative

controls are applied to the project.

Financial and general reporting

requirements are detailed in Financial

and Administrative Guide for Grants, a

publication of the Office of Justice

Programs. This guideline manual is sent

to recipient institutions with the award

documents. Project directors and

recipient financial administrators

should pay particular attention to the

regulations in this document.

Program Monitoring

Award recipients and Principal

Investigators assume certain

responsibilities as part of their

participation in government-sponsored

research and evaluation. NIJ’s

monitoring activities are intended to

help grantees meet these

responsibilities. They are based on good

communication and open dialogue, with

collegiality and mutual respect. Some of

the elements of this dialogue are:

Communication with NIJ in the early

stages of the grant, as the elements of

the proposal’s design and methodology

are developed and operationalized.

Timely communication with NIJ

regarding any developments that might

affect the project’s compliance with the

schedules, milestones, and products set

forth in the proposal. (See statement on

Timeliness, below.)

Communication with other NIJ

grantees conducting related research

projects. An annual ‘‘cluster

conference’’ should be anticipated and

should be budgeted for by applicants at

a cost of $1,000 for each year of the

grant.

Providing NIJ on request with brief

descriptions of the project in interim

stages at such time as the Institute may

need this information to meet its

reporting requirements to the Congress.

NIJ will give as much advance

notification of these requests as

possible, but will expect a timely

response from grantees when requests

are made. NIJ is prepared to receive

such communication through electronic

media.

Providing NIJ with copies of

presentations made at conferences,

meetings, and elsewhere based in whole

or in part on the work of the project.

Providing NIJ with prepublication

copies of articles based on the project

appearing in professional journals or the

media, either during the life of the grant

or after.

Other reporting requirements

(Progress Reports, Final Reports, and

other grant products) are spelled out

elsewhere in this section of the Research

Plan. Financial reporting requirements

will be described in the grant award

documents received by successful

applicants.

Communications

NIJ Program Managers should be kept

informed of research progress. Written

progress reports are required on a

quarterly basis. All awards use standard

quarterly reporting periods (January 1

through March 31, April 1 through June

30, and so forth) regardless of the

project’s start date. Progress reports will

inform the monitor which tasks have

been completed and whether significant

delays or departures from the original

workplan are expected.

Timeliness

Grantees are expected to complete

award products within the timeframes

that have been agreed upon by NIJ and

the grantee. The Institute recognizes that

there are legitimate reasons for project

extensions. However, NIJ does not

consider the assumption of additional

research projects that impinge upon

previous time commitments as

legitimate reasons for delay. Projects

with unreasonable delays can be

terminated administratively. In this

situation, any funds remaining are

withdrawn. Future applications from

either the project director or the

recipient institution are subject to strict

scrutiny and may be denied support

based on past failure to meet minimum

standards.

Publications

The Institute encourages grantees to

prepare their work for NIJ publication.

In cases where grantees disseminate

their findings through a variety of

media, such as professional journals,

books, and conferences, copies of such

publications should be sent to the

Program Manager as they become

available, even if they appear well after

a project’s expiration. NIJ imposes no

restriction on such publications other

than the following acknowledgment and

disclaimer: This research was supported

by grant number lllll from the

National Institute of Justice. Points of

view are those of the author(s) and do

not necessarily represent the position of

the U.S. Department of Justice.

Data Confidentiality and Human

Subjects Protection

Research that examines individual

traits and experiences plays a vital part

in expanding our knowledge about

criminal behavior. It is essential,

however, that researchers protect

subjects from needless risk of harm or

embarrassment and proceed with their

willing and informed cooperation. NIJ

requires that investigators protect

information identifiable to research

participants. When information is

safeguarded, it is protected by statute

from being used in legal proceedings:

‘‘[S]uch information and copies thereof

shall be immune from legal process, and

shall not, without the consent of the

person furnishing such information, be

admitted as evidence or used for any

purpose in any action, suit, or other

judicial, legislative, or administrative

proceedings’’ (42 U.S.C. 3789g).

Applicants should file their plans to

protect sensitive information as part of

their proposal. Necessary safeguards are

detailed in 28 Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR), ¶ 22. A short ‘‘howto’’ guideline for developing a privacy

and confidentiality plan can be obtained

from NIJ program managers.

In addition, the U.S. Department of

Justice has adopted Human Subjects

policies similar to those established by

the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. In general, these

policies exempt most NIJ-supported

research from Institutional Review

Board (IRB) review. However, the

Institute may find in certain instances

that subjects or subject matters may

require IRB review. These exceptions

will be decided on an individual basis

during application review. Researchers

are encouraged to review 28 CFR part

46, ¶ 46.101 to determine their

individual project requirements.

Jeremy Travis,

Director, National Institute of Justice.

Office for Victims of Crime Notice of FY

1995 Discretionary Program Plan

This Program Announcement is outlined as

follows:

I. Introduction

II. New, Competitive Programs

A. Promising Strategies and Practices to

Improve Services to Crime Victims

1. Law Enforcement Agencies

2. Evidentiary Medical Examinations

a. Nurse Examiners

b. Specialized Settings

3. Prosecutors

4. Probation and Parole Agencies

5. Corrections Agencies

6. Judiciary

7. Rural Areas

8. Professional Education

9. Technology

10. White Collar Crime Victims
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21903

11. Healing Through Community Service

12. Guidelines for Victim/Offender

Mediation and Dialogue

13. Workplace Violence

B. Training and Technical Assistance for

Crime Victim Practitioners and Allied

Professionals

1. Regional Seminars for Establishing

Community and Institutional Crisis

Response Teams

2. Conference Support Training Initiative

3. National Symposium on Victims of

Federal Crime

4. Training of Trainers Seminars

a. Victim Services in Rural Areas

b. Responding to Staff Victimization

c. Victim Impact Classes for Offenders

5. Resources for State Compensation and

Assistance Administrators

a. National Technical Assistance

Conference for State VOCA Assistance

Administrators

b. Regional Technical Assistance Meetings

for State VOCA Administrators

c. Mentor Program for VOCA

Administrators

C. Information Dissemination

1. Videotapes

a. Cultural Diversity

b. Path Through the Criminal Justice

System

c. Victim Issues for Parole Boards

2. Resources for National Crime Victims

Rights Week, 1996

D. Native American Programs

1. Training and Technical Assistance for

Victims of Federal Crime in Indian

Country Discretionary Grant Subgrantees

2. Children’s Justice Act Discretionary

Grant Program for Native Americans

3. Cross-Cultural Skills Development and

Training for Federal Criminal Justice

Personnel in Indian Country

4. Indian Nations Conference

III. Non-Competitive Programs

A. OVC Training and Technical Assistance

Resources

1. OVC Trainers Bureau

2. Immediate Response to Emerging

Problems

3. Emergency Fund for Federal Crime

Victims

B. Training and Technical Assistance for

Federal Law Enforcement

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation InService Training Support

2. Federal Law Enforcement Training

Center

3. Federal Victim-Witness Training Events

4. Training-Related Travel for Federal

Personnel

C. Training and Technical Assistance for

Federal Victim-Witness Coordinators

and Assistant U.S. Attorneys

1. Development of a Model U.S. Attorney

Victim-Witness Program

2. Dual Track Training

3. District-Specific Training

4. Huntsville Child Sexual Abuse

Conference

D. Training and Technical Assistance for

Victim Assistance Providers and Allied

Professionals

1. Multijurisdictional Model for Child

Sexual Exploitation Cases

2. Resources for Children’s Advocacy

Centers

3. Violence Against Women

a. Training and Technical Assistance

b. Anti-Stalking Resource Group

4. National TRIAD Trainings

5. Training for Military Chaplains

6. Bias Crime Training for Law

Enforcement and Victim Assistance

Professionals

7. Victim Assistance in Public Housing

E. Native American Programs

1. Assistance to Victims of Federal Crime

in Indian Country

2. Training and Technical Assistance for

Native American Children’s Justice Act

Grantees

3. Court Appointed Special Advocates

(CASA) in Indian Country

4. Children’s Justice Act Discretionary

Grant Program for Native Americans

5. Travel/Training and Technical

Assistance for Native Americans

6. Tribal Judges Symposium

F. Information Dissemination

1. OVC Resource Center

2. Crime Victim Compensation Videotape

3. Reproduction of Federal Victim

Assistance Informational Materials

a. Attorney General Guidelines for Victim

and Witness Assistance

b. Federal Resource Book

c. Prosecution of Child Abuse

d. Victim-Witness Briefing Packages

e. ‘‘Going to Court’’ Activity Books

4. Conference and Meeting Support

G. Restorative Justice Symposium

IV. National Crime Victims Agenda: Update

of the 1982 Final Report of the

President’s Task Force on Victims of

Crime

V. Solicitations for FY 1996

A. Victim Assistance Academy

B. Victim Assistance Training for Military

Victim Assistance Providers

C. Concept Papers for FY 1996

VI. Eligibility Requirements

VII. Application Requirements

VIII. Procedures for Selection

IX. Submission Requirements

X. Civil Rights Compliance

XI. Audit Requirements

XII. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Numbers

I. Introduction

Violent crime is a shattering

experience. It can destroy a person’s

sense of safety and security in the

world. Of paramount importance to

victims and survivors of crime is an

assurance that their government cares

about their suffering, offers support to

help them heal, and holds the criminal

accountable for the harm caused.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)

was created by the Victims of Crime Act

of 1984 (VOCA) to help ensure justice

and healing for our nation’s crime

victims. In carrying out this mission,

OVC provides funding for crucial victim

services, supports training for the

diverse professionals who work with

crime victims, and develops projects to

enhance victims’ rights and services.

OVC administers two formula and many

discretionary grant programs designed

to benefit victims. These programs are

funded by the Crime Victims Fund

(Fund), which is derived from the fines,

penalty assessments, and bail forfeitures

of Federal criminal offenders—not from

tax dollars. In Fiscal Year (FY) 1995,

OVC has about $150 million to support

critical services to crime victims and

national-scope training and technical

assistance.

Approximately 90 percent of the

money in the Fund each year is

allocated to states for funding of victim

assistance and compensation programs.

These programs provide the lifeline

services that help victims to heal.

Victim assistance funds support nearly

3,000 local victim services agencies,

such as family violence shelters, child

advocacy centers, and sexual assault

treatment programs. Compensation

funds supplement state efforts to

reimburse victims for out-of-pocket

expenses resulting from crime,

including medical costs, lost wages, and

mental health counseling.

Guidelines and application

information for the FY 1995 state

compensation and assistance formula

grant programs were previously issued

to eligible state agencies. OVC will

award $144,223,998 from the Crime

Victims Fund to support these two

important formula grant programs. In

addition, $10 million was made

available from the Fund pursuant to the

Children’s Justice Act, with $8.5 million

designated for the Department of Health

and Human Services (HHS) and $1.5

million designated for OVC to support

local child abuse programs. The

Administrative Office of U.S. Courts

received $6.2 million to improve

criminal debt collection efforts.

This program announcement

describes 30 new programs that will be

bid competitively and 33 noncompetitive and continuation programs.

Some of these programs include a

number of separate initiatives and

conferences, such as the Children’s

Justice Act discretionary grant program,

which will fund five to eight new grants

within that one program.

Goals

OVC has established six goals for

allocating discretionary training and

technical assistance dollars in its 1995

program plan:

• To identify and promote the use of

promising practices in serving crime

victims;

• To provide and encourage training

and technical assistance for all service

providers who interact with crime

victims;
21904 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

• To develop and disseminate

information to victims of crime and the

people who serve them;

• To work closely with Native

American communities to help provide

needed services for crime victims;

• To create partnerships with other

Department of Justice entities,

governmental agencies, communities,

and organizations; and

• To develop a national crime victims

agenda that provides a guide for longterm action and sets forth future training

and technical assistance needs.

These goals reflect the Attorney

General’s strong commitment to the

rights and needs of crime victims,

partnerships between all levels of

government and communities, and the

dissemination of effective approaches to

provide services to crime victims. They

also meet OVC’s legislative mandates to

provide national-scope training and

technical assistance, ensure services to

victims of Federal crimes, and work

with Native American communities to

respond to crime victims.

Listed below are some of OVC’s

proposed projects that correspond to the

goals described above:

1. To identify and promote the use of

promising practices in serving crime

victims.

To accomplish this goal, OVC will

fund projects to identify innovative and

promising crime victim programs in

local communities across the country.

These include projects to:

• Identify and disseminate

information about promising strategies

and practices to improve victim services

provided by diverse criminal justice

professionals, including law

enforcement, prosecutors, judges,

probation and parole personnel, and

corrections officials;

• Identify and disseminate

information about promising

approaches for providing and

maintaining victim services in

underserved settings, such as in rural

areas and public housing developments;

• Explore avenues for applying

technology to improve and increase

services for crime victims;

• Assist in the development and pilot

testing of a model victim/witness

program within a U.S. Attorney’s Office;

• Identify and develop courses and

curricula on crime victim issues for use

at related undergraduate and graduate

programs, including schools of law,

medicine, social work, mental health,

and criminal justice; and

• Support local partnerships and

multidisciplinary programs, such as

TRIAD and Children’s Advocacy

Centers.

Part of OVC’s challenge is to identify

and promote the replication of

promising programs so that victims and

service providers nationwide can

benefit from these innovations.

2. To provide and encourage training

and technical assistance for service

providers who interact with crime

victims.

Training and technical assistance is

critical to ensuring the highest quality of

service and care to crime victims by the

many different professionals who work

with them. These professionals include

law enforcement, prosecutors, judges,

probation and parole officers, and

corrections officials who work within

state and Federal criminal justice

systems. They also include mental

health professionals, doctors and

nurses, the clergy, and others who

regularly interact with victims of crime.

At the Federal level alone, there are

more than 70 different law enforcement

entities within the Department of Justice

and other Executive Branch agencies

that are responsible for serving crime

victims in accordance with guidelines

issued by the Attorney General.

OVC will continue to support two

flexible training and technical

assistance resources that offer

customized services to agencies at the

state and local levels:

• A Trainers Bureau that pays for

expert consultants to provide training

and technical assistance on issues

requested by local communities; and

• The Immediate Response to

Emerging Problems (IREP) initiative that

provides a crisis response team if

requested by a community to assist in

dealing with a catastrophic crime, such

as a mass murder.

• Examples of other types of training

and technical assistance that OVC will

fund are:

• National and regional training

conferences for state VOCA

administrators, victim-witness

coordinators, and child advocacy

workers;

• Regional training seminars to assist

communities and institutions to be

prepared for multiple victimizations by

establishing their own crisis response

plans and teams;

• Team approaches that strengthen

the response of criminal justice agencies

to the many forms of violence against

women and children;

• Hate and bias crimes training for

law enforcement and victim service

personnel;

• Training events at the Department

of Treasury’s Federal Law Enforcement

Training Center (FLETC) and the

National Symposium for Child Sexual

Abuse in Huntsville, Alabama to

sensitize officials to victim/witness

issues and promote ‘‘team approaches’’

in handling cases;

• The first national symposium to

provide high-quality victim assistance

training for victim-witness coordinators

from all Federal law enforcement

agencies;

• Victim assistance programs in

Native American communities,

including an Indian Nations’ Conference

in 1996;

• Assistance to military personnel

and clergy who work with victims of

crime on military installations; and

• Mentoring programs to facilitate onsite training at promising programs for

state VOCA administrators and

multidisciplinary teams.

In addition, OVC will continue to

monitor the development of the Victim

Assistance Academy funded last year to

provide high-quality intensive training

to victim service providers across the

country from Federal, state, tribal, and

local communities. OVC anticipates that

the Academy will provide a curriculum

to help professionalize the field and

develop standards for victim service

providers.

3. To develop and disseminate

information to victims of crime and the

people who serve them.

To achieve this goal, OVC will

disseminate the findings of its projects

that identify promising practices

currently being used in the field. In

addition, OVC is supporting other

initiatives that will directly benefit

crime victims. These include:

• A videotape describing how victims

can obtain compensation to reimburse

expenses related to their victimization;

• A booklet, ‘‘Healing Through

Community Service,’’ that will describe

case studies of victims whose

contributions to the community have

helped them heal and suggest other

therapeutic strategies;

• A videotape, ‘‘Path Through the

Criminal Justice System,’’ that will

describe what victims can expect as

their case proceeds through the system;

and

• Activity books designed for

children who will be testifying in

Federal court to increase their

understanding of the process. These

books accompany a film that was

funded by OVC last year.

These products and reports describing

promising practices will be distributed

through the OVC Resource Center, as

well as at the many conferences OVC

sponsors and supports around the

country. Numerous products are already

available through the Resource Center,

which can be reached at 1–800–627–

6872. OVC will augment its funding
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21905

commitment to the Resource Center to

improve its capacity to provide crucial

information directly to the public and

the field.

Finally, OVC will contribute all

findings and publications to PAVNET,

the Partnerships Against Violence

Network. PAVNET is an integrated

information system that pools ideas,

information, and resources about

promising programs, technical

assistance, and funding sources. As

OVC and its grantees identify promising

programs and strategies in the field,

information about these will be added to

the on-line search and retrieval system

available through the National Criminal

Justice Reference Service and a Federal

agency coalition that includes the

Departments of Justice, Agriculture,

Education, Health and Human Services,

Housing and Urban Development, and

Labor.

4. To work closely with Native

American communities to assist in the

provision of needed services for crime

victims.

OVC is committed to providing

extensive, culturally appropriate

services to crime victims in Native

American communities. The Native

American programs that OVC will fund

this year include:

• Comprehensive training and

technical assistance for Children’s

Justice Act grantees in Indian Country to

enhance victim service skills and

facilitate a team approach in responding

to child sexual abuse cases;

• Cross-cultural skills development

and training for Federal criminal justice

personnel to enhance their ability to

serve Native American crime victims;

• An Indian Nations’ conference that

will improve the skills of diverse

professionals in responding to the needs

of Native American crime victims and

in addressing cases of child sexual and

physical abuse in Indian Country;

• Court Appointed Special Advocate

(CASA) programs in Indian Country to

ensure that trained advocates represent

the best interests of Native American

child victims in court; and

• A project to provide training for

tribal judges, based upon topics

identified through a needs assessment.

5. To create partnerships with other

Department of Justice (DOJ) entities,

governmental agencies, communities,

and organizations.

Partnerships are a key element in this

year’s discretionary program plan. OVC

recognizes that no program can reach its

best potential in isolation. To that end,

this program announcement itself

reflects collaborative efforts between

OVC and all other offices and bureaus

within OJP; many DOJ components; and

diverse Federal agencies.

Joint projects with other OJP

components include:

• Eleven separate projects or fund

transfers jointly sponsored by OVC and

the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA),

including training on hate and bias

crimes, victim services in public

housing, community and institutional

crisis response teams, and a videotape

on cultural diversity;

• Four projects or fund transfers

jointly sponsored by OVC and the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP), including training

on a multi-jurisdictional model for

handling child sexual exploitation cases

and seminars to train trainers in the use

of victim impact classes, including

classes for juvenile offenders;

• A restorative justice symposium

cosponsored by OVC and the National

Institute of Justice (NIJ) to examine how

restorative justice concepts and

practices can improve the treatment of

victims and increase the involvement of

communities in the criminal justice

process. OVC also will work with NIJ on

NIJ’s victims’ related research and to

include information about promising

programs and strategies in PAVNET;

and

• Collaborative projects between OVC

and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)

to enhance the National Crime

Victimization Survey and improve

OVC’s efforts to collect data and assess

its grant programs.

OVC also reaches outside of OJP to

work with other components of the

Department of Justice. Examples

include:

• Collaboration with the Executive

Office of U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) to

provide training for Federal victimwitness coordinators and prosecutors

and to create a model victim-witness

program for U.S. Attorneys’ Offices

nationwide;

• Work with the FBI to strengthen its

victim-witness program;

• Coordination of projects in Indian

Country with DOJ’s Office of Tribal

Services;

• Collaboration with the Criminal

Division’s Child Exploitation and

Obscenity Section to develop policies

regarding child sexual abuse; and

• Cooperation with DOJ’s Financial

Litigation and Debt Collection staff to

maintain the integrity of the Crime

Victims Fund.

In addition, OVC works in concert

with other Federal agencies to carry out

its mission. This includes:

• Collaboration with the Department

of Health and Human Services (HHS) to

implement the Children’s Justice Act

(CJA) programs, with OVC

administering CJA programs to tribal

organizations, and HHS administering

the program in the states;

• A collaborative effort with the

Administration on Aging at HHS, BJA,

the National Sheriffs’ Association, the

International Association of Chiefs of

Police, and older American

organizations to encourage replication

of TRIAD programs, which are

partnerships between local law

enforcement and senior citizen

organizations;

• Sponsorship with the Department

of Defense of victim assistance training

for military victim service providers and

military chaplains; and

• A symposium on workplace

violence issues that would include

participation by a number of Federal

agencies, including HHS, the

Department of Labor, and the United

States Postal Service.

These examples are representative—

not exhaustive—of OVC collaboration

with other agencies and organizations

and its commitment to continue

developing partnerships throughout all

levels of government to improve crime

victim services.

OVC is in the process of exploring

new partnerships with public and

private sector organizations, including

foundations. Moreover, the program

strategy and selection criteria for

projects encourage applicants to

collaborate whenever possible.

6. To develop a national crime victims

agenda that provides a guide for longterm action and sets forth future training

and technical assistance needs.

