“Overview
In 2013, an estimated 383,600 juvenile delinquency cases resulted in a term of probation, which is 5 percent more than the number of cases placed on probation in 1985.3 This is not a new occurrence nor a surprising trend. “Since 1929, when the first Juvenile Court Statistics report was published using 1927 data, probation has been the overwhelming dispositional choice of juvenile and family court judges” and has been termed the “workhorse of the juvenile justice system.”4 Probation is a mechanism used by juvenile justice agencies at many different points in the system. It serves as a disposition for juveniles adjudicated in court and can also play a role in diverting status offenders and other youth from formal court processing. In some jurisdictions, probation provides aftercare supervision and services for youth returning home from placement. With such varied use, there is no doubt that probation touches large numbers of juveniles and is a frequent disposition for young people involved in the juvenile justice system. This program will provide grants to develop and implement comprehensive juvenile community supervision improvement plans that will use evidence-based supervision strategies to stop any further progression into the juvenile justice system, reduce recidivism, and improve outcomes for juveniles under community supervision…
Program-Specific Information
This solicitation supports the planning and implementation phases of a comprehensive community supervision improvement/reform plan and will address the following: (1) critical programmatic functions in day-to-day juvenile community supervision practice, including the use of a comprehensive assessment of risk for reoffending, strengths, and needs; (2) cognitive-behavioral interventions; (3) family engagement; (4) release readiness; (5) permanency planning; and (6) staffing and workforce competencies. Community supervision efforts that include all six functions operating in tandem exemplify best practices for supporting youth who remain in or return to their communities from out-of-home placements.
OJJDP will expect grantees to work with the OJJDP training and technical assistance providers to address how the jurisdiction’s strategy will include effective use of risks-need responsivity tools to enhance structured professional judgement; opportunities to incorporate alternative responses and diversion to formal system involvement; graduated sanctions and incentives; realistic and enforceable supervision conditions; and links to community-based resources and noncorrectional youth-serving systems, such as education, child welfare, employment, housing, behavioral health, and physical and mental health services. In FY 2015, OJJDP funded the Council of State Governments (CSG) through a competitive solicitation to support the Smart on Juvenile Justice: Community Supervision Training and Technical Assistance project. The CSG Justice Center and its project partners, Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice and the American Probation and Parole Association, have substantial expertise in developing resources and training tools that highlight the use of developmentally appropriate approaches to community supervision, including engagement of youth and families. An example of the type of services/assistance that can be available to applicants may be accessed at http://rfknrcjj.org/resources/probationsystem-reform/. In addition to working with the Smart on Juvenile Justice: Community Supervision Training and Technical Assistance providers, OJJDP anticipates that all successful applicants (including FY 2015 grantees in Georgia, Guam, Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts) will collaborate in a learning community focused on the improvement and reform of juvenile community supervision practices. Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables The goals of this program are to:
Promote and increase collaboration among agencies and officials who work in probation, pretrial, law enforcement, and related community corrections fields.
Implement strategies for the identification, supervision, and treatment of medium- to high risk/needs youth that may serve as a model for other agencies throughout the nation.
Objectively assess and/or evaluate the impact of innovative and evidence-based supervision and treatment strategies.
Demonstrate the use and efficacy of evidence-based practices and principles to improve the delivery of community supervision strategies and practices.
Target population
This solicitation will support the implementation of a comprehensive juvenile community supervision improvement plan to reduce juvenile recidivism rates and improve positive youth outcomes. As a result, applicants should identify a large enough target population of youth to impact state or local outcomes and focus on youth assessed as medium to high risk for reoffending. Award recipients must admit targeted youth to the program prior to their 18th birthday. However, they may continue to implement a juvenile reentry plan for these individuals beyond their 18th birthday. OJJDP does not have a set timeline for terminating these services; they can continue as long as is deemed therapeutically beneficial.”
Excerpted from OMB No. 1121-0329 OJJDP FY 2017 Second Chance Act Smart on Juvenile Justice: Community Supervision Reform Program