In 1982, President Reagan appointed

a Task Force on Victims of Crime to

study a long overlooked constituency of

our criminal justice system—crime

victims. This task force examined the

way crime victims were treated by the

criminal justice system and held public

hearings around the country. It found

that the system was severely

imbalanced, almost entirely focusing on

the criminal, while ignoring the rights

and needs of victims. In its final report,

the Task Force issued a comprehensive

blueprint of 68 recommendations

designed to improve the treatment of

crime victims by the criminal justice

system and other sectors of society. This

document, the first Federal study of its

kind, served to spearhead a national

movement to secure specific victim

rights and develop services that are

responsive to victims’ unique needs. Its

proposals also lead to the legislation

that created OVC and the Crime Victims

Fund.

Using FY 1995 and 1996 funding,

OVC will produce a document updating
21906 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

the 1982 report. This update will not

only describe the progress made in

victim services during the past thirteen

years, but also will describe a plan for

the future, including promising

practices, model programs and

legislation, and needed national-scope

training and technical assistance

programs. OVC hopes that this new

report, like the landmark 1982

publication, will become a guide for

long-term action to improve victims’

rights and services into the next

century.

DATES: This Program Announcement is

effective May 3, 1995. All applications

for new, competitive programs are due

by 5 p.m. on July 3, 1995. All

applications for FY 1996 funding are

due by 5 p.m. on August 1, 1995.

Postmarks are not acceptable.

Program Announcement Development

OVC solicited input from a wide

variety of sources in developing the

proposals contained within this

program announcement. A request for

concept papers from the field was made

in OVC’s FY 1994 program

announcement. OVC received 45

responses. OVC also sought input from

the field at a number of training

conferences around the country,

including meetings with U.S. Attorneys

and LECC/Victim-Witness Coordinators,

Native American representatives, state

VOCA Compensation and Assistance

Administrators, and victim advocates at

the national, state, and local levels. The

program plan reflects much of that

input. Those suggestions that fell

outside of OVC’s statutory authority

were shared with other DOJ components

for their consideration.

Competitive and Continuation Grants

This program announcement contains

new competitive, non-competitive, and

continuation grants, as well as

information on interagency agreements.

Discretionary grants for new programs

are generally awarded through a

competitive process. The programs are

open to a broad range of public and

private non-profit organizations.

Awards will be made to organizations

and agencies that offer the greatest

potential for achieving the objectives

outlined in the description of each

program. Selections primarily will be

made on the basis of the information

provided in the applicants’ proposals.

However, the Director also may consider

any unsatisfactory past performance of

applicants on OVC or OJP grants.

To supplement and assist in the

consideration and review of

applications by the program office, all

competitive applications will be rated

by a peer review panel of experts in the

program areas. The panel will make

recommendations for funding to the

Director of OVC, who has final funding

authority. The panel will rate competing

applicants by numerical values based on

the point distribution identified in the

Selection Criteria (see Section VIII for

details). Letters will be sent to all

applicants notifying them of the final

decision regarding their proposal. At

their request, unsuccessful applicants

will be notified of the major deficiencies

identified in their application by the

panel. OVC will negotiate specific terms

of the awards with the selected

applicants based upon the comments of

panel members and OVC program

managers. No awards will be granted

until and unless selected applicants

agree to terms specified by OVC.

For continuation programs, the

awards are limited to specific

organizations/grantees who have

previously received at least one year of

funding for a previous year’s program

solicitation. Continuation awards will

be negotiated directly with current

grantees to support further program

activities or with organizations that are

uniquely qualified to address

subsequent phases of previously funded

projects.

II. New, Competitive Programs

All grantees that are awarded funding

for new programs following the OVC

peer review and selection process are

expected to work closely with the OVC

project monitor during all phases of the

award period.

All written products resulting from

these grants must be submitted on

computer disk, as well as in hard copy.

Grantees will be expected to submit a

short monograph or summary of the

project and its findings (5–10 pages) that

may be published as an OVC Bulletin.

A. Promising Strategies and Practices To

Improve Services to Crime Victims

Promising Strategies and Practices for

Law Enforcement Agencies (Cooperative

Agreement)—Award Amount: $75,000

Purpose: To identify and document

innovative policies, procedures,

practices, and programs used by law

enforcement agencies to respond to the

needs of crime victims and to develop

a plan for their dissemination.

Background: Law enforcement

officers usually are the first criminal

justice personnel to interact with crime

victims. The way in which they treat

victims can have a profound impact on

how well and how quickly they recover

from traumatic events.

Experienced law enforcement

professionals are keenly aware of their

responsibility toward victims. As a

result, many agencies at both the federal

and local level have developed a variety

of innovative approaches to assisting

victims. These include: Brochures that

explain what victims can expect to

happen as their case moves through the

criminal justice system; wallet-sized

cards that list victims rights and local

resources; innovative ways of utilizing

social service workers and volunteers;

and partnerships with others, including

community groups, to enhance victim

services.

Goal: To increase and enhance

services provided to crime victims by

law enforcement personnel.

Objectives:

• To identify the elements of effective

or promising approaches law

enforcement can use to assist victims;

• To find existing policies,

procedures, practices, and programs that

contain these elements;

• To prepare detailed descriptions of

the promising strategies; and

• To prepare a plan for disseminating

this information to law enforcement

agencies.

Program Strategy: With OVC, the

grantee first will identify Federal and

local law enforcement and victim

assistance experts who can help develop

criteria for determining what strategies

can be considered ‘‘promising.’’ The

grantee then will conduct a review of

programs in the field to identify

policies, procedures, practices, and

programs that meet the criteria. The

review should include an examination

of tribal agency practices in Indian

Country, Federal approaches, and state

and local programs.

The project staff will collect

information about promising strategies

in sufficient detail to allow other

agencies to replicate them. This

information will be compiled into a

compendium of ‘‘Promising Victim

Assistance Strategies for Law

Enforcement Agencies.’’ A shorter

version of the document will be

prepared for publication as an OVC

Bulletin.

The products of this project include:

• Selection criteria for promising

strategies;

• Assessment Plan for identifying

qualifying strategies;

• Comprehensive descriptions of the

essential elements of each promising

strategy or program;

• Compendium of Promising

Strategies and Practices, in complete

and shortened Bulletin format;

• Final Report, including project

assessment; and

• A dissemination plan.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21907

applicants must demonstrate knowledge

of victim assistance strategies in law

enforcement, as well as victim rights

and services related to the criminal

justice system.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Duane Ragan, (202) 307–

2021.

Promising Strategies and Practices for

Evidentiary Medical Examinations,

Including the Use of Nurse Examiners

and Special Settings—Award Amount:

$50,000

Purpose: To describe promising

practices for utilizing victim-oriented

medical settings and nurse examiner

programs to conduct evidentiary

medical examinations.

Background: In many places, victims

of sexual assault and child abuse who

arrive at hospital emergency rooms

often have to contend with a lack of

privacy, long waits for doctors who are

busy attending to other medical

emergencies, a lack of emotional

support throughout the forensic

examination process, and an

impersonal, chaotic environment. These

conditions not only compound the

trauma experienced by victims, but

discourage many victims from coming

forward to report the crime or to obtain

necessary assistance and medical

services. To address these issues, some

jurisdictions have developed sexual

assault nurse examiner programs, in

which nurses who are specially trained

to address the medical and emotional

needs of victims perform the

examinations in a setting especially

designed for victims. The intent of these

programs is to free doctors to attend to

other medical emergencies; to use

consistent forensic examination

practices to ensure appropriate steps are

followed in collecting, handling, and

storing evidence; and, most importantly,

to assist sexual assault victims in a

compassionate and sensitive manner.

Various communities have found that

examination rooms designed for victims

seem to increase their willingness to

participate in the criminal justice

system. They have also found that the

use of trained nurse examiners can

reduce costs, as well as enhance the

provision of services.

Goals:

• To increase victim participation in

the criminal justice system by

facilitating the use of nurse examiners

and special settings for expert medical

examinations; and

• To promote consistent and quality

practices in providing expert medical

examinations for victims of sexual

assault and child sexual abuse.

Objectives:

• To survey and assess promising

policies, procedures, and training

materials used by sexual assault nurse

examiner programs around the country;

• To give the details regarding the

training provided to nurse examiners

and how to set up special medical

settings for expert medical

examinations;

• To issue a guidebook on the

operation of sexual assault nurse

examiner programs for the field;

• To identify competent, experienced

sexual assault nurse examiners for

training purposes;

• To assess whether nurse examiner

programs are useful in providing

evidentiary medical examinations to

child sexual abuse victims; and

• To provide information about the

use of specialized clinics or rooms to

conduct these examinations.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for a grantee to

develop a guidebook on how to

implement and operate a nurse

examiners program for victims of sexual

assault and how to establish

examination rooms especially designed

for victims. The grantee also will

explore whether similar programs can

be established for child sexual abuse

victims. The program will be comprised

of three phases:

I. Assessment: This phase entails the

identification and assessment of

materials currently describing or in use

by sexual assault nurse examiner

programs. As part of the assessment, the

grantee will convene an advisory board

of experienced nurse examiners and

administrators of such programs, as well

as representatives from law enforcement

and prosecutors’ offices, for their input

and for the review of collected

materials. The activities to be completed

are:

• Establishment of an advisory

committee;

• Development and submission of a

plan and criteria for surveying and

assessing sexual assault nurse examiner

programs, similar programs for child

sexual abuse victims, and use of

medical settings especially designed for

victims;

• Survey and review of literature,

policies, procedures, and practices for

sexual assault nurse examiner programs

and use of special examination settings;

• Identification and description of

model programs nationwide; and

• Preparation of an assessment report

of findings.

II. Development of Prototype: Upon

completion of the first phase, the

grantee will, in collaboration with its

advisory board, develop a model

program brief for implementing and

operating a sexual assault nurse

examiner program and for establishing

special settings for expert medical

examinations. The brief will highlight

essential components of nurse examiner

programs, as well as optional or

adaptable elements from model

programs around the nation. Attention

will be given to issues such as training

and credentialing of nurse examiners, as

well as qualifying them to testify in

court. The brief will also describe

examples of special medical settings

used for expert medical examinations of

crime victims. The activities for this

phase are:

• Development and drafting of model

program elements;

• Highlighting of model programs

identified by the survey; and

• Review and refinement of draft

product.

III. Finalization of Products: Upon

completion of the second phase, the

grantee will produce the guidebook and

make it available to the field. The

activities for this phase are:

• Development and draft of

guidebook, consisting of the model

program brief and accompanying

instruction on how to set up a sexual

assault nurse examiner program and

clinic designed for victims;

• Review and refinement of draft;

• Development of a plan for product

dissemination;

• Identification in list form with

supporting vitae of training and

technical assistance staff for addition to

the OVC Trainer’s Bureau;

• Preparation of a final report on the

project; and

• Preparation of an OVC Bulletin

summarizing the project’s findings.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Expert knowledge of trauma related

to sexual assault and unique needs of

these victims;

• Expertise in conducting nationalscope information searches;

• Knowledge of issues associated

with the criminal justice system’s

handling of crime victims and, more

specifically, service provision to sexual

assault victims; and

• Management and financial

capability to oversee a project of this

size and scope.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Melanie Smith, (202) 616–

3575.

Promising Strategies and Practices for

Prosecutors (Cooperative Agreement)—

Award Amount: $50,000

Purpose: To identify and document

innovative policies, procedures,
21908 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

practices, and programs used by

prosecutors’ offices to respond to the

needs of crime victims, and to develop

a plan for their dissemination.

Background: The prosecutor is a

pivotal figure in the criminal justice

system for victims. Prosecutors

represent the state and manage the case

against the offender. They should

inform victims of the status of their case

from the time of charging to the final

disposition. They also should inform

the court about the victims’ views on

key decisions, such as bail, plea

bargains, and sentencing, and make

every effort to allow victims the

opportunity to be heard by the court.

Prosecutors must try to protect victims

from any threats, intimidation, or

harassment from offenders. In addition,

prosecutors should ensure that victims

have the support and assistance they

need in order to participate fully in the

criminal justice process.

Goal: To increase and enhance

services provided by prosecutors to

crime victims.

Objectives:

• To identify the elements of

exemplary victim-related prosecutorial

practices;

• To find existing practices and

programs that contain these elements;

• To prepare detailed descriptions of

the promising practices; and

• To prepare a plan for disseminating

this information to prosecutors’ offices

nationwide.

Program Strategy: This initiative will

identify the most promising victimrelated prosecutorial practices and

programs, describe their essential

elements, and make that information

available to prosecutors’ offices. The

grantee will first identify prosecution

experts who can assist in developing

criteria for determining what practices

can be considered ‘‘promising.’’

Examples of promising practices might

include specialized units to handle

certain types of cases, such as sexual

assault or domestic violence; vertical

prosecution; and community-based

prosecutor’s offices. The grantee will

then conduct an overview of the field to

identify practices and programs that

meet the criteria. The review should

include an examination of tribal agency

practices in Indian Country and state

and local programs. Under another grant

to a U.S. Attorney’s office, which is

described later, promising approaches

used by Federal prosecutors are being

identified and documented.

Once the promising practices and

programs have been identified, project

staff will collect information in

sufficient detail to allow other agencies

to replicate them. This information will

be compiled into a compendium of

‘‘Promising Strategies and Practices for

Prosecutors.’’ A shorter version of the

document will be prepared for

publication as an OVC Bulletin.

The products of this project include:

• Selection criteria for promising

practices;

• Assessment Plan for identifying

promising practices;

• Comprehensive descriptions of the

essential elements of each promising

strategy or program;

• Compendium of Promising

Practices, in complete and shortened

Bulletin format;

• Final Report, including project

assessment; and

• A dissemination plan.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate knowledge

of prosecutorial practices, as well as

victim rights and services related to the

other aspects of the criminal justice

system.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Susan Laurence, (202) 616–

3573.

Promising Strategies and Practices for

Probation and Parole Agencies

(Cooperative Agreement)—Award

Amount: $75,000

Purpose: To identify and disseminate

innovative policies, procedures, and

programs developed by individual

probation and supervising parole

agencies to respond to the needs of

crime victims, and to encourage their

replication.

Background: Historically, most

involvement of crime victims in the

criminal justice process has occurred in

the early phases of case investigation

and prosecution. Once an offender is

convicted, many victims have

believed—and have been supported in

this belief by criminal justice

personnel—that they no longer need to

be involved in the case or to expect

information or services from system

officials. Yet almost five million

Americans were under some form of

correctional control in 1993, with more

than two-thirds of these being

supervised in the community on

probation or parole.

The perceived and actual danger of an

offender to his or her victim does not

necessarily end with a conviction or

with the completion of a prison term.

Nor can a victim realistically feel fully

protected merely knowing that his or

her offender is under community

supervision. Victims need information

and services from probation and parole

personnel.

A number of individual agencies that

supervise offenders in the community

have created innovative victim-related

practices and programs. Some

promising practices include strategies

for informing victims of offender status

changes, soliciting their input, and

using trained volunteers. Others have

created enforcement courts that collect

substantial amounts of unpaid

restitution for victims.

Goal: To increase and enhance

services provided by probation and

parole agencies to crime victims.

Objectives:

• To identify the elements of

exemplary victim-related probation and

parole community supervision

practices;

• To find existing practices and

programs that contain these elements;

• To prepare detailed descriptions of

the promising practices; and

• To disseminate this information to

probation and parole agencies.

Program Strategy: This initiative will

identify the most promising victimrelated community supervision

practices and programs in probation and

parole, describe their essential elements,

and make that information available to

probation and parole agencies. The

grantee will first identify community

corrections experts who can assist in

developing criteria for determining what

practices can be considered

‘‘promising.’’ The grantee then will

conduct an overview of the field to

identify practices and programs that

meet the criteria. The review should

include an examination of tribal agency

practices in Indian Country, Federal

approaches, and state and local

programs.

Once the promising practices and

programs have been identified, project

staff will collect information in

sufficient detail to allow other agencies

to replicate them. This information will

be compiled into a compendium of

‘‘Promising Practices in Probation and

Parole.’’ A shorter version of the

document will be prepared for

publication as an OVC Bulletin.

The products of this project include:

• Selection criteria for promising

practices;

• Assessment Plan for identifying

promising practices;

• Comprehensive descriptions of the

essential elements of each promising

strategy or program;

• Compendium of Promising

Practices, in complete and shortened

Bulletin format;

• Final Report, including project

assessment; and

• A dissemination plan.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21909

applicants must demonstrate knowledge

of probation and parole practices, and

victim rights and services within the

criminal justice system.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Susan Laurence, (202) 616–

3573.

Promising Strategies and Practices for

Corrections Agencies/Training and

Technical Assistance (Cooperative

Agreement)— Award Amount: $150,000

Purpose: To identify and disseminate

innovative policies, procedures, and

programs developed by institutional

corrections agencies and paroling

authorities to respond to the needs of

crime victims, to encourage their

replication by prison and jail personnel

and parole board members.

Background: In 1988, the American

Correctional Association’s Task Force

on Crime Victims issued a set of

recommendations for improving the

treatment of victims by correctional

agencies. The recommendations fall into

four major areas: (1) Training on victim

issues and victim awareness for

correctional staff; (2) direct services to

victims; (3) victim assistance programs

for correctional staff; and (4) victim

awareness programs for offenders.

Responding to the call from the

corrections profession to become more

victim oriented, OVC awarded a grant

for a project entitled, ‘‘Crime Victims

and Corrections’’ in 1989. The grantee

surveyed the needs of the field, and

developed and pilot-tested a training

curriculum with protocol and related

materials focusing on promising and

innovative victim-related programs and

practices. In two subsequent phases of

the project, the grantee provided

training and technical assistance to a

number of jurisdictions, working

intensively in eight states, as well as

with Department of Defense (DoD) and

Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional

personnel. A final phase of the project

provided training solely to DoD

personnel.

During the last four years, the demand

from the field for both basic and

advanced training and technical

assistance on victim topics has

increased. Requests have come from

institutional corrections, paroling

authorities, and more recently, jail

officials. This project will allow OVC to

respond to these requests.

Goal: To improve the correctional

system’s response to the needs and

rights of crime victims by providing

training and technical assistance on

promising victim-related practices and

programs.

Objectives:

• To determine the current level of

victim services provided by correctional

agencies;

• To identify promising practices and

programs used by correctional agencies

to address victim needs;

• To produce up-to-date training

materials for institutional corrections,

paroling authorities, and jail personnel;

• To provide training and technical

assistance to selected correctional

agencies and jurisdictions;

• To disseminate information about

promising practices to correctional

personnel; and

• To evaluate the impact of the

training and technical assistance

activities on individual agencies and the

field.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications from eligible

organizations to refine and expand

existing training curricula and

materials, to provide both intensive and

short-term training and technical

assistance on promising practices to

select correctional agencies, and to

extend the training to target the specific

victim-related needs of jail personnel.

The grantee will conduct the

following activities:

• Conduct an overview of victimrelated policies and services in jails,

state institutional corrections agencies,

and paroling agencies;

• Update OVC’s ‘‘Crime Victims and

Corrections’’ training curriculum

manual with information on newly

identified promising practices,

programs, and overview results;

• Adapt the training manual and

materials to address specific needs of

jail personnel;

• Identify qualified professionals who

can provide high quality training and

technical assistance and, if necessary,

conduct train-the-trainer workshops;

• Identify at least one jail jurisdiction

for pilot assessment and intensive

training and technical assistance;

• Identify two states for assessment

and intensive training and technical

assistance;

• Conduct an on-site assessment

process in selected sites;

• Conduct customized, intensive

training conferences and provide

follow-up technical assistance; and

• Evaluate the impact of the project.

Interim documents and final products

include:

• Overview Plan and Report;

• Training Curriculum Manual, with

related training materials;

• Modified Training Curriculum

Manual for Jail Personnel;

• Outreach Package and Selection

Criteria for Intensive Sites;

• Site Assessment Reports;

• Training Conference Agendas;

• Training and Technical Assistance

Reports;

• Promising Practices Report, to be

published as an OVC Bulletin;

• Final Report, including project

assessment; and

• A dissemination plan.

OVC intends to fund another phase of

the project for a second 18 month

period, based on the findings and

accomplishments of this project. During

the second period, additional jail

jurisdictions and state corrections

agencies would be selected for intensive

training and technical assistance, and

follow-up assistance would be provided

to sites from previous years.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate knowledge

of institutional corrections, parole, and

jail policies and practices, as well as

victim rights and services related to the

criminal justice system. Eligibility for

any continuation of this project is

contingent upon satisfactory work

performance and product development

under this phase of the grant.

Award Period: 18 months.

Contact: Susan Laurence, (202) 616–

3573.

Promising Strategies and Practices for

the Judiciary

Award Amount: $100,000.

Purpose: To identify and document

innovative policies, procedures,

practices, and programs used by the

judiciary to respond to the needs of

crime victims and to develop a plan for

their dissemination.

Background: Judges play a central,

vital role in the entire criminal justice

process. Their decisions, actions, and

attitudes affect the practices of all other

criminal justice professionals. For this

reason, it is crucial for judges to

understand the impact of crime on

victims and how the victimization

experience creates special needs for

victims that can only be addressed by a

balanced and fair system of justice.

Many judges are aware of the needs of

the victims in the cases they adjudicate,

and they make every effort to ensure

that victims are informed, present, and

heard at key decision points in the

judicial process. However, judicial

training regarding victim-sensitive

policies, procedures, and practices in

courtrooms is needed. This project

would identify these approaches and

recommend appropriate avenues for

disseminating information about them

to judges throughout the country.

Goal: To increase judicial

understanding about the unique needs

of crime victims and how those needs
21910 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

can be addressed within the court

setting at the local, county, state, tribal,

and Federal levels.

Objectives:

• To identify the needs of victims that

can be addressed within the court

setting;

• To review state and federal judicial

training programs for the information

regarding victims and witnesses

provided;

• To share examples of existing

policies, procedures, and practices used

by individual judges or court

administrators to address the needs of

victims;

• To identify curricula and training

materials that can communicate courtrelated victim needs and victim

sensitive approaches to other judicial

jurisdictions; and

• To develop recommendations for

encouraging the adoption of victim

sensitive practices by the judiciary

nationwide.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for one grantee to

conceptualize, organize, and convene a

two day transfer of knowledge

symposium on promising judicial

responses to crime victims. The

symposium will bring together up to 40

participants, including judges from the

local, county, state, tribal, and Federal

levels, as well as representatives from

national judicial and victim service

organizations. Participation will be by

invitation only, and the grant will cover

attendees’ travel and per diem expenses.

The grantee will develop resource

materials that will be sent to

participants prior to the symposium.

The symposium agenda will include an

introductory session followed by

plenary and small group sessions.

Participants will share information

about promising policies, procedures,

and practices; identify effective training

materials; identify areas for further

action; and, as a final group task,

produce a report of recommendations to

improve the response of the judiciary to

crime victims through the dissemination

of these types of information. At the

close of the event, participants will

evaluate the symposium.

Major products include:

• A list of attendees, for OVC review

and approval;

• A symposium agenda, including

descriptions of presentations;

• A participant resource package;

• An assessment plan; and

• A symposium report containing

recommendations and action plans

developed by participants.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate an

understanding of the victimization

experience, as well as an extensive

knowledge of and experience with the

judicial process at its various levels.

Contact: Duane Ragan, (202) 307–

2021.

Promising Strategies and Practices in

Rural Areas (Cooperative Agreement)—

Award Amount: $75,000

Purpose: To identify and document

innovative policies, procedures,

practices, and programs developed by

victim service providers, criminal

justice agencies, and others who serve

crime victims in rural areas and to

develop a plan for their dissemination.

Background: When violent crime

occurs in a rural area, its victims and

those who would help them must

contend with a variety of issues and

concerns that are specifically related to

the rural environment and lifestyle. One

of the first issues that must often be

faced is inaccessibility of services. The

victim may live some distance away

from the nearest town, which may not

have the capacity to respond quickly to

a crisis situation or have the particular

type of support services that are needed.

Residents in isolated areas may not have

telephone service or access to public

transportation, and neighbors may be

too far away to help.

Social attitudes in rural areas can also

present obstacles for victims. A rural

victim of violent crime often finds that

others discount or deny the seriousness

of the offense, or blame the victim for

the incident. Also, in small towns even

the most private matters can become

public knowledge, often in a distorted

version. This can make it difficult to

maintain confidentiality regarding the

event and bring further humiliation to

the victim.

Goal: To increase and enhance

services provided to crime victims in

rural areas.

Objectives:

• To identify the elements of

promising approaches to assisting

victims in rural areas;

• To find existing practices and

programs that contain these elements;

• To prepare detailed descriptions of

the promising practices; and

• To prepare a plan for disseminating

this information to relevant agencies.

Program Strategy: This initiative will

identify the most promising victimrelated practices and programs for

responding to crime victims who live in

rural areas, describe their essential

elements, and develop a plan to make

this information available nationwide.

The grantee will first identify victim

assistance and criminal justice experts

who can assist in developing criteria for

determining what practices can be

considered ‘‘promising.’’ The grantee

will then conduct an overview of the

field to identify practices and programs

that meet the criteria. The review

should include an examination of tribal

agency practices in Indian Country,

Federal approaches, and state and local

programs.

Once the promising practices and

programs have been identified, project

staff will collect information in

sufficient detail to allow other agencies

to replicate them. This information will

be compiled into a compendium of

‘‘Promising Strategies and Practices for

Assisting Crime Victims in Rural

Areas.’’ A shorter version of the

document will be prepared for

publication as an OVC Bulletin.

The products of this project include:

• Selection criteria for promising

practices;

• Assessment Plan for identifying

qualifying practices;

• Comprehensive descriptions of the

essential elements of each promising

strategy or program;

• Compendium of Promising

Practices, in complete and shortened

Bulletin format; and

• Final Report, including project

assessment.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate knowledge

of victim service strategies in rural

areas, as well as victim rights and

services related to the criminal justice

system.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Jackie McCann Cleland, (202)

616–2145.

Promising Strategies and Practices in

Professional Education—Award

Amount: $100,000

Purpose: To identify and document

promising and innovative courses and

professional curricula that address

victim issues and to enhance education

on these issues for students at

undergraduate and graduate schools of

law, medicine, nursing, divinity,

criminal justice, mental health, and

social work.

Background: Many of the

professionals who routinely work with

crime victims—both within and outside

of the criminal justice system—do not

receive adequate training in crime and

victim-related issues. For example,

attorneys often are not trained to

respond sensitively and effectively to

clients who are crime victims. Similarly,

physicians frequently lack the training

necessary to identify and assist patients

who exhibit symptoms related to

victimization. As with law and
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21911

medicine, many members of other

professions—including nursing, social

work, criminal justice, and the clergy—

do not receive adequate training on

crime victim issues.

Without an understanding of issues

central to crime victimization, many

professionals will be limited in their

ability to meet their clients’ needs. An

assessment of the most promising

existing professional curricula may

encourage the integration of materials

regarding crime victim issues into many

college and university courses.

Ultimately, this instruction should lead

to better treatment for the crime victims

served by these professionals.

Goals:

• To foster better treatment of crime

victims and survivors by members of

key professions; and

• To improve the education on crime

victim issues that is provided to

prospective professionals in a variety of

disciplines;

Objectives:

• To identify and assess existing

courses and curricula on crime victim

issues at colleges and universities—at

the undergraduate and graduate level—

including at schools of law, medicine,

nursing, social work, criminal justice,

mental health, and divinity;

• To document and describe effective

professional curricula on crime victim

issues;

• To develop a multidisciplinary core

curriculum that can eventually be used

as the foundation for discipline-specific

curricula on crime victim issues. OVC

will make available copies of curricula

developed under previous OVC grants

to assist the grantee in meeting this

objective; and

• To survey state laws and

regulations to ascertain licensing and

credentialing requirements for the

professions listed above regarding crime

victim issues.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for one grantee to

survey academic and professional

training institutions for curricula and

programs that effectively address crime

victim issues and to develop a core

curriculum for professions that work

with crime victims. The core curriculum

and other products developed by the

grantee will be the foundation for

discipline-specific curricula, to be

developed in the project’s second year

through competitively awarded funding.

The first year’s project activities will

take place in the following three phases:

I. Assessment: The first phase of the

project entails a survey, identification,

and assessment of academic curricula

and best programs, including clinical

programs and multidisciplinary courses

on victim issues, currently in use by

schools of law, divinity, medicine,

nursing, criminal justice, and social

work. Academic and professional

associations for these professional

groups shall be contacted as part of the

survey process. The activities to be

completed are:

• Establishment of an advisory

committee with OVC review and

approval;

• Development, drafting, and

submission of an assessment plan and

assessment criteria;

• Survey, identification, collection,

and review of existing professional

curricula that address crime victim

issues;

• Description and detailed summary

of promising curricula and programs,

including examples of multidisciplinary programs established at

graduate schools; and

• Preparation of a comprehensive

assessment report of findings.

II. Development of Prototype: Upon

completion of the first phase, the

grantee will develop a multidisciplinary

core curriculum that may serve as the

foundation for discipline-specific

curricula developed later. The prototype

will address crime victims’ mental,

emotional, physical, and spiritual

needs; crime victims in the criminal

justice system; relevant legislation; and

the role of victim service providers. To

assist with this process, OVC will

provide a copy of the curriculum

currently under development for the

Victim Assistance Academy. Elements

to be included in discipline-specific

curricula should also be enumerated

and described. Activities to be

completed are:

• Development, drafting, and

submission of a multidisciplinary core

curriculum, for OVC review and

approval;

• Summary of discipline-specific

curricular elements; and

• Review and refinement of the draft.

III. Finalization of Products: Upon

completion of the second phase, the

grantee will prepare a report listing and

describing effective curricula and

professional programs at identified

academic and training institutions; a

multi-disciplinary core curriculum on

crime victim issues with an

enumeration and discussion of elements

to be included in discipline-specific

curricula; and a final report with

recommendations for developing

discipline-specific curricula in the

second year of the project. Samples of

collected curricula should be appended

to the final products.

Based upon the findings and

recommendations of the grantee funded

under the first year of the project, OVC

anticipates funding a program to build

on the products developed under this

initiative by developing a few

discipline-specific crime victims’

curricula and a train-the-trainer

component. The first year’s products

would be made available to second year

grantees for this purpose.

The grantee also will produce an OVC

Bulletin highlighting promising

practices in teaching about crime victim

issues in colleges and universities for

dissemination through OVC to the field.

In addition, the grantee will produce an

OVC Bulletin that describes state

requirements for education regarding

crime victim issues that are mandated

for the people who work with victims.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Expertise in conducting a nationalscope information search;

• Knowledge of curriculum

development and implementation;

• Knowledge of issues associated

with the criminal justice system’s

handling of crime victims;

• Management and financial

capability to oversee a project of this

size and scope; and

• An understanding of the role of

each discipline in serving crime victims.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Melanie Smith, (202) 616–

3575.

Promising Strategies and Practices in

Using Technology To Benefit Crime

Victims (Cooperative Agreement)

Award Amount: Up to $100,000.

Purpose: To survey the field to

ascertain innovative applications of

technology to benefit crime victims,

convene a symposium of crime victim

advocates, service providers, and

experts in technology to explore ways in

which emerging technologies can be

enhanced to assist crime victims, and

issue a report that describes promising

practices, recommendations for future

action, and resource contacts.

Background: The Information Age is

transforming the ways in which public

and private sector organizations

disseminate information and render

services. The labor-intensive,

underfunded crime victims field needs

to develop technological literacy and

seriously consider ways in which

computer networks and other emerging

technologies can be applied. Through a

national-scope symposium, leaders in

technology and victim services can

come together to identify problem areas

in providing services to crime victims

and discuss ways in which advancing

technologies can fill service gaps,
21912 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

simplify procedures, ensure the safety

and confidentiality of crime victims,

and otherwise assist crime victims, their

advocates, and allied professionals.

Goal: To use emerging technologies to

assist crime victim advocates and victim

service providers to enhance services to

crime victims.

Objectives

• To survey the field to identify

existing technologies that already serve

crime victims at the Federal, state, and

local levels;

• To identify promising practices that

apply these technologies to benefit

crime victims;

• To identify and convene a group of

crime victim advocates, assistance

providers, and experts in technology for

a two-day transfer of knowledge

symposium;

• To identify gaps in services to crime

victims that might be remedied or

improved through applied technology;

• To identify ways in which emerging

technologies can be used to inform,

assist, and serve crime victims, and to

explore ways to enhance

communication about victim issues

within the field; and

• To develop an action plan with

strategies to implement the ideas

discussed during the symposium and to

recommend future collaboration in this

area.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for one grantee to

identify and demonstrate promising

practices regarding the use of

technology to benefit crime victims;

organize a two-day transfer of

knowledge symposium for about 25

participants on issues related to

technology and crime victim services;

and develop an action plan with

recommendations for future action. The

grantee will identify an appropriate

balance of participants from the fields of

crime victim assistance and applied

technology. Participation will be by

invitation only, and attendees will be

expected to cover their own travel and

per diem expenses. Some limited

stipends will be available to address

cases of special need.

The grantee will develop resource

materials that will be sent to

participants prior to the symposium.

The grantee also will be responsible for

identifying a symposium site and

coordinating the symposium logistics.

Interim documents and final products

include:

• A summary of promising practices;

• A list of attendees, for OVC review

and approval;

• A symposium agenda, including

descriptions of presentations;

• A participant resource package;

• Documented symposium

proceedings;

• A symposium report, on disk and

hard copy, containing recommendations

and action plans developed by

participants; and

• A dissemination plan.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Knowledge of the organization,

development, and implementation of

training conferences;

• Knowledge of applied

communications technologies;

• General knowledge of crime victim

issues; and

• Management and financial

capability to oversee a project of this

size and scope.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: David Osborne, (202) 616–

3580.

Promising Strategies and Practices to

Improve Services for White Collar Crime

Victims (Cooperative Agreement)—

Award Amount: $100,000

Purpose: To improve the response of

Federal criminal justice personnel to the

rights and unique needs of Federal

victims of white-collar crime, and to

develop a resource package to assist

service providers and victims.

Background: Many in the criminal

justice system and in society fail to

recognize the serious nature and

profound impact of white-collar crime

on individuals. Nonviolent white-collar

crime can be psychologically

devastating to victims, who experience

psychological trauma and other

reactions similar to victims of violent

crime. These emotional reactions can be

profound, especially when the victim is

a senior citizen, is on fixed income, or

has limited resources. The criminal

justice system often is unprepared to

respond to the emotional and financial

devastation experienced by victims of

this crime.

Goal: To improve the response of

Federal criminal justice personnel to the

rights and unique needs of Federal

victims of white-collar crimes.

Objectives:

• To create a resource package that

contains information for Federal

criminal justice personnel to inform

white-collar crime victims of their

rights, the services they can expect, and

a description of the criminal justice

system; and

• To develop a 20-minute videotape

that explains the nature and extent of

Federal white-collar crimes, as well as

the devastating psychological and

financial impact of these crimes,

especially upon senior citizens.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for a grantee to

develop resource packages that will

enhance the ability of Federal VictimWitness Coordinators and other

criminal justice personnel to assist

white-collar crime victims and

witnesses. The OVC program specialist

will work closely with the grantee

throughout the assessment and product

development phases of the project to

ensure that feedback is provided from

representatives on any ad-hoc working

group.

The grant activities and products

include:

• The establishment of an ad-hoc DOJ

working group to assist the grantee in

identifying resource materials and

effective strategies for helping victims;

• A review of existing materials that

assist white-collar crime victims;

• The development and printing of a

camera-ready victim pamphlet that

provides information regarding the

dynamics of white-collar crime, the

investigative phase, the unique needs of

senior citizens who are victimized by

scams and frauds, and victims’ rights

and services. This pamphlet should be

broadly disseminated to potential fraud

victims identified early during a fraud

investigation;

• The development and printing of a

camera-ready victim handbook for

dissemination by Federal VictimWitness Coordinators to victims who

will be participating in the Federal

prosecution. This booklet will give a

range of information about the victim’s

role and what to expect as the case

proceeds through the criminal justice

process;

• The development of a 20-minute

educational videotape that explains the

nature and extent of Federal whitecollar crimes, the devastating

psychological and financial impact of

these crimes, and preventive strategies.

The videotape will be distributed by

Federal Victim-Witness Coordinators to

victims, community advocacy groups,

victim assistance professionals, and

Federal criminal justice and court

personnel;

• The development of a Guidebook

for Federal Victim-Witness Coordinators

on promising practices and program

strategies for assisting white-collar

crime victims; and

• The development of the package

containing products described above for

each U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Experience in developing and

producing material and/or videos for

use by criminal justice personnel;
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21913

• Experience in and knowledge of

trauma reactions of victims of violent

and nonviolent crimes;

• Demonstrated knowledge in

assessing the emotional and financial

needs, rights and concerns of whitecollar crime victims; and

• Demonstrated knowledge in

researching and applying appropriate

strategies for effective assistance to

white-collar crime victims as they

participate in the criminal justice

process.

Selection Criteria: All applicants will

be evaluated and rated based upon the

extent to which they meet the following

criteria:

A. Utility of the project: (10 Points)

Project’s purpose, goals, and

objectives are clearly stated and the

usefulness of the project to the field is

clearly defined by the applicant.

B. Project Strategy/Design: (25 Points)

Project’s plan for undertaking

activities is sound and specific, and

includes how the applicant intends to

achieve the purpose, goals, and

objectives of the project.

C. Implementation Plan: (25 Points)

Project’s implementation plan is

sufficiently thorough and is

appropriately tied to the project’s

strategy so that adequate time lines and

staff resources can be identified.

D. Qualifications of Organization/

Project Staff: (25 Points)

Applicant possesses the necessary

management, staff, and financial

capabilities to complete the project

successfully.

E. Budget: (10 Points)

Applicant’s proposed budget directly

relates to the project strategy and

implementation plan, includes

reasonable and allowable costs, and

provides narrative detail on the project’s

budget cost.

F. Assessment Plan: (5 Points)

Applicant includes a strategy for

testing the effectiveness of the materials

as the products are developed.

Award Period: 18 months.

Contact: Laura Federline, (202) 616–

3576.

Promising Strategies and Practices for

Healing Through Community Service

(Cooperative Agreement)—Award

Amount: $50,000

Purpose: To create a document that

describes how community involvement

by individual crime victims has assisted

them in reorganizing their lives

following the trauma of victimization

and sets forth a step-by-step therapeutic

plan to assist victims to heal.

Background: Victims of violent crime

experience a variety of profound, longlasting effects resulting from their

victimization. In the wake of crime,

many victims have been moved to reach

out and help other victims and their

communities. This help may take the

form of either prevention or assistance

activities. Some victims decide to get

involved with an activity or a program

designed to prevent further crime, such

as serving on a victim impact panel or

participating in a crime victims

conference. Often victims offer

assistance to other victims to ease their

sense of dislocation and personal

devastation. In either case, the victim

who gets involved in helping others can

hasten his or her own healing process.

Many victims and service providers,

including mental health professionals,

are unaware that this type of

involvement can benefit crime victims.

Moreover, little is known about the most

appropriate timing for these kinds of

activities. This document will illustrate,

through the use of case examples of

community service by crime victims,

how these victims have helped

themselves by helping others.

Goal: To support the use of promising

strategies for addressing the needs of

crime victims.

Objectives:

• To identify activities in which

victims can participate to aid their

recovery process;

• To profile individuals who have

productively engaged in these activities;

• To provide guidance to victims and

victim advocates about these types of

victim involvement; and

• To provide step-by-step strategies to

assist crime victims in the healing

process.

Program Strategy: This grant will

support the development, publication,

and dissemination of a monograph on

the role of victim activism as a victim

assistance strategy. The grantee will

review and assess the principal crime

prevention and victim assistance

activities that victims commonly

participate in after they have been

victimized. This process will explore

the major issues involved in victim

activism, such as the length of time that

victims should wait before they become

involved in these activities and what

type of involvement is likely to be most

suitable for different types of people. In

examining these and related issues, the

grantee will conduct extensive

interviews with activists who have been

crime victims, victim advocates, and

mental health professionals who work

with them.

During the review and assessment

process, the grantee will identify

individuals who have used diverse

victimization experiences to fuel

creative and effective activities or

programs to benefit others. The histories

and accomplishments of at least ten of

these outstanding individuals will be

profiled and produced as case studies.

The final major task of the grantee is

to produce a monograph. This will

catalogue the variety of ways victims

become active in helping others,

illustrated by profiles of exceptional

individuals. It should include a

presentation of the issues involved in

this type of activism and how they can

best be addressed, as well as detailed

recommendations for addressing

common victim reactions to crime.

Major products include:

• Catalogue of victim involvement

activities;

• Discussion paper on major issues

involved in victim activism;

• Case studies of at least ten victims

whose community service has benefited

themselves and others. These should be

based upon taped ‘‘oral history’’ type

interviews;

• Monograph to be used as an OVC

Bulletin; and

• Recommendations for expanding

this grant into an oral history project

regarding crime victims whose

community service following their

victimization has benefited both them

and their community.

OVC may decide to fund this project

in the future through a continuation

grant to compile additional case studies.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate an

understanding of the victimization

experience, knowledge of victim

assistance practices and programs, and

expertise in writing and producing

publishable documents.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Jackie McCann Cleland, (202)

616–2145.

Guidelines for Victim/Offender

Mediation and Dialogue (Cooperative

Agreement)—Award Amount: $50,000

Purpose: To establish criteria for

effective victim/offender mediation

programs that are victim-oriented and

sensitive.

Background: Programs bringing

victims face to face with their offenders

have sprung up across the country.

While some victims strongly prefer not

to interact with their assailants, for

other victims, these types of personal

meetings provide the opportunity to

describe the impact of the crime and

seek answers to unanswered questions

regarding the nature of the crime

directly from the attacker.

While some of these programs may be

effective, others appear to be offenderoriented. In these, the mediation
21914 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

sessions may be conducted by juvenile

justice or criminal justice personnel

who have little understanding of the

victimization experience or of the needs

of victims. Without appropriate

sensitivity and preparation, this form of

intervention can be harmful to victims.

Goal: To improve and enhance

services designed to empower and

restore crime victims.

Objectives:

• To identify effective victim/

offender mediation programs;

• To develop victim-oriented program

guidelines for conducting victim/

offender mediation;

• To create training materials for

victim/offender mediation that are

applicable to a variety of program

settings; and

• To develop a plan for disseminating

the guidelines and information about

promising practices in victim/offender

mediation and dialogue.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for a grantee to

survey existing victim/offender

mediation programs throughout the

country, as well as some promising

programs in other countries. This

information should detail program goals

and objectives; programmatic structure

and agency affiliations; procedures and

protocols; staffing, staff backgrounds,

and training; and measures of

effectiveness. The grantee will identify

and describe particularly promising

programmatic elements and develop a

set of criteria for conducting effective

and appropriate victim/offender

mediation. Based on the criteria,

training materials will be created to

guide the development of effective

victim/offender mediation programs in a

variety of settings, including college

campuses and the workplace.

The grantee will develop an OVC

Bulletin that highlights existing

promising programs and presents

guidelines for conducting effective

victim/offender mediation. The Bulletin

should also include specific examples of

kinds of crimes and circumstances

which may lend themselves to

mediation.

Major project products include:

• Assessment plan;

• Draft survey guide;

• Profiles of promising practices and

programs;

• Criteria for victim sensitive victim/

offender mediation programs;

• Training materials on program

implementation;

• Guidelines for Victim/Offender

Mediation, to be published as OVC

Bulletin; and

• Dissemination plan.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

eligible applicants must demonstrate

expert knowledge of victim/offender

mediation principles and practices, the

criminal and juvenile justice systems,

and related victim issues.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Susan Laurence, (202) 616–

3573.

Workplace Violence Symposium

Award Amount: $30,000.

Purpose: To improve the capacity and

preparedness of employers and victim

assistance providers to respond to the

unique needs of victims of workplace

violence.

Background: According to the Bureau

of Justice Statistics, each year nearly one

million individuals become victims of

violent crime (e.g., rape, robbery,

assault, or homicide) while working or

on duty. Crime costs these victims more

than $55 million in lost wages annually,

not including days covered by sick or

annual leave. Six out of ten incidents of

workplace violence occur in private

companies. In these companies, first

responders are frequently employee

assistance personnel or security guards,

who often lack basic crisis response

techniques. Company managers may not

know how to assist employees whose

performance suffers due to the effects of

personal crime victimization or

traumatic effects resulting from a coworker’s victimization.

Goal: To improve employer response

to primary and secondary victims of

workplace violence.

Objectives:

• To identify issues and challenges in

responding effectively to victims of

workplace violence;

• To identify and share examples of

programs and techniques for immediate

and long-term assistance for victims of

workplace violence; and

• To develop strategies for further

action in this area.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for one grantee to

conceptualize, organize, and convene a

two-day transfer-of-knowledge

symposium for 30 participants on issues

related to workplace violence. OVC will

collaboratively plan the symposium

with other Federal agencies that have

workplace related responsibilities, such

as HHS, the Department of Labor, the

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, the United States Postal

Service, and the Department of

Commerce.

The grantee will identify an

appropriate balance of participants from

the fields of victim assistance, employee

assistance, and business management/

administration. Participation will be by

invitation only, and attendees will be

expected to cover their own travel and

per diem expenses.

The grantee will develop resource

materials that will be sent to

participants prior to the symposium.

Participants will share information

about promising practices, identify areas

for further action, and, as a final group

task, produce a report of

recommendations and action plans to

improve the response of employers to

incidents of workplace violence. At the

close of the event, participants will be

asked to evaluate the conference.

Symposium activities and discussions

will be recorded and published in a

written report for dissemination

nationwide.

Interim documents and final products

include:

• A list of attendees, for OVC review

and approval;

• A symposium agenda, including

descriptions of presentations;

• A participant resource package;

• An assessment plan;

• A transcript of symposium

proceedings;

• A symposium report containing

recommendations and action plans

developed by participants; and

• A dissemination plan.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

Knowledge of the organization,

development, and implementation of

training conferences;

• Knowledge of workplace violence

issues;

• Knowledge of victim assistance

practices related to workplace violence;

and

• Management and financial

capability to oversee a project of this

size and scope.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Duane Ragan, (202) 307–

2021.

B. Training and Technical Assistance

for Crime Victim Practitioners and

Allied Professionals

Regional Seminars for Establishing

Community and Institutional Crisis

Response Teams

Award Amount: $60,000.

Purpose: To provide high quality

training on the establishment of

community and institutional crisis

response teams at the regional level to

victim service providers, criminal

justice personnel, and others who

regularly deal with crime victims.

Background: Like individuals, an

entire community or an institution’s

entire work force may suffer trauma in

the wake of a sudden, devastating crime.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21915

To be most effective, crisis intervention

with survivors should be immediate.

Subsequent follow-up ‘‘debriefings’’ of

victims and others impacted by the

crime are needed to reduce long-term

trauma. Local care-givers may be among

those who are traumatized by the event,

and may themselves need to receive

assistance to deal with the aftermath of

the crime. For an adequate crisis

response to be mobilized, the plan

should be formulated before the critical

event, and crisis team members should

be designated, trained, and ready to

respond.

Goal: To establish community and

institutional crisis response teams.

Objectives:

• To produce up-to-date,

comprehensive training materials and a

booklet regarding how to establish

community and institutional crisis

response teams for the field;

• To identify highly skilled trainers

capable of presenting this training; and

• To provide focused training on

these topics at the regional level.

Program Strategy: OVC, in

collaboration with BJA, invites

applications to organize, conduct, and

evaluate a series of four regional

training seminars on establishing

community and institutional crisis

response teams. The regional training

will assist participants in preparing a

community or institutional crisis

response plan that is flexible enough to

appropriately address many possible

crime-related crises. The plan must

address both chronic crises, such as

multiple victimizations on one college

campus, and acute crises, such as the

hostage situations.

The training also will assist in

identifying key professionals to serve on

the crisis response team. These should

include mental health professionals,

victim service providers, police and fire

officials, members of the clergy, and

others. Institutional teams should

include representatives from key

divisions within the institution, as well

as many of the same types of agencies

and professional groups from the local

community as noted above.

In preparation for the seminars, the

grantee will review and assess existing

training materials and identify qualified

trainers familiar with presenting the

information. With input from the

trainers, the grantee will produce a

comprehensive and user-friendly

training package, as well as a booklet

setting forth the process for establishing

a team for communities and institutions.

A training plan and instruments for

assessing its impact must also be

developed.

Each seminar will last two to three

days and train up to 60 participants.

Since the effectiveness of the training is

dependent upon reaching key

individuals from a community or

institution, the task of recruiting

appropriate, area-specific groups is

crucial. The recruitment process may

require an intensive outreach effort. The

training package will be disseminated to

participants prior to each seminar. The

training will be free of charge, but

participants are expected to cover their

own travel expenses.

Participants of each seminar will

develop, as a final product of the

training event, an Action Plan for future

activities related to establishing a crisis

response team. Approximately six to

eight weeks after the training, the

grantee will contact all participants to

gather follow-up information and input

about how each jurisdiction’s Action

Plan is being implemented. As an

additional product, the grantee will

prepare a shortened introductory

version of the curriculum (including

outline and overheads), which can be

made available to agencies that wish to

present it as a two hour workshop at

training conferences.

Major project products include:

• Training package;

• Booklet on how to set up a crisis

response team;

• Proposed faculty list;

• Marketing plan;

• Seminar agenda;

• Four two to three-day seminars;

• Assessment plan;

• Two-hour introductory curriculum;

and

• Final Report, with assessment of

project impact.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants from private and public

organizations and agencies must

demonstrate topical expertise and

management capability to organize,

market, conduct, and assess a seminar

series on this topic.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Susan Laurence, (202) 616–

3573.

Conference Support Training Initiative

Award Amount: Up to $10,000 for the

state grants; up to $30,000 for regional

victim assistance training conferences;

and up to $20,000 for victim assistance

training tracks at national conferences.

A total of $200,000 will be made

available for these grants.

Purpose: To provide Federal support

for national, Federal, state, and regional

victim assistance training conferences.

Background: The growth of the

victims movement and the increasingly

specialized nature of professions

involved in responding to victims of

crime has led to an ongoing and

profound need for both general and

specific training in the field.

OVC has been instrumental in

supporting statewide and regional

network training and technical

assistance efforts by funding quality

trainers and covering conference costs.

OVC is expanding this program to

include support for victim assistance

training at national conferences for

professionals who work with crime

victims.

During the past 2 years, OVC has cosponsored about 25 state and regional

victim assistance conferences. OVC is

continuing and expanding its mini-grant

program, formerly referred to as the

State Conference Training Initiative.

This funding is provided on a

competitive basis to support statewide

and regional victim assistance

conferences, as well as tracks of victim

assistance training at national

conferences of allied professionals.

Goals:

• To supplement funding for victim

assistance training and technical

assistance to professionals at the

national, Federal, regional, state, and

local levels;

• To infuse victim assistance training

into national conferences of allied

professionals by providing funding to

support tracks of training;

• To encourage coordination among

the many professions interacting with

crime victims such as the medical

community, social service agencies, and

criminal justice system components;

and

• To improve the quality of victim

assistance services by providing

intensive training to direct service

providers.

Objectives:

• To sponsor training presentations,

at national, Federal, state, or regional

victim assistance and other professional

conferences, by high quality trainers,

many of whom have been involved in

OVC training and technical assistance

projects;

• To offer OVC staff assistance in

identifying training topics and quality

trainers;

• To serve the needs of victims of

Federal crimes by encouraging the

participation of Federal victim-witness

coordinators in planning national and

state/regional training conferences, and

by identifying and including topics that

improve the response to Federal

victims;

• To determine future training needs

on a national, Federal, state, or regional
21916 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

basis as a result of the discussions at the

training conference; and

• To consider the types of crime, gaps

in services and knowledge, coordination

of service, and legislative mandates.

Program Strategy:

I. National Conferences

OVC will accept applications to

support tracks of training at national

conferences sponsored by medical,

mental health, legal, and law

enforcement communities as well as the

clergy and other allied professions. OVC

will support training tracks on general

and specific victim-related topics such

as understanding the trauma of crime

victimization, providing services to

survivors of homicide victims, crisis

intervention, and advocacy.

II. Regional Conferences

OVC will continue to support regional

training for victim assistance providers,

program managers and advocates, crime

victims, law enforcement officials,

prosecutors, and other professionals

who work with crime victims. By

funding regional efforts, OVC expects to

facilitate the exchange of relevant

information and training, the

coordination of victim assistance

services, and interstate agreements.

III. State Conferences

OVC will support statewide efforts to

provide training and technical

assistance to state and local victim

assistance providers and allied

professionals. A portion of the training

workshops must be devoted to Federal

crime victim issues. These issues may

include bank robbery, bias/hate crimes,

white collar crime, and crimes occurring

on Federal lands or in Indian Country.

The following provisions apply to

each of the conferences described above.

Applicants may select workshop topics

from a broad menu of training topics

recommended by OVC. These topics

include training components for service

providers working with victim

populations, such as domestic violence,

sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse,

victims of juvenile crimes, Native

American crime victims, and victims of

crime in rural areas.

At least 60 percent of each award

must be used to finance workshop

presentations approved by OVC and can

be spent on such items as travel costs

and consultant fees. Up to 20 percent of

each award may be used to develop and

reproduce conference materials, and up

to 20 percent may be used to finance

facility costs.

To maximize the benefit of the

statewide and regional training

conferences, it is recommended that

conference planning involve state

Victim Assistance and Compensation

Administrators, victim assistance

service providers, representatives from

private, non-profit organizations such as

state coalitions on sexual assault,

domestic violence and child abuse;

victim assistance coordinators from U.S.

Attorney’s offices, military bases and

Indian reservations, and national victim

organizations.

To ensure that the needs of victims of

Federal crimes are served through these

grants, all selected state and regional

applicants will be required to involve

their respective Federal victim-witness

coordinators in the conference planning

process.

Specific deliverables and activities

that should be part of the applicant’s

program strategy include: The

establishment of a conference planning

committee or victim assistance advisory

committee; an explanation of how

recommendations from past conference

assessments will be incorporated into

conference planning as appropriate; a

review of literature, products, policies,

and/or practices that will be addressed

in workshops; identification of future

training needs that may be utilized by

the national organization, states, and

regions to provide training and/or

technical assistance on crime victim

issues; and a strategy for assessing the

training by conference participants.

Deliverables should also include

brochures announcing the conference or

track of training to be offered in the case

of national conferences; a tentative

time/task plan for conference planning

implementation; and identification of

training personnel.

To obtain the menu of training topics

and to discuss cost-related details, all

interested applicants are strongly

encouraged to contact OVC prior to

submitting an application for funding.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

eligible applicants, including national

organizations, state agencies, or

qualified private non-profit

organizations, must demonstrate the

capability to manage a national,

statewide, or regional conference. To be

eligible for funding, the state or regional

applicant also must include with its

application a letter of support from the

state crime victim compensation and

victim assistance administrator(s). State

victim compensation and assistance

agencies, with the concurrence of the

state victim coalitions and the U.S.

Attorneys office, are also eligible to

apply for funding.

Selection Criteria: All applicants will

be evaluated and rated based on the

extent to which they respond to goals

and objectives and meet the weighted

criteria as follows:

A. Organizational Capability (20 points)

Organizational capability is

demonstrated at a level sufficient to

support the project successfully.

Previous experience in organizing and

sponsoring victim assistance training

events will be taken into account.

B. Project Strategy/Design (30 points)

The applicant’s training needs are

clearly stated and identified.

Applications should reflect a

responsiveness to the specific needs at

the state and/or region, or the

constituencies served by the national

organizations. The goals and objectives

of the proposed project are clearly

identified. The strategy should include

as wide a variety of training components

as possible, to meet the needs at the

national, state, or regional levels.

C. Qualifications of the Project Staff (10

points)

The qualifications of staff identified to

manage and implement the program

should be stated, with resumes included

for each key staff person. Past

experience related to training

conference management should be

included.

D. Program Implementation and

Assessment Plan (20 points)

The project design must be sound,

and the management structure must be

adequate for the successful

implementation of the project. This

criterion includes adequacy of the

project management structure, the

feasibility of the tentative time/task

plan, and the plan for assessing the

impact of the project in accomplishing

its goals.

E. Budget (20 points)

Budgeted costs are reasonable,

allowable, and cost-effective for the

activities to be undertaken.

F. Funding Preference

Funding preference will be given to

applicants that have not previously

participated in this OVC funding

initiative, and to national organizations

that have made a commitment to

address crime victim issues.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Diane Wells, (202) 616–1860,

or Cynthia Darling, (202) 616–3571.

National Symposium on Victims of

Federal Crime (Cooperative Agreement)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

available for Phase I in FY 1995 and up

to $250,000 for Phase II in FY 1996.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21917

Purpose: To improve direct services to

victims of Federal crime by providing

high quality victim assistance training

to victim-witness coordinators from a

broad range of Federal agencies.

Background: In the last five years,

Congress has focused on the rights and

needs of Federal crime victims by

codifying a Federal Crime Victims’ Bill

of Rights and identifying a range of

services that must be made available to

victims participating in the Federal

criminal justice system. At the same

time, Federal criminal statutes have

been expanded to include crimes such

as car-jacking, crossing a state line to

injure, intimidate or harass an intimate

partner, and engaging in telemarketing

schemes to defraud the elderly. The

Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 42

U.S.C. 13031 requires certain

professionals working in Federallyoperated facilities or on Federal lands to

report suspected child abuse cases.

These and other recent Federal statutes

have increased the number of cases, as

well as the Federal responsibility for

assisting victims.

As a result, there is an urgent need for

additional training and technical

assistance for Federal victim-witness

coordinators. As many as 1,000 Federal

agency coordinators may be interested

in attending a symposium that will

provide basic and intensive victim

assistance training, create a forum to

share information regarding promising

programs and policies, and identify

strategies for strengthening Federal

victim assistance programs throughout

the government.

Objectives:

• To identify and assess, with the

assistance of a Federal ad-hoc working

group, existing practices and training

materials used by Federal criminal

justice personnel to respond to victims

of Federal crime;

• To develop and implement a costeffective strategy for providing training

to Federal agency victim-witness

coordinators utilizing existing victim

assistance training curricula;

• To develop a training agenda for the

symposium;

• To develop training and technical

assistance materials in the areas of

program development, program

management, and direct services to

victims of Federal crime by combining

the expertise and resources of the

grantee, OVC, and Federal agencies;

• To convene a national symposium

to explore issues relating to the

provision of services to victims of

Federal crime and to provide training to

Federal agency victim-witness

coordinators;

• To offer an array of skills-building

workshops that address the variety of

missions of more than 70 different

Federal law enforcement agencies; and

• To evaluate the symposium and

submit to OVC a strategy for improving

Federal agency services to Federal crime

victims.

Program Strategy: This project will be

implemented in two phases, with

supplemental funding in FY 96 for the

second phase if OVC determines that

the first phase has been completed

successfully. This solicitation invites

applications for a grantee to provide

comprehensive victim assistance

training to Federal agency victimwitness coordinators from a broad range

of Federal agencies with diverse

missions.

The grantee will work with OVC staff

and an ad-hoc working group of

representatives from the various Federal

agencies to identify the unique training

needs of various agencies and to plan

and implement the first comprehensive

training conference for this audience.

The week-long symposium will provide

training regarding the provision of

direct services to Federal crime victims,

and address issues such as the unique

aspects of Federal jurisdiction, and the

development of victim assistance

programs that utilize local resources.

The symposium will also include

training on program development,

program management, and direct victim

services. The conference will include:

(1) Topic specific sessions to discuss

subjects such as victims of hate/bias

crimes, domestic violence, stalking, and

child abuse; (2) discipline specific

sessions for agencies such as law

enforcement and prosecution; and (3)

agency-specific sessions, including

training for FBI agents or U.S. Postal

Inspection Service personnel.

Phase I, Assessment:

The first stage of Phase I consists of

the identification and assessment of

effective procedures and practices and

training materials currently used by

Federal agencies in response to victims

of Federal crime. The grantee should

also determine unique training needs of

specific Federal agencies. The activities

and products to be completed during

this stage are:

• Establishment of an ad-hoc working

group, with OVC’s assistance;

• Development of an assessment plan

of Federal agency procedures, practices,

and training;

• Review of practices, procedures,

programs, and training materials;

• Identification of effective programs;

• Identification of Federal agency

specific topical subject areas and

training needs; and

• Development of an assessment

report.

Development of Training Strategy:

Based upon the results of the

assessment stage, the grantee will

develop and present to OVC a costeffective strategy for providing training

to Federal agency victim-witness

coordinators, utilizing both existing

victim assistance training materials and

Federal agency materials. The activities

and products to be completed during

this stage are:

• A training strategy; and

• A draft training agenda for a

national symposium.

Phase II, Training:

Following OVC approval of the

assessment report, training strategy, and

draft training agenda, the grantee will

develop appropriate training and

technical assistance materials. The

activities and products to be completed

during this stage are:

• A plan for the development of

appropriate training materials that

includes the areas of program

development, program management,

and direct services to victims of Federal

crime and combines the expertise and

resources of the grantee, OVC, and

Federal agencies;

• A draft and final training manual,

including trainer and participant

manuals and other informational

materials;

• A strategy for assessing the training

and draft assessment forms, procedures,

and tools;

• A national symposium on issues

relating to the provision of services to

victims of Federal crime.

Assessment and Recommendations:

The grantee will assess the symposium

and submit recommendations to OVC

for improving Federal agency services to

Federal crime victims. A final report

and a summary of the project will be

submitted by the grantee for use as an

informational OVC bulletin during this

stage.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Expertise in developing victimwitness assistance training curricula

and accompanying materials;

• Experience in the management and

development of large victim assistance

training conferences;

• Knowledge of issues associated

with the Federal criminal justice

system’s handling of crime victims; and

• Organizational experience and

financial capability to administer this

training initiative.

Award Period: 6 months to complete

Phase I; 12 months (FY 1996) to

complete Phase II.
21918 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

Contact: Sue Shriner, (202) 616–3577.

Training of Trainers Seminars

Award Amount: Three proposals for

up to $33,000 each.

Purpose: To expand the number of

trainers qualified to provide training on

promising practices to benefit crime

victims on a variety of victim-related

topics.

Background: In recent years, OVC has

provided innovative training and

technical assistance to victim service

providers and criminal justice personnel

on a range of important, emerging

victim issues and promising

programmatic practices. A number of

agencies have requested additional staff

training on these topics through OVC’s

Trainers Bureau. In some cases, the

demand for training is too great for the

limited number of expert trainers to

accommodate. Additional trainers who

are capable of presenting workshops on

these particular subjects are needed.

This initiative will provide a vehicle for

expanding the cadre of trained

practitioners who can pass their

knowledge and skills on to others.

Goal: To expand the training

resources that are available to victim

service providers and others who deal

with victims.

Objectives:

• To create comprehensive, up-todate training materials on topics of

particular interest to the field.

• To provide advanced training on

these topics to highly qualified trainers.

Program Strategy: OVC invites

applicants to organize, conduct, and

evaluate a training of trainers seminar

on a particular topic. In preparation for

the seminar, the grantee will review and

assess existing training materials and

identify expert trainers on the subject.

With input from the trainers, the grantee

will produce a comprehensive and userfriendly training package. It will

develop a plan and instruments for

assessing the impact of the training.

The grantee will identify an

appropriate audience for the seminar

and advertise the event in such a way

as to reach the intended audience. The

training package will be disseminated to

the participants prior to the seminar.

Each seminar will last two to four

days and provide training for up to 40

participants who have previous training

experience. The training will be

provided free of charge, and limited

stipends will be available to offset a

portion of the participants’ travel

expenses.

Topics have been selected for training

of trainer seminars because the requests

for these types of training currently

exceed the number of qualified trainers

available to respond. Consequently,

OVC extends a specific invitation for

proposals addressing the following

topics:

Victim Services in Rural Areas

Victim service providers operating in

rural areas face special obstacles in

reaching their clients. They must

provide services, sometimes in response

to immediate crises, to people living

long distances from public agencies and

support systems. Available resources are

often scarce and rural victims

sometimes must deal with difficult

confidentiality issues.

Responding to Staff Victimization

This training focuses on agencies,

primarily criminal justice agencies,

whose staff members regularly deal with

offenders. It covers the victimization

experience, post-traumatic stress

disorder, crisis intervention techniques,

networking with local victim service

providers, dealing with the media, and

how to mobilize crisis response teams.

Victim Impact Classes for Offenders

This promising program strategy,

originally developed by the California

Youth Authority, has been adopted by a

number of corrections, probation, and

parole agencies for use with both adult

and juvenile offenders. Victims, as one

aspect of their recovery process, tell

offenders about the actual impact of

crime on their own lives, their families,

and the communities in which they live.

This seminar is co-sponsored by BJA

and OJJDP.

Major project products for each

training of trainers seminar include:

• Training package;

• Proposed faculty list;

• Marketing plan;

• Seminar agenda;

• Two to four-day seminar;

• Assessment plan; and

• Final report, which highlights

problem areas and promising practices

and includes an assessment of project

impact.

Eligibility Requirements: Proposals

will be solicited from both private nonprofit and public organizations and

agencies. In addition to the

requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate topical

expertise and management capability to

organize, market, conduct, and assess a

train the trainer seminar on one of the

victim-related topics listed above.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Jackie McCann Cleland, (202)

616–2145, regarding the Victim Services

in Rural Areas training; Vicki Rapoport,

(202) 616–3572, regarding the

Responding to Victimized Staff training;

and Susan Laurence, (202) 616–3573,

regarding the Victim Impact training.

Resources for State Compensation and

Assistance Administrators

National Technical Assistance

Conference for State VOCA Assistance

Administrators (Cooperative Agreement)

Award Amount: $50,000 in FY 95,

with the possibility of a continuation

grant for the same amount in FY 96.

Purpose: To provide state VOCA

assistance administrators with training

and information on VOCA grant

implementation and on services to

crime victims.

Background: In the past, OVC has

planned and held national training

conferences for state administrators of

the VOCA victim assistance grant

program. Since 1989, conferences have

been held approximately every two

years. OVC believes that the state

administrator’s role is ‘‘necessary and

essential’’ for ensuring that crime

victims receive direct services and

assistance intended by VOCA.

Goal: To hold a conference that will

address the technical assistance and

information needs of VOCA victim

assistance state administrators. This

conference will focus on VOCA grant

implementation issues and efforts to

expand and enhance the delivery of

quality services to crime victims

throughout the states.

Objectives:

• To establish an ad hoc advisory

committee of state VOCA administrators

that identifies technical assistance and

information needs and develop a

conference agenda;

• To survey each state VOCA

administrator to ascertain technical

assistance and information needs, as

well as workshop topics and presenters;

and

• To develop, implement, and

evaluate a national conference for state

VOCA administrators.

Program Strategy: OVC invites

applications from nonprofit

organizations, national victim

organizations, and consortiums of state

administrators to organize, conduct, and

evaluate a conference that provides

training to VOCA victim assistance state

administrators. The conference will be

held during calendar year 1996. The

grantee should accomplish the

following tasks:

• Develop a plan for delivering three

days of technical assistance based on

the survey results;

• Develop a resource manual with an

agenda, workshops, and training

materials and resources;

• Identify and retain trainers for all

programmatic and financial sessions;
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21919

• Hold the conference;

• Develop an assessment instrument,

assess the conference, and make

recommendations for subsequent

technical assistance conferences; and

• Prepare a conference report that

contains the assessment results and

recommendations for future training

conferences;

Project funds can be used to pay

trainer and consultant fees and all other

costs associated with the planning,

delivery, and assessment of the

conference.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate knowledge

and experience in providing services to

crime victims, knowledge of VOCA

grant administration issues, experience

in managing and developing training

conferences, and organizational

capability to manage the conference.

Selection Criteria: Each application

will be evaluated based upon how well

the proposal addresses the following

criteria:

A. Understanding of goals and

objectives: 10 points

The applicant’s response to the stated

project purpose, goals, and objectives is

clearly understood and defined.

B. Project Strategy/Design: 25 points

The applicant’s response is sound and

constitutes an effective approach to

meeting the stated goals and objectives

of the project.

C. Implementation Plan: 25 points

The applicant’s response is realistic

and includes a detailed time/task line.

D. Organizational Capability: 20 points

A description of the applicant’s

management structure and previous

experience with related efforts, the

financial capability of the organization

to carry out the project, and the

documentation of the professional staff

member’s qualifications to perform the

assigned tasks.

E. Budget: 20 points

The applicant’s costs are reasonable,

allowable, and cost effective for the

proposed activities.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Jeffrey Kerr, (202) 616–3581.

Regional Technical Assistance Meetings

for State VOCA Administrators

Award Amount: $5,000 to $10,000

will be available per conference, not to

exceed a total of $25,000 for FY 95 and

$25,000 for FY 96.

Purpose: To encourage and support

regional training and technical

assistance meetings for state VOCA

compensation and assistance

administrators.

Background: Many factors affect the

delivery of quality services to crime

victims. Often these factors reflect

regional influences. OVC is committed

to supporting states that wish to hold

regional conferences to address mutual

state concerns and needs. OVC will

support regional meetings of state

compensation and assistance

administrators by accepting proposals

from state administrators who will plan,

coordinate, and implement a regional

conference to further the

implementation of the VOCA formula

grant programs and services to crime

victims.

Goal: To support a number of regional

state VOCA administrators’ conferences,

which will address the training and

information needs.

Objectives:

• To survey compensation and/or

assistance state VOCA administrators

within the region to identify technical

assistance needs;

• To develop a plan for delivering a

one or two day training and technical

assistance based on the results of the

survey;

• To develop a curriculum with an

agenda, lesson plans, and training

materials and resources; and

• To convene the conference, which

may focus exclusively on victim

assistance, victim compensation, or a

combination of the two.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications from state

administrators of VOCA compensation

and assistance grants only to hold

regional technical assistance

conferences. The conferences will be

held during the 1995 and 1996 calendar

years.

Federal funds will be used to support

coordination, materials, meeting space,

consultants, and other costs associated

with the planning, delivering, and

assessing each conference. Specific

tasks include:

• To identify and retain trainers and

technical experts for all programmatic

and financial sessions;

• To develop an assessment

instrument and assess the conference;

and

• To prepare a conference report that

contains the assessment findings and

recommendations for future

conferences.

Eligibility Requirements: Applications

will be accepted from state VOCA

administrators. In addition to the

requirements of Sections VI-XI,

applicants must demonstrate experience

in managing and developing training

conferences and the organizational

capability to manage the conference.

Selection Criteria: Each application

will be evaluated based on how well the

proposal addresses the following

criteria:

A. Understanding of goals and

objectives: 10 points

The applicant’s response to the stated

project purpose, goals, and objectives is

clearly understood and defined.

B. Project Strategy/Design: 25 points

The applicant’s response is sound and

constitutes an effective approach to

meeting the stated goals and objectives

of the project.

C. Implementation Plan: 25 points

The applicant’s response is realistic

and includes a detailed time/task line.

D. Organizational Capability: 20 points

A description of the applicant’s

management structure and previous

experience with related efforts, the

overall capability of the applicant to

carry out the project, and the

documentation of the professional staff

member’s qualifications to perform the

assigned tasks.

E. Budget: 20 points

The applicant’s costs are reasonable,

allowable, and cost effective for the

proposed activities.

Award Period: 18 months.

Contact: Contact the OVC program

specialist assigned to monitor the state’s

VOCA formula grant.

Mentor Program for VOCA Victim

Compensation and Assistance State

Administrators

Award Amount: Funds will not be

directly awarded to successful state

applicants. OVC will pay mentors up to

$220 per day and reimburse travel

expenses in accordance with Federal

guidelines. $25,000 has been set aside

for this initiative.

Purpose: To provide short-term

technical assistance to VOCA victim

compensation and assistance state

administrators.

Background: The role of state VOCA

administrators is constantly changing

and expanding. As a result, OVC has

decided to fund a mentoring program

for state VOCA administrators that

would facilitate an administrator from

one state offering technical assistance

and peer consultation to an

administrator in another state.

Technical assistance and peer

consultation may be offered in many

different areas including use of

administrative dollars to implement the

VOCA grant program, planning
21920 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

statewide training, establishing program

standards for both compensation and

local victim assistance programs, and

assessing needs and service delivery

strategies, such as more efficient

processing of compensation claims. In

addition, the mentoring program will

facilitate one-on-one technical

assistance and peer consultation for new

state administrators.

Goal: To provide effective short-term,

individualized technical assistance and

peer consultation to state agencies

responsible for administering the VOCA

victim compensation and assistance

grant programs.

Objectives:

• To identify state compensation and

assistance administrators who are

available to provide short-term technical

assistance to colleagues in other states;

• To identify and develop materials

that may be used to offer technical

assistance to state administrators to

include assessment tools, protocols,

policies, and procedures; and

• To offer technical assistance and

peer consultation that is individually

tailored to meet the needs of states’

efforts to deliver victim services.

Program Strategy: OVC will support

on-site technical assistance and peer

consultation to VOCA state

administrators in areas such as program

development, administration,

assessment, financial management, and

grant administration. OVC will

coordinate the provision of technical

assistance and peer consultation in

response to requests from VOCA

compensation and assistance state

administrators. OVC will identify and

handle the logistical and financial

arrangements for such requests.

VOCA state grant administrators

interested in receiving technical

assistance should submit the following

information:

• A description of the technical

assistance needed or a problem

statement;

• An estimate of the number of hours/

days of technical assistance needed;

• A description of the number of

individuals to be trained and their job

responsibilities; and

• A description of any state resources

available to build upon the technical

assistance.

VOCA state grant administrators

interested in serving as mentors should

submit the following information:

• A description of their background,

experience, and area of expertise in

administering statewide compensation

and/or assistance services to crime

victims;

• A letter from their agency head

supporting their participation as a

trainer in this program; and

• A copy of any assessment tools,

protocols, policies, or procedures that

they have used to administer and

oversee the provision of statewide

services to crime victims.

Applications will be reviewed within

30 days of their receipt. Once an

application has been approved by the

Director of the State Compensation and

Assistance Division, the request will be

matched with an appropriate state

administrator. OVC will work with the

mentor to design a technical assistance

plan that responds directly to the

identified needs of the state applicant.

All parties—OVC, the state applicant

and the mentor consultant—must agree

to the plan. Approved on-site assistance

will be short-term, generally between

one and three days.

Within 30 days after the technical

assistance has been provided, the state

applicant must submit an assessment to

OVC of the technical assistance

received. The assessment will examine

the extent to which the planned

assistance was executed, as well as the

effectiveness of the mentor or

consultant. Likewise, the mentor or

consultant must submit a description of

his/her findings, assistance that may be

beneficial to other state administrators,

and any recommendations for

improving the delivery of technical

assistance through this mechanism in

the future.

Eligibility Requirements: This

program is open only to state agencies

designated by the Governor to

administer the VOCA victim

compensation and assistance grant

programs. Applications will be

reviewed and selected based upon

following criteria:

• Clarity of the request, including the

description of the problem;

• Potential impact of the assistance;

and

• Commitment of resources from

other sources to support the

implementation of technical assistance.

Award Period: Funds will be available

to address requests during FY 1995 and

1996.

Due Date: Applications will be

accepted for consideration throughout

the award period.

Contact: For further information, as

either a State Administrator wishing to

apply for assistance or to serve as a

mentor, contact the OVC program

specialist assigned to monitor the state’s

VOCA formula grant.

C. Information Dissemination

Topic-Specific Videotapes

Award Amount: $50,000 to produce

each videotape.

Purpose: To provide educational

information on crime victim issues to

victim service providers, allied

professionals, and the general public.

Background: The tremendous growth

of victims’ programs and training for

service providers has necessitated the

sharing of relevant information on

practices and related issues in an

adaptable and easily accessible way.

Videotapes are suitable to a variety of

audiences and settings, can convey

substantive information in a succinct

and memorable way, and provide the

field with an inexpensive and rapid

means of highlighting model practices

and explaining the rights and needs of

crime victims.

Goal: To educate the field and the

general public about crime victim issues

and effective responses.

Objective: To develop and produce

training videotapes on important topics

in the victims field.

Program strategy: This initiative, in

cooperation with BJA, will fund one to

three grantees for the production of

three professional quality, 20 to 30

minute training videotapes on the

following topics:

• Path through the criminal justice

system (an explanation of the criminal

justice system for crime victims);

• Training on victim issues for parole

boards; and

• Multicultural issues in victim

services.

Each videotape will identify a specific

victim-related issue, and provide basic

‘‘how-to’’ information for crime victims

and service providers. The videotapes

should appeal to a broad audience, but

can also be used to educate specific

audiences. It is important that all

products be culturally sensitive. Each

videotape will be accompanied by a

brief guidebook with suggestions for

effective usage. The production of the

videotapes will take place in two

phases:

I. Development of Products

During the initial phase of the grant,

the grantee will:

• Identify key issue points to be

addressed in the videotape and

accompanying guide;

• Articulate the approach (e.g.,

documentary or dramatization; color

versus black and white) to be used in

the videotape;

• Develop and draft the videotape

script or narrative for OVC review and

approval;
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21921

• Finalize the script or narrative;

• Secure the subjects and film

location; and

• Secure technical staff to videotape

and produce the sound track.

II. Videotape Production

During this phase, the grantee will:

• Film the videotapes and produce

the sound track;

• Edit and produce a draft videotape;

• Submit the draft for OVC review

and approval;

• Draft and submit the user’s guide

for OVC review and approval;

• Edit and refine the user’s guide;

• Draft, submit and finalize a

brochure publicizing the videotape and

giving information on how to obtain it;

• Finalize all products; and

• Produce a final report on the

project. Upon completion of the project,

the grantee will furnish OVC with a

master copy of the videotape, and

camera-ready copy and floppy disk of

the guidebook for reproduction and

dissemination.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Expertise in professional quality

videotape production;

• Knowledge of issues associated

with the criminal justice system’s

handling of crime victims;

• Specific knowledge of one or more

of the topic areas articulated in this

announcement; and

• Management and financial

capability to oversee a project of this

size and scope.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Vicki Rapoport, (202) 616–

3572, regarding the Cultural Diversity

and Path Through the Criminal Justice

System videotapes, and Susan Laurence,

(202) 616–3573, regarding the Victim

Issues for Parole Boards videotape.

Resources for National Crime Victims

Rights Week, 1996 (Cooperative

Agreement)

Award Amount: $25,000

Purpose: To draw national attention

to National Crime Victims Rights Week,

1996 through the development of public

relations strategies and the

dissemination of materials in the form

of a kit.

Background: Each year since 1982,

National Crime Victims Rights Week

(NCVRW) has been formally designated

and commemorated at the Federal level

during the month of April. The

observance of this event serves as a

reminder that, not so long ago, crime

victims were treated only as witnesses

for the prosecution—often denied the

dignity, respect, and assistance to which

they are entitled. NCVRW affords the

nation the opportunity to acknowledge

the plight of crime victims and to

recognize the numerous reforms that

have been instituted to advance their

rights and respond to their unique

needs.

Goal: To heighten public awareness of

victim issues nationwide.

Objective: To develop and

disseminate a Crime Victims Rights

Week kit with strategies for

commemorating the week-long, national

event.

Program Strategy: This solicitation

invites applications for one grantee to

conceptualize, develop, and produce a

NCVRW kit for use by victim service

providers, advocates, elected leaders,

and the general public in

commemorating the national event.

Project applications may include

suggestions for observance of NCVRW at

the state, local and Federal levels,

including sample poster art, public

service announcements, fact sheets, and

commemorative activities. Applications

shall also include a specific plan for

disseminating the kit as broadly as

possible.

The selected applicant will be

expected to work closely with the OVC

project monitor and to ensure that all

project deliverables are produced and

disseminated well in advance of

NCVRW events to ensure their timely

use by the field.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate general

knowledge of victim issues and

previous public relations experience.

Award Period: 12 months.

Contact: Celestine Williams, (202)

616–3565.

D. New Native American Programs

Training and Technical Assistance for

Victims of Federal Crime in Indian

Country Discretionary Grant

Subgrantees (Cooperative Agreement)

Award Amount: $160,000.

Purpose: To provide program

materials and training and technical

assistance that are uniquely tailored to

the needs of Native American

communities that have received funds

under the Assistance to Victims of

Federal Crime in Indian Country (VAIC)

Discretionary Grant Program.

Background: The VAIC Program

established victim assistance programs

in remote areas of Indian Country where

there were limited or no existing

services for victims of crime. Since

1989, OVC has awarded $5.4 million to

nineteen states. As a result, more than

50 Native American victim assistance

programs have been established in the

States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New

Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma,

Oregon, South Dakota, Utah,

Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

As each program is unique to the

Native American community it serves,

an individual approach to meeting the

training and technical assistance needs

of these programs is required. The

program will provide training and

technical assistance and materials

specifically tailored to each program.

Goals:

• To enhance, expand, and improve

services provided by Native American

and tribal subgrantees that have been

funded under OVC’s VAIC grant

program through short-term, on-site

training, technical assistance or

consultation;

• To develop a video for tribal leaders

that illustrates how the VAIC program

should work; and

• To develop a manual that assists

Indian tribes in establishing and

expanding victim assistance programs

in Native American communities.

Objectives:

• To survey 19 state victim assistance

grantees regarding the need their

subgrantees have for training, technical

assistance, or consultation;

• To develop and maintain a register

of experienced consultants who are

qualified to provide technical

assistance, or peer consultation that is

culturally relevant to Native American

communities in the area of victim

assistance, including child abuse,

domestic violence and sexual assault;

• To develop a script or film

treatment that illustrates the benefits of

a victim assistance program and depicts

how a successful victim assistance

program is integrated into tribal law

enforcement and social service systems;

• To develop, print, and disseminate

a program manual to all VAIC

subrecipients; and

• To evaluate and summarize the

effectiveness of each training, as well as

the project as a whole, and recommend

future training and technical assistance

strategies.

Program Strategy: To accomplish the

goals and objectives of this project, the

grantee will:

• Develop and complete a survey of

19 state grantees to assess the range and

type of training and technical assistance

needed by subgrantees;

• Acquire a copy of each state

agency’s application kit and guidelines

to assist subgrantees in developing an

application for continued funding;
21922 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

• Develop a format or application

procedure for subgrantees to request

training and technical assistance. This

format should detail the range of

training and/or technical assistance

possible and capture information from

the subgrantee to include the purpose of

the training, desired goals, and a list of

staff to be trained. The format will

require final approval by the grantor

agency;

• Develop a method for evaluating

requests submitted by the subgrantees;

• Agree on the desired training and

technical assistance activity that could

include: assistance in improving overall

management, developing competitive

subgrant applications, implementing a

specific part of the victim assistance

program such as a training program for

volunteers in crisis intervention, setting

up a case record system, training law

enforcement officers on improving their

response to crime victims, establishing

support groups for survivors of

homicide, or developing an advocacy

program for child victims who

participate in tribal court. Special

emphasis will be placed on providing

needed training and technical assistance

to the four newly funded tribal

organizations within Colorado, Iowa,

Mississippi, and Oklahoma, as well as

meeting the urgent training and

technical needs of previously funded

programs;

• Work with OVC staff to select a

project advisory board composed of

Native American VAIC subgrantees,

VOCA Victim Assistance

Administrators, experts on Native

American culture and a Federal VictimWitness Coordinator to develop an

outline defining the range of materials

to be included in the program manual

and to assist grantee staff to develop the

manual, and to assist with providing

ideas for and reviewing the script for the

video;

• Develop a plan for making the

video;

• Evaluate effectiveness of the

training provided and the project as a

whole; and

• Recommend future training and

technical assistance strategies.

Eligibility Requirements: Applications

will be accepted from public agencies,

private agencies, or non-profit

organizations. As this program will

focus primarily on short-term training

and technical assistance to Native

Americans, Indian Tribes, or Native

American organizations, and in addition

to the requirements of Sections VI-XI,

applicants must meet the following

requirements in order to be eligible for

consideration:

• Experience in the development of

training and technical assistance;

• Information or access to

information on local experts in the area

of victim assistance to include child

abuse, spouse abuse, and other services

that assist victims of violent crimes;

• Knowledge of the problems and

issues inherent in maintaining victimrelated, culturally-sensitive programs in

Indian Country;

• Knowledge in the development of

instructional and training video’s for

Native American communities, tribal

councils, and leaders; and

• Demonstrated management and

financial capability to operate a program

of this size and scope.

Award Period: 24 months.

Contact: Toni Thomas, (202) 616–

3579.

Children’s Justice Act Discretionary

Grant Program For Native Americans

Award Amount: Up to $513,500 will

support five to eight grants in FY 1995.

Full accomplishment of this project is

anticipated to require three to five years

of funding. The first year award amount

will be limited to $60,000 per grantee,

to allow for the lead-time that may be

required to obtain Tribal Council

approval for the grant and hire staff.

Awards for the remaining years will

range from $60,000 to $100,000.

Purpose: To assist Native American

communities in improving the

investigation, prosecution, and handling

of cases of child sexual and physical

abuse in a manner that increases

support for and reduces trauma to child

victims.

Background: During the mid-1980’s,

reports of sexual abuse and disclosures

of multiple-victim child molestation

cases on Indian reservations sharply

increased. As the cases surfaced, it

became apparent that services were

seriously lacking for Native American

children, and that handling abuse in

Indian Country was more difficult due

to geographic isolation and the scarcity

of law enforcement, social and medical

services. Procedures for sensitive and

thorough pediatric forensic

examinations, as well as follow-through

with mental health counseling, which is

critical to a child’s recovery, were

frequently nonexistent.

In response to the acute increases in

reports and disclosures of child

molestation on Indian reservations, the

Children’s Justice Act Grant Program for

Native Americans (CJA) was established

to assist Indian tribes develop, establish,

and operate programs that improve the

overall response to child sexual abuse

cases. The program focuses on handling

the case from the initial report and the

first stages of intervention and

investigation through to the resolution

of the case.

Since 1988, OVC has provided CJA

funding to 28 tribes. The funded

projects have supported: Establishment,

expansion and training for

multidisciplinary teams; revision of

tribal codes to address child sexual

abuse; child advocacy services for

children involved in court proceedings;

development of protocols and

procedures for reporting, investigating,

and prosecuting child sexual abuse

cases; development of working

relationships that minimizes the

number of child interviews; enhanced

case management and treatment

services; specialized training for

prosecutors, judges, investigators and

other professionals who handle child

sexual abuse cases; specially designed

child interview rooms; and special

prosecution units.

Goal: To strengthen existing CJA

programs, create new ones that deal

effectively with cases of child sexual

and physical abuse during the

investigation, prosecution, and

treatment phases, and establish systemic

improvement in a community’s overall

response to child sexual abuse.

Objectives:

• To assess the current tribal system

for responding to child sexual abuse and

identify changes needed to implement

more effective programs;

• To hire staff and develop an

organizational structure to execute the

planned program;

• To develop or revise policies,

procedures, and tribal codes that

directly address child abuse and

neglect;

• To form liaisons and working

relationships with Federal, state and

local agencies that result in improved

communication and a better use of

resources for child victims and their

families;

• To provide specialized and

multidisciplinary training to key

personnel that focuses on developing or

improving the skills needed to

effectively handle the problem of child

abuse and specifically child sexual

abuse;

• To establish specialized law

enforcement, prosecution or child

advocacy units within existing tribal

agencies that are uniquely trained and

qualified to handle child victim cases;

and

• To develop written program

implementation materials that can be

replicated and used to assist other tribal

agencies that wish to establish similar

programs.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21923

Program Strategy: This program will

be implemented in three stages. As

grantees will be required to reapply for

the grant each year, the grantee must

show significant progress in meeting

project objectives in order to continue

receiving grant funds. CJA programs

will be eligible for three to five years of

funding depending on the availability of

Federal funds and success in program

implementation.

Each project must be designed to

improve the investigation and

prosecution of child sexual abuse cases,

and to improve the overall handling of

these cases in a manner that reduces

trauma to the child. OVC recognizes that

jurisdictional authority over child

sexual abuse cases varies greatly among

tribes. Therefore, we seek innovative

projects based on the unique

jurisdictional characteristics of the tribal

criminal justice and service delivery

systems. OVC expects tribes that receive

these grants to be actively involved in

determining the manner by which these

cases are administratively and judicially

processed at the tribal, state, and

Federal levels.

In addition, OVC recommends the use

of multi-disciplinary teams (known in

many areas of Indian Country as Child

Protection Teams) to respond to cases of

child sexual abuse. This could also

include specialized prosecutorial units

for the investigation, referral, and

prosecution of child abuse cases. Multidisciplinary teams which are developed

or expanded as a result of this grant

must include representatives from the

tribal, state, and Federal agencies that

provide services to the tribe.

Stage I—Assessment and Project

Development

The grantee is expected to develop a

new program or continue an existing

program that handles child physical and

sexual abuse cases in an effective and

timely manner. The organizational

structure and staffing pattern described

in the grant application should be

implemented as soon as possible after

award of grant funds.

The grantee should make an

assessment of its current tribal system

and resources for developing a CJA

program and determine the additional

resources and system changes needed to

implement a program. The grantee must

hire and use either tribal staff or outside

consultants to train key staff for

investigating and prosecuting child

physical and sexual abuse cases in tribal

court. Additional training for

multidisciplinary teams, prosecutors,

law enforcement personnel, judges,

advocates or medical, mental health,

and social service professionals may be

required. Improved procedures for

interviewing child victims, providing

court advocacy, handling child victim

cases, and providing treatment services

could be established at this stage.

The products of this stage include:

• Job descriptions and re ́sume ́s for

key staff hired or contracted under the

grant;

• Assessment report of findings and

recommendations for additional

changes and resources needed to

implement an efficient project. The

report should be developed by tribal

working groups, multidisciplinary

teams or with the assistance of a

consultant;

• Activity reports that summarize

major activities and accomplishments of

the grant to be submitted to OVC four

times during this stage of program

activities; and

• Agendas for the training of

personnel involved in the handling of

child sexual abuse and serious child

physical abuse cases, if appropriate at

this stage.

Stage II—Implementation of Project and

Development of Training and Resource

Materials

The grantee must develop and/or

finalize materials that demonstrate how

the program operates. Policies and

procedures, interagency protocols, or

memoranda of understanding

identifying different agency roles and

responsibilities, reporting procedures,

forms for recording case information,

working agreements with Federal and/or

state agencies or a tribal code that

addresses child sexual abuse (including

definitions and maximum penalties for

offenders) are examples of materials that

must be developed. The materials will

be used by the grantee in implementing

its own program and will also be

disseminated to other tribes to

demonstrate how to develop similar

programs.

The grantee may find it useful to

gather all available resources that will

aid the tribe in responding to child

physical and sexual abuse. These

resources could include any materials

available from other tribes, national

clearinghouses, agencies, organizations

and state CJA programs that would be

useful in improving the response to

child physical and sexual abuse cases.

Using these materials, the grantee must

seek to improve its current system for

addressing child abuse and, upon

successfully applying these materials to

its own system, should develop the

capability to provide training and

technical assistance to other tribes on

handling child abuse cases.

The products of this stage would

include:

• A compilation of materials gathered

by the grantee from within the tribe and

from other sources;

• Materials developed for improving

the handling of child physical and

sexual abuse cases (e.g., protocols,

revised tribal codes, and procedures);

• Training curricula for law

enforcement officers, prosecutors,

judges, victim advocates,

multidisciplinary teams and medical,

mental health, and social service

personnel;

• A brochure or resource directory to

be distributed which advertises the

availability of the tribe’s resources,

services, and training opportunities if

appropriate, for addressing child abuse

cases; and

• Activity reports that summarize

major activities and accomplishments of

the grant to be submitted to OVC during

this stage of program activities.

Stage III—Delivery of Services

The project should serve as the tribe’s

primary program for illustrating

effective approaches to handling serious

child sexual abuse cases; working with

various tribal, state and Federal

agencies; meeting the needs of Native

American child sexual abuse victims

and their families; and communicating

with tribal councils and other bodies in

responding effectively to child abuse.

After completing Stages I and II,

project staff should be in a position to

make the program’s resources and

implementation materials available to

other tribes. Project staff should be

available to present diagrams and

descriptions of program models that

illustrate coordination among tribal,

state and Federal law enforcement

agencies, criminal justice professionals,

victim assistance providers and human

service, health and mental health

personnel. Project staff should have

developed its capacity to provide

training and technical assistance to

tribes and tribal organizations upon

their request and within program

staffing resources, being careful to

schedule such training and technical

assistance so as not to disrupt on-going

program services. In addition, project

staff will be asked to participate in OVC

sponsored conferences and training

sessions to demonstrate model

practices, provide program materials

and handouts or serve as trainers or on

discussion groups and panels.

The products of this stage are:

• Individualized consultation,

training and dissemination of

illustrative program implementation

materials;
21924 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

• Reports describing the training

provided to tribes;

• Recommendations for and

descriptions of training workshops to be

included in OVC sponsored conferences

for assisting child victims in Indian

Country; and

• Activity reports that summarize

major activities and accomplishments of

the grant to be submitted to OVC four

times during this stage of program

activities.

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible

applicants are Federally recognized

Indian tribes and tribal organizations.

Grant awards will be limited to tribal

organizations as defined in the Indian

Self-Determination and Education

Assistance Act, Pub. L. 93–638, 25

U.S.C. 450b. Applications must be

signed by the leader or chief executive

of the tribe. In those cases where the

Tribal Council serves as the governing

body, the application must be signed by

the Chairman of the Council or other

recognized leader of that group.

Applicants also must adhere to the

requirements of Sections VI–XI of this

Announcement.

Selection Criteria: In determining

which applications to fund, OVC will

use a grant review panel to evaluate and

rank the application on the following

criteria:

A. The problem to be addressed (15

points)

The need for such a program,

including the problems experienced and

issues related to child physical and

sexual abuse in the community is

clearly stated. A description of the

agencies involved (tribal, local, state

and Federal) is provided and, where

possible, statistics on the number of

cases reported, investigated and

substantiated; referred for services; and

prosecuted are included.

B. Goals and objectives (20 points)

The goals and objectives are clearly

defined and relate directly to the

program purpose, the problem to be

addressed and the implementation of

this project. The objectives are stated in

measurable terms.

C. The appropriateness and

soundness of program design (25 points)

The program design and methodology

clearly address the identified problem

and provide a clear description of how

the project will achieve the stated goals

and objectives. The method for

implementing project components must

be consistent with the goals and

objectives. In addition, the program

strategy contains an implementation

plan that includes a timeline schedule

and milestones for the accomplishment

of objectives and submission of

products.

D. Budget (15 points)

The budgeted costs are reasonable,

cost-effective and accurately reflect how

grant funds will be used to promote the

development of the project.

E. Organizational capability (20

points)

The organizational capability

demonstrates a capacity for developing

and packaging a comprehensive

program that addresses the

investigation, prosecution, case

handling and treatment of child

physical and sexual abuse. This

criterion includes: (1) Adequacy of the

tribe’s management structure and

financial capability (10 points), and (2)

the qualifications of key staff identified

to manage and implement the project

(10 points). Where the applicant has

previously received CJA funds, the

progress made under the previous grant

is discussed.

F. Assessment Plan (5 points)

The plan for assessing the impact of

the project in improving the

investigation, prosecution, and overall

handling of child sexual abuse cases is

clearly defined.

Award Period: 3 to 5 years, depending

on the availability of funding and

success of the grantee in achieving the

goals and objectives of the project.

Contact: Cathy Sanders, (202) 616–

3578 for further information and to

obtain a copy of the Application Kit.

Cross-Cultural Skills Development and

Training for Federal Criminal Justice

Personnel in Indian Country

(Cooperative Agreement)—Award

Amount: $150,000 (in Cooperation With

BJA)

Purpose: To encourage culturallysensitive responses from Federal

criminal justice personnel and Federal

Victim-Witness Coordinators to the

rights and diverse needs of Native

American victims of crime. This project

will support the development of a

monograph and companion trainer’s

guide/training curriculum and a video

that offers basic skills and effective

program strategies for culturallysensitive service delivery to Native

American victims of crime by criminal

justice personnel.

Background: There are more than 535

Federally-recognized Indian tribes in

the United States, each having

extremely diverse cultures that include

clan systems, customs, language base,

and traditional as well as nontraditional religious beliefs. Governed

by a complex array of Federal, state, and

tribal law, certain crimes committed by

non-Indians against Indians can fall

within Federal criminal jurisdiction for

purposes of investigation and

prosecution (The Indian Country Crimes

Act, 18 U.S.C. section 1152, and The

Major Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. section

1153). Federal criminal justice

personnel are also responsible for

providing victims’ rights and victim

assistance services to Indian victims of

Federal crime.

Non-Indian personnel often run the

risk of unknowingly alienating Native

American victims of crime by their

actions. Special care needs to be taken

by non-Indian criminal justice

personnel to ensure that cultural

stereotyping does not become a barrier

to providing effective criminal justice

and victim assistance services. One of

the ways to counteract potential

stereotyping and to encourage

culturally-sensitive service delivery is to

understand the abundant diversity

within Indian culture.

Goals:

• To enhance the provision of

culturally-sensitive services by nonIndian Federal criminal justice

personnel to Native American victims of

crime;

• To create a package of material that

includes a monograph, a companion

trainer’s guide/training curriculum, and

a video designed to promote a better

understanding of the diversity among

Native American people and to improve

the quality of the response of Federal

criminal justice personnel and victim

assistance providers to Native American

victims of crime; and

• To disseminate information about

effective strategies for responding to

Native American crime victims through

the monograph, training curriculum,

and video to Federal criminal justice

personnel having jurisdiction in Indian

Country.

Objectives:

• To identify and assess effective

practices and related training material

used by law enforcement and victim

assistance agencies to respond in

culturally-sensitive ways to victims of

crime who are Native American;

• To develop and print a monograph

that promotes awareness of the diverse

needs of Native American victims of

crime, as well as a companion trainer’s

guide/training curriculum,

incorporating skills-building exercises

and effective strategies for providing

culturally-sensitive services to Native

American victims of crime;

• To develop a broadcast quality

video tape that promotes awareness of

the diverse needs of Native American

victims of crime and state of the art

strategies for providing culturally

sensitive services to Native American

victims of crime;
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21925

• To provide a train-the-trainers

segment during an appropriate OVCsponsored training event; and

• To disseminate up to 200 final

copies of the products to appropriate

Federal criminal justice and victim

assistance personnel in the field.

Program Strategy: The project will

consist of four phases:

Phase 1

• Develop a plan describing how the

identification, review, and assessment

of existing material and effective

practices will be completed (including

the use or guidance of an advisory

committee as appropriate);

• Identify, review, and assess the

existing training curricula, relevant

literature, and effective practices

regarding the treatment of and services

to Native American victims of crime;

and

• Develop a report for OVC detailing

the results of the assessment.

Phase 2

• Upon successful completion of

phase 1, develop a plan for designing

the monograph, and trainer’s guide/

training curriculum; and

• Develop a draft monograph that

explores the general principles,

practical approaches, and key issues

defining culturally-sensitive treatment

of Native American victims of crime,

including the need for cross-cultural

practice in the delivery of effective

criminal justice and victim assistance

services by non-Indians; the impact of

one’s own values and beliefs on the

delivery of effective services; crosscultural assessment of victims’

emotional, physical, and financial

needs; culturally-sensitive interviewing

techniques of a Native American victim;

and the elements of effective service

delivery.

Phase 3

• Upon successful completion of

phase 2, develop a plan for

incorporating the finished products into

an appropriate OVC-sponsored training

event, such as the provision of a trainthe-trainers segment; and

• Develop a trainer’s guide/

curriculum and video that serves as a

companion to the monograph. The

training guide should be part of the

training curriculum and should include

example transparencies, hypothetical

case examples, or other training tools

that would convey the information. The

core training curriculum should

incorporate basic skills in cross-cultural

practice, including elements of effective

service delivery and the impact of an

individual’s own values on culturallysensitive interviewing of the Indian

client. The training curriculum and

video also should be developed in a

modular format, allowing for maximum

flexibility of the trainers and

participants given the jurisdiction or

region of the country where the training

will occur. The training curriculum will

be showcased during an OVC-approved

training conference.

Phase 4

• Upon successful completion of

phase 3, develop a plan to inform the

field of the products and make them

available to Federal criminal justice

personnel and victim service agencies

through an OVC-sponsored training

event and other means;

• Print and disseminate 200 copies of

the packaged material to the field

(dissemination can partially be achieved

through an appropriate OVC-sponsored

training event that would feature a trainthe-trainer block of instruction); and

• Develop a final report that includes

an assessment of the effort.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Experience in developing training

curricula for use by victim assistance

and criminal justice personnel;

• Experience in providing culturallysensitive training and technical

assistance;

• Demonstrated knowledge of the

issues associated with the criminal

justice system’s handling of Native

American crime victims;

• Demonstrated knowledge in

assessing the emotional needs, rights,

and concerns of Native American

victims of crime; and

• Experience in reviewing, analyzing,

and preparing educational materials,

including videos that are culturallysensitive to the needs of crime victims.

Selection Criteria: All applicants will

be evaluated and rated based upon the

extent to which they address the

following criteria:

A. Utility of the project: (10 Points)

Project’s purpose, goals, and

objectives are clearly stated and the

usefulness of the project to the field is

clearly defined by the applicant;

B. Project Strategy/Design: (25 Points)

Project’s plan for undertaking

activities is sound, specific, and

includes how the applicant intends to

achieve the purpose, goals, and

objectives of the project;

C. Implementation Plan: (25 Points)

Project’s implementation plan is

thorough and is appropriately tied to the

project strategy such that adequate time

lines and staff resources can be

identified;

D. Qualifications of Organization/

Project Staff: (25 Points)

Applicant possesses the necessary

management, staff, and financial

capabilities to successfully undertake

the project;

E. Budget: (10 Points)

Applicant’s proposed budget directly

relates to the project strategy and

implementation plan, includes

reasonable and allowable costs, and

provides narrative detailed on the

project’s proposed cost; and

F. Assessment Plan: (5 Points)

Applicant includes a strategy for

testing the effectiveness of the materials

through use of training assessment

forms or provides other means for the

field to review and comment on drafts

as the products are developed.

Award Period: 18 months.

Contact: Bill Brantley, (202) 616–

3574.

Indian Nations Conference (Cooperative

Agreement)— Award Amount:

$200,000, to be awarded in FY 1996

Purpose: To improve the skills of

diverse professionals in responding to

the needs of Native American crime

victims and in handling cases of family

violence, child sexual and physical

abuse.

Background: Through the Victims

Assistance in Indian Country (VAIC)

program, the Office for Victims of Crime

(OVC) has supported victim service

programs in over 50 tribal organizations

in 19 states. Further, under the

Children’s Justice Act (CJA)

Discretionary Grant Program for Native

Americans, OVC has provided direct

funding to 28 tribes to improve the

investigation, prosecution, and handling

of child abuse cases.

Since 1988, OVC has sponsored five

national conferences to bring together

tribal, state, and Federal professionals

who work on behalf of crime victims in

Indian Country. Those conferences have

provided training by Native Americans

and others on promising practices and

approaches for investigating,

prosecuting and handling cases and for

establishing effective victim assistance

services. In addition, they have

presented models for combining the

resources at the tribal, Federal, and state

levels to improve the response to crime

victims in Indian Country and have

provided an opportunity to experience

the rich diversity of tribal customs. In

1994, nearly 600 participants

representing approximately 100 tribes

attended the fifth Indian Nations

Conference.

Goal: To sponsor a national

conference to train victim service

personnel and professionals involved in
21926 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

providing services and securing rights

for crime victims in Indian Country.

Objectives:

• To review current information on

victim assistance and how crime victim

cases are handled in Indian Country;

• To plan an agenda for the national

conference using a planning committee

with tribal, Federal, and state

representatives;

• To fund the travel of tribal

representatives to the conference;

• To present a three-day national

conference; and

• To complete an assessment of the

training provided and identify strategies

for future training.

Program Strategy:

I. Assessment

• Compilation of information on

victim assistance and child abuse

programs in Indian Country and

previous Indian Nations Conferences;

and

• Establishment of a planning

committee composed of tribal, Federal,

and state representatives with OVC’s

recommendations and approval.

II. Planning

• Convening of the planning

committee to decide upon conference

site, dates, theme, agenda, presenters,

and speakers;

• Development of the conference

agenda with OVC review and approval;

• Arrangement of conference

facilities;

• Publication of conference brochure

with scholarship application;

• Notification of tribal, Federal, and

state personnel of conference and

solicitation of scholarship applications;

• Compilation of victim assistance

materials in a conference notebook; and

• Selection of scholarship recipients

with OVC approval.

Scholarships to pay for travel,

lodging, per diem and registration will

be awarded to individuals in the

following order of priority: (1) VAIC

subgrantees and CJA grantees; (2) tribal

representatives attending as part of a

multidisciplinary team (see next

paragraph); and (3) others involved in

victim assistance and/or child abuse

case handling services.

In an effort to enhance tribal-Federalstate partnerships, a portion of the

scholarship funds should be set aside

for tribal representatives attending as

part of a multidisciplinary team. The

scholarship application should set forth

this priority. Examples of individuals on

a multidisciplinary team would include:

A tribal prosecutor; a tribal or Bureau of

Indian Affairs law enforcement officer;

a tribal child protective services worker;

a tribal victim assistance coordinator; an

Assistant U.S. Attorney; a Federal

Victim-Witness Coordinator; and a

Federal investigator.

III. Training

• Host three-day national training

conference.

The purpose of the conference will be

to: Enhance the skills of victim service

providers in Indian Country; train

professionals involved in the

investigation, prosecution, and

management of child abuse cases;

promote an interdisciplinary strategy to

respond to Native American crime

victimization and child abuse; and

present established and new models,

including traditional approaches, of

assisting Native American crime victims

and handling child abuse cases.

The conference will also serve as a

forum for promoting communication

among tribal, Federal, and state officials,

exchanging information on promising

practices unique to Indian Country,

‘‘showcasing’’ promising programs, and

identifying and solving problems.

IV. Assessment

The grantee must review conference

assessments and prepare a conference

report that includes conference

evaluations and recommendations for

future strategies.

Eligibility Requirements: In addition

to the requirements of Sections VI–XI,

applicants must demonstrate:

• Knowledge of and experience with

victim assistance and child abuse case

handling in Indian Country; and

• Management capability to organize

and host a national conference.

Award Period: 12 months. The award

will be made in early FY 1996.

Contact: Carolyn Hightower, (202)

616–3586.

III. Non-Competitive Programs

The statement of purpose, goals,

objectives, and strategy are not outlined

in this Program Announcement for

continuation and non-competitive

funding. This information will appear in

the application kits, grant award

documents, and reimbursable

agreements for the programs that follow.

All grantees awarded new programs

following the OVC peer review and

selection process are expected to work

closely with the OVC project monitor

during all phases of the award period.

All written products resulting from

these grants must be submitted on

computer disk and in hard copy.

A. OVC Training and Technical

Assistance Resources

Trainers Bureau—$170,000

Through the Trainers Bureau, OVC

responds to requests for training and

technical assistance by providing expert

consultants in the field of victim

services. Skilled trainers capable of

conducting high quality workshops are

available to offer training and technical

assistance at a wide range of victimrelated conferences, seminars, and other

types of training events. The Trainers

Bureau also includes professionals

capable of providing appropriate,

effective on-site technical assistance to

address significant operational problems

or needs commonly experienced by

agencies.

For further information, either as an

agency wishing to apply for assistance

or a party interested in serving as a

consultant, contact Vicki Rapoport,

(202) 616–3572. Applications will be

accepted for consideration throughout

the award period.

Immediate Response to Emerging

Problems (IREP)—$50,000 in Early FY

1996

IREP allows OVC the flexibility to

respond to requests for training or

technical assistance from communities

and Federal, state, and local agencies

that must respond to a major crisis

involving multiple victims. This jointly

funded OVC/BJA program provides

rapid response victim assistance for

communities in crisis. Through this

program, OVC can sponsor a team of

diverse professionals, including mental

health providers, law enforcement,

victim advocates, and medical

personnel, to assist these communities.

Approved on-site assistance will be

short-term, generally between one and

three days. No funds will be awarded

directly to successful applicants. OVC

and BJA will absorb all costs in

accordance with Federal guidelines.

Requests for assistance must not exceed

$10,000.

Applications will be accepted

throughout FY 1995 and 1996. For

further information, contact David

Osborne, (202) 616–3580, or Sue Shriner

(Federal cases), (202) 616–3577.

Assistance for Victims of Federal Crime

(Reimbursable Agreement)—$75,000

Since 1988, OVC has provided funds

to support essential emergency victim

services, such as emergency shelter and

transportation to scheduled judicial

proceedings, for Federal crime victims

when these services are unavailable

from any other source. OVC will

continue this program so that funds can
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21927

be made available for victim-witness

coordinators in United States Attorneys’

offices to obtain services needed by

Federal crime victims.

B. Training and Technical Assistance

for Federal Law Enforcement

Training and Technical Assistance for

Federal Law Enforcement

(Continuation)—$460,000

OVC is responsible for training law

enforcement personnel from over 70

Federal agencies in the delivery of

services to victims of Federal crime.

OVC will enter into Reimbursable and

Interagency Agreements to: (1) Transfer

$75,000 to the Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI) to support its VictimWitness Program by assisting with the

salary of one staff member and sending

FBI Victim-Witness Coordinators/agents

to a yearly in-service training; (2) make

$100,000 available to the Department of

Treasury’s Federal Law Enforcement

Training Center (FLETC) to support

basic and advanced training for Federal

law enforcement officers, a training

conference for Federal criminal justice

personnel on bias crime, a train-thetrainer session for Federal VictimWitness Coordinators, Federal agency

specific training sessions, and

production of two training videos; and

(3) set aside $100,000 to assist other

Federal agencies with their mandated

victim-witness program training needs.

Federal agencies may submit requests to

OVC for financial assistance. These

requests must be accompanied by

specific training plans and detailed

budgets. Selections will be based on

cost effectiveness and the capacity of

the project to improve victim assistance

services.

OVC will provide $185,000 to sponsor

the attendance of Federal law

enforcement personnel at OVC

sponsored or other approved training

sessions. In FY 95, OVC will send

participants and trainers to the

following training sessions: (1) OVC’s

military ‘‘Crime Victims and

Corrections;’’ (2) OVC’s ‘‘Military

Communities Assisting Crime Victims;’’

(3) OVC’s Dual Track Conference with

EOUSA; (4) OVC’s ‘‘Multi-jurisdictional

Child Exploitation’’ project; (5) the

National Symposium on Child Sexual

Abuse; (6) trainings provided by the

National Center for Prosecution of Child

Abuse; and (7) other training sessions as

approved by the OVC Director. These

activities will be supported through

financial mechanisms such as

Interagency Agreements and travel

reimbursements.

C. Training and Technical Assistance

for Federal Victim-Witness Coordinators

and Prosecutors in U.S. Attorneys’

Offices (Continuation)

Training and Technical Assistance for

Federal Victim-Witness Coordinators

and Prosecutors in U.S. Attorneys’

Offices—$350,000

To improve the response of the

Federal criminal justice system to the

needs and rights of crime victims, OVC

will enter into a Reimbursable

Agreement with the Executive Office for

U.S. Attorneys. This initiative will

support training and technical

assistance programs for Federal victimwitness coordinators and prosecutors,

including:

• $150,000 to fund a model VictimWitness Assistance Program within a

U.S. Attorney’s office to address the

unique needs of Federal crime victims,

such as victims of white collar crime

and bank robbery. The program, funded

in cooperation with BJA, will produce

model policies and program materials to

benefit all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and

provide comprehensive victim

assistance services.

• $75,000 to reimburse expenses at

OVC approved or sponsored training

sessions and conferences on victim and

witness assistance, including a joint

OVC/EOUSA training session in

September, 1995;

• $75,000 to reimburse Federal

Districts for providing District-Specific

Training involving victims’ rights

legislation and compliance with the

1991 Attorney General Guidelines for

Victim and Witness Assistance; and,

• $50,000 to reimburse expenses for

Federal victim-witness coordinators and

Federal prosecutors to attend the 11th

Annual National Symposium for Child

Sexual Abuse in Huntsville, Alabama.

D. Training and Technical Assistance

for Crime Victim Practitioners and

Allied Professionals

Multi-jurisdictional Model for Handling

Child Sexual Exploitation Cases

(Continuation)—$100,000

This continuation grant to the

Education Development Center, Inc.

(EDC) will expand the scope of a current

joint OVC/OJJDP project. Using $50,000

from OVC and $50,000 from OJJDP, the

grant will allow EDC to provide training

using the protocol developed during the

first phase of the grant. The protocol,

Blueprint for Action, offers a

coordinated approach for handling these

cases. EDC will promote the widespread

adoption of the model by showcasing

the protocol at the National Symposium

on Child Sexual Abuse and by

providing training on the model in three

cities.

Expanding Resources for Children’s

Advocacy Centers (Non-competitive)—

$100,000

OVC seeks to combine efforts with

OJJDP and private non-profit

organizations to identify and fill current

needs of children’s advocacy centers

(CACs) and other service providers.

OVC will collaborate with these

organizations to fund programs that

expand resources for multidisciplinary

teams and extend the concept of

teamwork used by CACs to other kinds

of crimes, such as family violence.

Violence Against Women

Training and Technical Assistance to

Combat Violence Against Women (NonCompetitive)—$200,000

The recently enacted Violence

Against Women Act (VAWA) in the

Violent Crime Control and Law

Enforcement Act of 1994, 18 U.S.C.

2265, makes formula grants available to

states for developing and strengthening

effective law enforcement and

prosecution strategies and victims

services in cases involving crimes

against women. OVC will provide

funding for and work with the

Department of Justice’s VAWA Office to

develop appropriate programs.

No applications are being solicited at

this time. OVC resources will be

dedicated in part to the following areas

of need:

1. The Full Faith and Credit provision

of VAWA mandates that protection from

abuse orders issued in one jurisdiction

receive ‘‘full faith and credit’’ in another

locale. The provision seeks to ensure

that valid protection orders will be

enforced by non-issuing states when a

victim travels across state lines.

Protection orders issued in Native

American lands also must be given ‘‘full

faith and credit’’ by state courts and

non-issuing other tribal courts.

OVC funding will be allocated for the

development of model policies and

procedures on implementation and

enforcement of the Full Faith and Credit

provisions, and to train state and local

criminal justice components and

advocates. Efforts will be made to

ensure that the project builds on work

previously undertaken to address

related issues, such as the development

of model legislation and research on

needed reforms.

2. OVC funding also will be allocated

to the development of customized,

multidisciplinary training and technical

assistance for local, county, and state

jurisdictions responding to violence
21928 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

against women. Under this program,

teams from one community can visit a

‘‘promising program’’ in another

community to learn about

multidisciplinary approaches in

handling family violence cases. This

funding will augment limited training

and technical assistance dollars

provided by the Violence Against

Women (VAWA) Office for states

receiving formula grants and will be

used for the same purposes.

OVC will reserve up to $200,000

available for this non-competitive

initiative.

Meeting of the Anti-Stalking Resource

Group (Non-competitive)—$9,906

BJA awarded the National Criminal

Justice Association (NCJA) a grant in

September 1993 to conduct a series of

regional seminars in the states on

implementing anti-stalking codes. NCJA

is invited to convene a resource group

meeting to conclude its previous work

and to issue a final report that could be

included in OVC’s national agenda

project with a compilation of a

historical perspective, promising

practices, new legislation, and a model

statute (see Section IV). $9,906 is

available to provide support during a 12

month period.

National TRIAD Trainings To Reduce

Elder Victimization (Interagency

Transfer)—$50,000

In 1988, representatives of the

National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA),

the International Association of Chiefs

of Police (IACP), and the American

Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

created the TRIAD program. TRIAD

focuses on how crime, fear of crime, and

crime victimization adversely impact

older Americans and how the

collaborating agencies can develop

effective strategies to improve the

quality of life for this population. Since

then, communities across the nation

have established more than 150 local

TRIADs, and 21 states have signed

agreements indicating the support of

their state police chiefs and sheriffs’

associations and AARP for this program.

To complement local efforts, OVC,

BJA, and the Administration on Aging

(AoA) at the Department of Health and

Human Services have entered into an

Interagency Agreement (IA) to fund up

to five regional training conferences/

seminars to support programming

directed at elder abuse, victimization,

provision of community services, and

other related issues. These conferences

will seek to further spread TRIAD

programs throughout the country,

identify model practices used to assist

older Americans and identify resources,

such as local Area Agencies on Aging,

that can be included within any local

strategy addressing crimes against older

Americans. OVC will make $50,000

available to assist this effort. These

funds will be transferred to BJA, which

will award combined OVC, AoA, and

BJA funds to NSA to plan and

implement these conferences.

Training for Military Chaplains

(Continuation/Cooperative

Agreement)—$60,000

This training and technical assistance

project will be implemented by the

current OVC grant recipient, the

Spiritual Dimension in Victim Services.

Traumatized victims of crime on

military installations often seek

assistance from chaplains rather than

from other service or law enforcement

professionals. This project seeks to

modify the current training manual for

military chaplains and to provide up to

three regional training programs on

victim assistance for military chaplains

from all four military services and the

U.S. Coast Guard.

Regional Training Seminar Series: Bias

Crime Training for Law Enforcement

and Victim Assistance Professionals

(Continuation)—$55,000

As discussed Section II, OVC is

sponsoring regional training seminar

series on two topics during Fiscal Year

1995. The basic description of this

initiative, its purpose, background,

goals, and objectives are described in

that section, as is the program strategy

for the series on establishing community

and institutional crisis response teams.

The specifics regarding the second

series, bias crime training for law

enforcement and victim assistance

professionals, are described here, as this

grant is a continuation of a previous

OVC grant.

This grant, in cooperation with BJA,

will expand the scope of an OVC grant

previously competitively awarded to the

Education Development Center, Inc. to

develop a bias crimes training

curriculum that would help strengthen

the knowledge and skills of law

enforcement and victim service

providers. The training curriculum was

developed, and a pilot training session

was held successfully. The grantee will

modify the curriculum to include

current information about Federal

statutes, and then offer training at four

sites to be selected with the assistance

of an Advisory Board. Participants of

each seminar will develop, as a final

product of the training event, an action

plan for incorporating skills learned into

their approach to serving the victims of

bias crimes.

Victim Assistance in Public Housing

(Non-competitive)—$25,000

This project, in cooperation with BJA,

will provide resources to the National

Organization for Victim Assistance

(NOVA) to gather information about

current victim assistance efforts in

public housing, identify potential

resources, and develop model strategies

for furthering victim assistance

programs within public housing

developments.

This program seeks to: (1) Identify

existing victim assistance programs

operating within public housing

developments; (2) assess the strengths

and weaknesses of these programs and

identify major barriers to successful

delivery of victim services; and (3)

solicit these programs to work with

OVC, the Department of Housing and

Urban Development, other related

Federal agencies, and NOVA to identify

and develop model strategies that

support the development and

sustainment of victim assistance

programs within public housing

developments.

NOVA will collect program materials

that can be used by public housing

authorities to establish victim assistance

programs and will convene meetings

with representatives of the above

mentioned agencies and other experts in

order to facilitate discussions and

generate recommendations. When

completed, NOVA will submit a report

that includes a design for a model

public housing victim assistance

program and recommendations for

program implementation.

E. Native American Programs

Assistance to Victims of Federal Crime

in Indian Country (Continuation)—

$765,245

OVC initiated the Victim Assistance

in Indian Country (VAIC) Program in

1987 to establish a network of ‘‘onreservation’’ victim assistance programs

in areas of Indian Country so that

services normally available in towns

and cities across the country would also

be available to crime victims in remote

sections of Indian Country. Grants were

awarded to state agencies to make

subgrants to Indian tribes or Native

American organizations on land areas of

Federal jurisdiction. Services provided

through the tribal programs include

crisis intervention and counseling to

provide emotional support to victims

following a violent crime; emergency,

short-term child care or temporary

shelter for family violence victims; help

in participating in Federal criminal

justice proceedings; and payment for

forensic medical examinations for
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21929

sexual assault victims. Funds may also

be used for salaries for victim service

providers. No applications are solicited.

Due to the progress in this area, OVC

will fund continuation grants for 19

states to make subgrant awards to

support 36 tribal victim assistance

programs funded in cycles since FY

1989. The program will provide

continued support to Native American

communities in remote sections of

Indian Country where victim assistance

services have previously been

unavailable or scarce.

OVC will continue funding for all

participating states in FY 1995 and for

the four new states through FY 1997.

OVC also is exploring alternative

strategies for supporting the program

and will seek information from VAIC

programs and others.

Training and Technical Assistance for

Native American Children’s Justice Act

Grantees (Continuation/Cooperative

Agreement)—$305,000

This program will continue support

for a grant awarded to the National

Indian Justice Center (NIJC) in 1994 to

provide comprehensive, skills-building

training and technical assistance to

Indian tribes and organizations that

were awarded grants as part of the

Children’s Justice Act Discretionary

Grant Program for Native Americans

(CJA). The purpose of the CJA program

is to assist tribes to improve the

handling of serious child abuse cases,

especially child sexual abuse cases. This

grant also will support the development

and production of a ten minute video

for tribal leaders that explains the

importance of a coordinated effort

among tribal agencies in implementing

the CJA program.

The training provided has been

individually tailored to each tribe’s

special circumstances and needs. As a

result, tribes have established,

expanded, and trained multidisciplinary teams; revised tribal codes;

developed protocols and procedures for

handling child sexual abuse cases; and

developed procedures for managing

child-centered interview rooms. OVC

seeks to ensure that all tribal programs

receiving CJA grants are provided the

training and technical assistance

necessary to successfully implement

their programs. No additional

applications are being solicited in FY

1995. For further information, please

contact Cathy Sanders, (202) 616–3578.

Court Appointed Special Advocates

(CASA) in Indian Country

(Continuation)—$53,635

While currently there are 549 certified

CASA programs in 50 states with 33,000

volunteers, only two such programs

operate in the 170 court systems of

Federally recognized tribal

governments. This program will support

the development of CASA programs in

Indian Country so that tribal courts

funded through this program will be

able to assign advocates to represent the

best interests of children. This program

is especially important in Indian

Country since a tribal court may serve

as a Native American child’s only

recourse to protection and justice.

OVC will transfer funds to OJJDP to be

awarded to the National CASA

Association for the purpose of

supporting child advocacy programs in

Indian Country. Of the total amount,

$23,635 will go toward the organization

of a tribal CASA symposium in

conjunction with the National CASA

Conference. The symposium will

develop a plan to swiftly, effectively,

and sensitively adapt the CASA concept

to the needs of tribal courts. The

remaining $30,000 will be used to

support the establishment of two tribal

CASA programs.

Children’s Justice Act Discretionary

Grant Program for Native Americans

(Continuation)—$525,000

In 1988, the Victims of Crime Act was

amended to make funding available

annually to Indian tribes and

organizations to improve the handling

of child abuse cases. Since 1989, OVC

has granted annual awards to Indian

tribes to improve the systemic response

to serious cases of child abuse in a way

that increases support for and lessens

trauma to child victims.

Since 1989, OVC has provided

funding to 28 tribes for a range of

activities including: Development of

protocols and procedures for reporting,

investigating, and prosecuting child

sexual abuse cases; collaboration among

professionals that minimizes the

number of child interviews;

establishment, expansion, and training

of multidisciplinary teams; revision of

tribal codes to address child sexual

abuse; child advocacy services for

children involved in court proceedings;

enhanced case management and

treatment services; specialized training

for prosecutors, judges, criminal

investigators, and other professionals

who handle child sexual abuse cases;

development of procedures for

establishing and managing child

interview rooms; and special

prosecution units.

This program will extend the progress

made during the award year and ensure

that systemic improvements are fully

developed, defined, effectively

implemented, and operating so as to

result in improved investigation,

prosecution, and overall handling of

serious child abuse and neglect and

child sexual abuse cases. The projects

(Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc., Salt

River Indian Community, Fort Peck

Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes,

Chugachmuit, Minnesota Chippewa

Tribe, Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, South

Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, and

Shoshone Tribal Business Council) will

be funded early in FY 1996.

Travel/Training and Technical

Assistance for Native Americans (Noncompetitive)—$53,665

This program will provide assistance

to Indian tribes seeking a range of

specialized training for tribal

professionals. This program is designed

to meet the training needs of individual

tribal personnel who handle complex

child abuse cases and who manage other

child victim programs. Specifically, the

program will: (1) Support trainers at

various OVC sponsored training

sessions that focus on assisting child

victims in Indian Country, and send

Native American participants to these

events; (2) provide an array of

assistance, training, and travel to the

CJA grantees and other tribal

organizations that may request

assistance; and (3) develop a model CJA

application that tribes can use in

developing their own applications.

Tribal Judges Project (Noncompetitive)—$80,000

OVC will work with other DOJ

components as well as the

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

to identify a range of training and

technical assistance strategies or

projects that will assist tribes to improve

the handling of child abuse and family

violence. The funds will be used to

support training and technical

assistance for Federally-recognized

tribes participating in DOJ projects or

grant programs directed to improving

tribal systems of justice and the

handling of child and spouse abuse

cases. Planning will continue

throughout the year with DOJ entities

such as BJA, the Office of Tribal Justice,

the Child Exploitation and Obscenity

Section, the Violence Against Women

Office, and other offices that are funding

projects in Indian Country. Example of

activities that could be funded include:

• Support for tribal judges and clerks

of court to attend multidisciplinary

trainings scheduled to occur in Federal

Districts throughout 1995;

• Assistance in developing tribal

codes or protocols within and among

tribal governments, and memoranda of

understanding to coordinate the
21930 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

response of the tribal, state, and federal

systems of justice in handling family

violence cases;

• Attendance for tribal judges at

specialized training courses, seminars,

or conferences;

• Training or support for a planning

meeting or focus group initiated by a

tribe to develop specific procedures for

coordinating the civil and criminal

aspects of tribal, state, and federal

justice systems.

F. Dissemination of Information

Office for Victims of Crime Resource

Center (Continuation)—$261,084

The OVC Resource Center serves as a

national clearinghouse of information

concerning victim and witness

assistance programs, victim

compensation programs, and

organizations from the private sector

that assist victims and witnesses. In

addition, it establishes liaisons with

national, state, local, and private sector

organizations whose activities are

directed toward improving services for

victims and witnesses and maintains

directories of state, local, and private

sector programs, resources, and experts.

Since 1986, OVC has supported the

Resource Center as part of the National

Criminal Justice Reference Service

contract. In order to maintain and

enhance Resource Center activities

during FY 1995, OVC, in cooperation

with BJA, will make $261,084 available

to Aspen Systems Inc.

Crime Victim Compensation Videotape

(Non-Competitive)—$30,000

This non-competitive grant to the

National Association of Crime Victim

Compensation Boards (NACVCB) will

continue an existing grant and build

upon a previous grant that produced a

highly successful video about

compensation benefits for Native

Americans. NACVCB will produce a

video that explains how the

compensation program works so that

victims will understand the basics of the

program. NACVCB will use the ‘‘core

script’’ that was written for the previous

video. The video will be distributed to

all military bases, National Parks, and

other areas of Federal jurisdiction and

made available nationally to

organizations and programs assisting

crime victims. In addition, OVC will use

the ‘‘masters’’ of the video to make

copies available on a fee-for-service

basis through the OVC Resource Center.

Reproduction of Federal Victim

Assistance Informational Materials

(Continuation)—$120,000

OVC has responsibility for the

preparation, publication, and

distribution of informational materials

that describe Federal crime victims’

rights and available services. In FY 95,

OVC will support:

• The publication of revised Attorney

General Guidelines for Victim and

Witness Assistance ($20,000);

• The development, printing and

distribution of a Federal Resource Book

for Federal agencies ($40,000);

• The printing and distribution to all

U.S. Attorneys’ offices of a Federal

supplement to the manual ‘‘Prosecution

of Child Abuse’’ ($10,000);

• The development and distribution

of briefing packages to assist Federal

Victim-Witness Coordinators ($10,000);

and

• The printing and distribution of

‘‘Going to Court’’ activity books and

parent’s handbooks for child victims

required to testify in court ($40,000).

These materials will be reproduced

within DOJ or as the result of

Interagency Agreements.

Conference and Meeting Support Grant

(Non-Competitive)—$75,000

OVC will retain up to $75,000 to

handle the logistical planning and

implementation tasks for OVCsponsored conferences and events.

These events are likely to include:

• A focus group of ten to 15

ministers, rabbis, and priests from a

variety of religious traditions will be

convened to provide input to OVC on

developing and presenting appropriate

training for members of the clergy;

• A focus group of approximately ten

to 12 members will meet to make

recommendations regarding continuing

support for the Victim Assistance in

Indian Country (VAIC) program, and to

identify strategies for strengthening the

program and assisting subgrantees; and

• Support for unanticipated

conferences and events that OVC may

wish to conduct in the course of the

year.

G. Restorative Justice Symposium

Restorative Justice Symposium

(Interagency Transfer)—$30,000

In attempting to ensure that justice is

administered fairly and impartially, our

system of criminal justice makes crime

a violation against the state. A

consequence of this approach is that

crime victims—those who personally

suffer the impact of crime—are often

excluded from their own cases. The

focus usually is placed on the offender’s

crime, rights, and needs, and the

sanction that represents society’s just

retribution. The current system often

fails to hold the offender accountable to

either the victim or the community,

both of which are harmed by crime.

Restorative justice is a philosophical

framework that allows the victim and

the community to participate actively in

the criminal justice process. Both must

be restored, insofar as possible, from the

harm done by the offender. The

community has an additional role: To

assist offenders in re-building their ties

to the community as responsible

citizens. This role is crucial for the

community to be interactively engaged

in the administration of justice.

This activity will be conducted under

a current NIJ contract. The NIJ

contractor will plan, organize, and

conduct a transfer of knowledge

symposium on restorative justice. The

symposium will bring together policy

and decision makers from a number of

environments, including the political

arena, victim services, criminal justice,

academia, and research. Participation in

the symposium will be by invitation

only, with no more than 80 in

attendance.

For further information, contact Susan

Laurence, OVC, (202) 616–3573 or

Cheryl Crawford, NIJ, (202) 514–6210.

IV. National Crime Victims Agenda

Update of the 1982 Final Report of the

President’s Task Force on Victims of

Crime (Non-Competitive)—$125,000

In 1982, the President’s Task Force on

Victims of Crime issued its final

report—a comprehensive blueprint of 68

recommendations designed to improve

the treatment of the nation’s crime

victims by the criminal justice system

and other sectors of society. The report

was the first Federal study of its kind

and spearheaded a national momentum

toward securing specific victim rights

and developing services responsive to

the unique needs of crime victims.

In the decade that followed, state

governments and the Federal

government adopted many of the

recommendations in the 1982 report. At

the Federal level, the Office for Victims

of Crime was established to serve as the

national advocate for crime victims and

to administer the Crime Victims Fund.

The Fund, derived from fines, penalty

assessments, and bond forfeitures

leveled against Federal criminal

offenders, was an innovative idea for

helping to fund state compensation and

assistance programs at the local level,

supporting victims of Federal crimes,

and providing national scope training

and technical assistance. Since the

publication of the report, victim services

have expanded throughout the country

and many service providers have

received specialized training regarding

crime victim issues. Victim advocacy

groups have developed nationwide
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21931

memberships and have gained

prominence. Both the states and the

Federal government also have enacted

numerous laws designed to establish

and protect the rights of crime victims.

This announcement is provided for

informational purposes only. No

applications are being solicited. OVC is

sponsoring a new report that will assess

crime victims-related reforms achieved

during the past thirteen years and set

forth recommendations for the future.

Approximately thirty national experts

will assist in preparing the report by

participating in a two-day round-table

discussion of crime victim issues and

drafting background papers on specific

crime victim related topics.

OVC will make up to $125,000

available for this project in FY 1995.

The project is being jointly funded by

OVC and BJA. For further information,

contact Sharon English, (202) 616–3588,

or Melanie Smith, (202) 616–3575.

V. Solicitations for FY 1996

Victim Assistance Academy

(Continuation)

In 1994, OVC solicited applications

for a grant to establish a Victim

Assistance Academy for the purpose of

making high quality intensive training

available to victim service providers

across the country from Federal, state,

tribal and local settings. OVC

anticipated that the project would be an

initial step toward establishing an

annual training event and creating a

professional school and training

program for victim service providers. In

early 1995, the grant was awarded to a

consortium of national victim assistance

organizations that included the Victims’

Assistance Legal Organization, the

National Crime Victims Research and

Treatment Center of the Medical

University of South Carolina, and

California State University-Fresno. The

grantee was funded to design an

interdisciplinary training curriculum,

develop a bibliography of training

curricula, and produce a video of

training highlights with an

accompanying viewer’s guide and

participant training manual. OVC will

work with the grantee during the year to

evaluate the products developed and

determine if the project will be

continued and expanded in Fiscal Year

1996. Accordingly, OVC will reserve

$100,000 that could be awarded to

continue this effort in early 1996.

Victim Assistance Training for Military

Victim Assistance Providers

(Continuation)—$40,000

Continued funding will be provided

to the National Organization for Victim

Assistance (NOVA) to improve direct

services to victims of crime on military

installations by providing training in

program development, program

management, and direct victim services

for military justice personnel. This grant

will supplement an existing grant that

provides for three regional victim

assistance training conferences for

criminal justice professionals from

military installations. The current grant

combines the expertise and resources of

NOVA, OVC, and the Department of

Defense (DoD) to provide

comprehensive skills training on crime

victims’ issues. Two additional training

sessions will be held, one in Germany

and one in the Far East, to accommodate

the overseas military installations that

were unable to attend FY 95 training

sessions because of cost and space

limitations. All grant activities will be

coordinated with DoD’s Victim

Assistance Advisory Council. OVC is

announcing this continuation grant in

FY 95; however, the grant award will be

made October 1, 1995 with FY 96

funding.

Regional Coordination Initiative

This project seeks to create a network

of trainers and technical assistance

providers who will enhance existing

victim services by planning, managing,

and conducting innovative training

events at the regional level. This new

initiative will identify Regional Field

Coordinators (RFC) who, with support

from OVC, will develop and implement

regional training and technical

assistance projects on victim issues.

OVC will divide the nation into four

regions, as the National Institute of

Corrections has done for its

Regionalization Program, which serves

as the prototype for this initiative. Four

individuals per region will be selected

to serve as RFCs.

Immediately after their selection, the

RFCs will begin an assessment of the

major training and technical needs in

their local areas. Late in the first project

quarter, all 16 RFCs will meet for a three

day orientation and planning meeting in

Washington, DC. OVC will cover all

travel-related expenses for the meeting.

During this meeting, the four RFCs for

each region will plan and organize one

training or technical assistance activity

that their group will sponsor during the

year. They will base their plans on input

they have gathered from victim service

providers and trainers in the assessment

process.

Through the Trainers Bureau, OVC

will provide up to $3,500 to each region

toward the support of the annual

training or technical assistance project.

The RFCs will be responsible for

marketing the project throughout the

region, processing applications from

participants who wish to attend, and

organizing the event. It is expected that

training participants or their agencies

will cover the travel-related costs of

attending the training.

Since the RFC is an unpaid volunteer

position, those serving in this capacity

will do so with the support of their own

agencies and organizations. The chief

executive officer of the employer of each

prospective RFC must agree in writing

to allow the employee to participate in

RFC activities as a part of their regular

job. They must also agree to permit the

RFC to spend a portion of time on RFC

tasks and to use limited amounts of the

agency’s telephone, mail, and

duplication resources in carrying out

these tasks. RFC responsibilities last for

one year, and may be renewable on a

yearly basis for up to three years.

Experienced victim service providers

with training and technical assistance

expertise, working either in public or

private agencies, are encouraged to

apply as volunteer regional field

coordinators. Applications must include

written permission from the applicants’

employers, as stipulated above.

Individuals will be selected to fill

these positions based on their skills and

experience in the victims field, their

expertise in providing training and

technical assistance, and their capability

to work collaboratively with other

service providers in their area. The four

coordinators selected from each region

should have diverse expertise (e.g.,

family violence, sexual assault, general

victim services) and represent different

types of agencies (e.g., law enforcement,

prosecutor, private service providers).

Geographic diversity within each region

is also a selection factor.

Application forms may be requested

by writing to: Regional Coordination

Initiative, Office for Victims of Crime,

633 Indiana Avenue, NW., Washington,

DC. 20531. Applications will be

accepted through September 30, 1995

for the FY 1996 program. For further

information, contact Susan Laurence,

(202) 616–3573.

Concept Papers for FY 1996

OVC is soliciting short concept papers

for innovative demonstration and

training and technical assistance

programs for funding consideration in

FY 1996. The purpose of this effort is to

identify innovative ideas falling within

OVC’s statutory authority to improve

the response to the nation’s crime

victims through the provision of

training and technical assistance. OVC

is seeking input from the victim

assistance field for new ways of meeting
21932 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

the needs of crime victims that may be

widely applied.

Concept papers may focus on the

needs of a specific group of crime

victims, such as victims of workplace

violence, improving the quality of

services, or on a new concept or design

for providing services. These concept

papers will permit OVC to identify

program areas of primary interest to the

field, to determine program funding

priorities, to identify emerging issues,

and to explore innovative ideas that

address crime victim needs by OVC and

within the Federal government.

Concept papers will be reviewed as

part of OVC’s FY 1996 program

planning process. The papers should

support the development of training

materials and the delivery of training on

specific topics relating to crime victims.

Topics discussed in the concept papers

also should address the needs of victim

service providers, law enforcement,

mental health practitioners, the clergy,

or others who play a critical role in

responding to victims of crime.

A brief program narrative should be

included within the concept paper to

describe the need for the project, the

process by which the project would be

undertaken, the method of determining

the effects and quality of the project,

and the possible products arising from

the project.

The submission of a concept paper

does not in any way constitute a

commitment by OVC to award a grant to

support any program proposed in the

concept paper or provide funding to a

specific organization.

Concept papers should be submitted

to David Osborne, Special Assistant to

the Director, OVC, (202) 616–3580 for

consideration. The concept papers will

be reviewed in conjunction with

Administration priorities, OVC

legislative mandates, and staff input

during the development of OVC’s FY

1996 discretionary program planning

priorities. Invitations to submit

applications for funding on a

competitive basis will be announced in

OVC’s FY 1996 program plan. A specific

invitation by OVC to submit a grant

application as a result of the concept

paper review process will not in any

way constitute a commitment by OVC to

award a grant to support that proposed

project.

VI. Eligibility Requirements

In addition to special eligibility

requirements listed within the

individual program descriptions above,

the following will apply. Applications

are invited from public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations.

Applicants must demonstrate that they

have ample expertise and/or prior

experience in the design and conduct of

projects of a nature similar to that for

which they are applying.

Applicants must also demonstrate

that they have the management

capability, fiscal integrity, and financial

responsibility, including, but not

limited to, an acceptable accounting

system and internal controls, and

compliance with grant fiscal

requirements. Applicants who fail to

demonstrate that they have the

capability to manage the program will

be ineligible for funding consideration.

VII. Application Requirements

All applicants must submit a

completed Application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form 424 and OJP

Form 4000/3 (1/93) Attachment to SF–

424), including a program narrative. All

applications must include the

information outlined in this section of

the solicitation (Section VI, Application

Requirements) in Part IV, Program

Narrative of the application (SF–424).

The program narrative of the application

must not exceed 35 double-spaced pages

in length. Applicants that fail to adhere

to this program requirement will be

automatically disqualified from

competition.

In accordance with Executive Order

No. 12549, 28 CFR 67.510, applications

must also provide Certifications

Regarding Lobbying, Debarment,

Suspension, and other Responsibility

Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements (OJP Form 4061/6), which

will be supplied with the application

package, and must be submitted with

the application.

Applications that include noncompetitive contracts for the provision

of specific services must include a sole

source justification for any procurement

in excess of $100,000. Financial

questionnaires must be completed by

new non-governmental (except public

colleges, universities, and hospitals)

applicants. This includes a review of the

accounting system and a determination

that periodic audits are performed to

ensure fiscal integrity. New or

supplemental awards may not be made

to applicants with delinquent financial

or progress reports, delinquent or

unresolved audit reports, delinquent

Federal debts, other unresolved issues

of fiscal integrity, or to applicants who

have been debarred or suspended from

Federal financial and non-financial

assistance and benefits under Federal

programs and activities.

Where indicated, cooperative

agreements are awarded to states, units

of local government, or public or private

non-profit organizations at the

discretion of OVC. Cooperative

agreements are used when substantial

involvement is anticipated between

OVC and the recipient during

performance of the contemplated

activity. Interagency agreements

between OVC and other governmental

units or agencies are negotiated by the

entities involved.

The following information must be

included in the application (SF–424)

Part IV Program Narrative:

A. Organizational Capability.

Applicants must demonstrate that they

are eligible to compete for a grant on the

basis of the eligibility criteria

established in Section VI of this

solicitation. Applicants must concisely

describe their organizational experience

with respect to the eligibility criteria

specified in each program description

listed above. Applicants must

demonstrate how their organizational

experience and capabilities will enable

them to achieve the goals and objectives

of the initiative for which they are

applying. Applicants are invited to

append examples of prior work

products of a similar nature to their

application.

Applicants must demonstrate that

their organization has or can establish

fiscal controls and accounting

procedures that assure that Federal

funds available under this agreement are

disbursed and accounted for properly.

Non-profit applicants who have not

previously received Federal funds will

be asked to submit a copy of the Office

of Justice Programs Accounting System

and Financial Capability Questionnaire

(OJP Form 7120/1). Copies of the form

will be provided in the application kit

and must be prepared and submitted

along with the application. The CPA

certification (Section H) is required only

of those non-profit applicants who have

not previously received Federal

funding.

B. Program Goals and Objectives. A

brief statement of the applicant’s

understanding of the goals and

objectives of the program should be

included. The application should also

include a problem statement and a

discussion of the potential contribution

of this program to the field.

C. Program Strategy. Applicants

should describe the proposed approach

for achieving the goals and objectives of

each program. A detailed description of

how the activities and projects of each

program would be accomplished should

be included.

D. Program Implementation Plan.

Applicants should prepare a plan that

outlines the major activities involved in

implementing the program, describe

how they will allocate available
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices 21933

resources to implement the project, and

also describe how the program will be

managed.

The plan must also include an

organizational chart depicting the roles

and describing the responsibilities of

key organizational and functional

components and a list of key personnel

responsible for managing and

implementing the major stages of the

project. Applicants must present

detailed position descriptions,

qualifications, and selection criteria for

each position. This documentation and

individual resumes may be submitted as

appendices to the application.

E. Time-Task Plan. Applicants must

develop a time-task plan for the

duration of the project periods, clearly

identifying major milestones and

products. This must include designation

of organizational responsibility and a

schedule for the completion of the

activities and products. Applicants

should also indicate the anticipated cost

schedule per month for the entire

project period.

F. Products. Applicants must describe

concisely the interim and final products

of each stage of the program.

G. Program Budget. Budgets must be

accompanied by a detailed justification

for all costs, including the basis for

computation of these costs.

Applications containing contract(s)

must include detailed budgets for each

organization’s expenses.

H. Assessment. Each grant recipient

will be required to submit formal

findings from an assessment, within 60

days of the completion of each year’s

activities and within 90 days of project

completion. Each application must

provide a plan for assessing the project.

VIII. Procedures for Selection

All applications will be evaluated and

rated based on the extent to which they

meet the established weighted criteria.

In general, all applications received will

be reviewed in terms of their

responsiveness to the minimum

program application requirements set

forth in Section VII. Applications will

be evaluated by a peer review panel

according to the OVC Competition and

Peer Review Guidance.

Applications submitted in response to

the competitive announcements will be

evaluated by a peer review panel. The

results of the peer review will be a

relative aggregate ranking of

applications in the form of ‘‘Summary of

Ratings.’’ These ordinarily will be based

on numerical values assigned by

individual peer reviewers. Peer review

recommendations, in conjunction with

the results of internal review and any

necessary supplementary reviews, will

assist OVC in considering competing

applications and in selection of the

application for funding. The final award

decision will be made by the OVC

Director.

Applications for each program

description, except where other point

values or categories have been

specifically identified, will be evaluated

and rated by the peer review panels

based on the extent to which they meet

the following criteria:

A. Utility of the project (10 points):

This refers to the applicant’s response to

the stated project purpose, goals, and

objectives, and the applicant’s

explanation of the usefulness of the

project to the field.

B. Project Strategy/Design (30 points):

This provides a description of project

components and activities; a specific

plan for how the grant applicant intends

to achieve the purpose, goals and

objectives of the funded program. The

strategy or design must include clear

descriptions of interim deliverables and

final products.

C. Implementation Plan (10 points):

This plan will be judged on the realistic

identification of tasks according to

increments in the project period, and

the assignment of specific staff to tasks

on the time-task line.

D. Organizational Capability (30

points): Points will be awarded based on

the applicant’s statement of the

organization’s capability to successfully

undertake this Federally funded project.

This will consist of two parts: (1) A

specific description of the applicant’s

management structure, previous

experience with similar or related

efforts, and financial capability (15

points); and (2) a project management

plan and documentation of the

professional staff members unique

qualifications to perform their assigned

tasks (15 points).

E. Budget (15 points): Points will be

awarded based on the enumeration and

accompanying narrative of grant costs,

to be evaluated for clarity,

reasonableness, allowability, and cost

effectiveness.

F. A Plan to Assess the Project’s

Accomplishments (5 points): This

assigns points based on the grant

applicant’s plan for assessing the impact

of the project in accomplishing its

goal(s).

IX. Submission Requirements

All applicants responding to this

solicitation are subjected to the

following requirements:

1. Upon request to OVC, the necessary

forms for application will be provided,

along with Department of Justice

certification information.

2. Applicants must submit the

original signed application (Standard

Form 424) and two copies to OVC.

Applications should not be bound.

Applicants should also include

Certifications Regarding Lobbying;

Debarment; Suspension and other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (Form 4061/6),

in order to meet the requirements of the

Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (Pub.

L. 100–690, Title V, Subtitle D) and the

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Form

(SF LLL) in accordance with 31 U.S.C.

1352.

3. All applications must be received

by mail or hand delivered to OVC by 5

p.m. E.S.T. by the established deadline

(60 days from date of publication of this

Program Announcement). Those

applications sent by mail should be

addressed to: Office for Victims of

Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, 633

Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington DC.,

20531, ATTN: Administrative Officer.

Hand-delivered applications must be

taken to OVC, 633 Indiana Avenue, NW,

Room 1386, Washington, DC. between

the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. except

weekends or Federal holidays.

Applications must be received at OVC

by 5 p.m. E.S.T. by the established

deadline date. Postmarks WILL NOT be

accepted.

OVC will notify applicants in writing

of the receipt of their application.

Applicants also will be notified by

letters as to the decision made regarding

whether or not their submission will be

recommended for funding. Applications

will be reviewed as Peer Review Panels

can be convened. Every effort will be

made to review applications in a timely

manner.

X. Civil Rights Compliance

A. All recipients of Crime Victims

Fund assistance, including contractors,

must provide Certified Assurances that

they are in compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of the

Victims of Crime Act of 1984, as

amended, which states: No person shall

on the ground of race, color, religion,

national origin, [disability], or sex be

excluded from participation in, be

denied the benefits of, be subjected to

discrimination under, or denied

employment in connection with any

undertaking funded in whole or in part

with sums made available under this

chapter. Section 1407(e), 42 U.S.C.

10604.

Recipients also must assure

compliance with the following

additional statutes and regulations: Title

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as

amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000d; section 504

of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
21934 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 1995 / Notices

amended, 29 U.S.C. 794; Subtitle A,

Title II of the Americans With

Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C.

12101, et seq.; Title IX of the Education

Amendments of 1972, as amended, 20

U.S.C. 1681–1683; the Age

Discrimination Act of 1975, as

amended, 42 U.S.C. 6101, et seq.; and

Department of Justice NonDiscrimination Regulations, 28 CFR part

42, subparts C, D, E, and G.

B. In the event a Federal or state court

or Federal or state administrative agency

makes a finding of discrimination after

a due process hearing on the grounds of

race, color, religion, national origin, sex,

or disability against a recipient of funds,

the recipient will forward a copy of the

finding to the Office for Civil Rights,

Office of Justice Programs.

XI. Audit Requirements

An audit is required for agencies

receiving Federal funds, with some

exceptions. The purpose of an audit is

to determine whether Federal funds are

being used properly and effectively.

Each funded agency must provide the

name of the Federal cognizant agency

where their audit report is submitted. In

most cases, the agency that receives an

applicant’s audit is the agency that

provides the most direct funds to

applicant during the current fiscal year.

If you do not know the name of the

cognizant agency, please check with

your budget office. More detailed

information on audit requirements are

listed in the Office of Justice Programs

Guideline Manual, Financial and

Administrative Guide for Grants, May

15, 1990.

XII. Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Numbers

16.582 Crime victim assistance/

discretionary grants

16.583 Children’s Justice Act for

Native American Indian Tribes

Aileen Adams,

Director, Office for Victims of Crime.

[FR Doc. 95–10333 Filed 5–2–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410–18–P