Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2012 3251
Apply for BJA 2012 3251
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 12 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Comprehensive Statewide Recidivism Reduction Demonstration Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.812 Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 21, 2012 and posted on Mar 21, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 21, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments.
- Applicants are limited to state departments of corrections.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BJA FY 12 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Comprehensive Statewide Recidivism Reduction Demonstration Program was a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), built around the Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-199). The core purpose was to help states respond to the reality that most incarcerated people will eventually return home, and that without coordinated support, many cycle back into the justice system. The solicitation frames reentry as a long-term process rather than a single program, starting at the point of incarceration and continuing through successful reintegration into the community as a law-abiding citizen. In practical terms, the opportunity aimed to push states to treat recidivism reduction as a statewide systems challenge, not just a set of isolated services delivered at the end of a sentence.
A key theme of the program was statewide planning and implementation that is comprehensive, collaborative, and data-driven. BJA emphasized that proposals should be systemic in nature and use a phased approach, meaning applicants were expected to lay out how they would move from planning to capacity building to targeted interventions, rather than jumping straight into one-off program activities. The goal was explicit: achieve measurable reductions in recidivism compared to a historical baseline rate. That focus on a baseline implies that states needed to define how recidivism would be measured, what the starting point was, and how progress would be tracked over time.
The opportunity also connects directly to national momentum that had been building around reentry at the time. In December 2011, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, supported by BJA along with the Pew Center on the States and the Public Welfare Foundation, convened a State Leaders National Forum on Reentry and Recidivism in Washington, DC. Teams from every state, Washington, DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands attended, typically including corrections directors, statewide reentry coordinators, and other reentry champions. During that forum, state and territorial departments of corrections were asked to develop comprehensive statewide plans in partnership with criminal justice stakeholders, signaling that BJA wanted states to formalize cross-agency alignment and treat recidivism reduction as a shared responsibility across corrections, supervision, treatment, workforce systems, housing partners, and community-based supports.
Funding for the program came from the FY 2012 Section 101 Second Chance Act appropriation. BJA stated it was setting aside up to $5,000,000 total to support awards to departments of correction for planning and implementing these statewide recidivism reduction plans. The award ceiling listed for individual grants was $1,000,000, with no stated award floor. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement, which lowered the barrier for state corrections agencies to apply, especially for states that might otherwise struggle to bring non-federal matching funds to the table.
Eligibility was narrow and straightforward: applicants were limited to state departments of corrections, meaning the program was designed to sit at the statewide corrections leadership level rather than being led by local governments or nonprofit organizations. While the broader Second Chance Act ecosystem often involves community providers and local partners, this particular solicitation positioned the state DOC as the primary applicant and coordinating entity, presumably to ensure that planning and implementation could affect policy, practice, and resource alignment across the full incarceration-to-community pipeline.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted on March 21, 2012, with an application deadline of May 21, 2012, and an archive date of June 20, 2012. It was listed under CFDA number 16.812 (Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative). Applications were submitted through Grants.gov, with technical submission support routed through the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline and email. Overall, the grant was designed to help states move beyond fragmented reentry efforts by building a coherent statewide strategy that starts inside facilities, continues through release and supervision, engages multiple stakeholders, and produces measurable reductions in recidivism over time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the BJA FY 12 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Comprehensive Statewide Recidivism Reduction Demonstration Program?
It was a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), created under the Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-199). The program focused on helping states build and carry out comprehensive, statewide strategies to reduce adult offender recidivism.
2. What problem was this grant designed to address?
The solicitation was built around the reality that most incarcerated people eventually return to their communities, and without coordinated supports many cycle back into the justice system. The grant was intended to help states treat recidivism reduction as a statewide systems challenge rather than a set of isolated reentry services.
3. How did BJA define "reentry" in this solicitation?
The solicitation framed reentry as a long-term process, not a single program. It described reentry as starting at the point of incarceration and continuing through successful reintegration into the community as a law-abiding citizen.
4. What was the primary goal of the program?
The explicit goal was to achieve measurable reductions in recidivism compared to a historical baseline rate. This emphasis implied that applicants needed to define how recidivism would be measured, establish a starting baseline, and describe how progress would be tracked over time.
5. Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to state departments of corrections. The solicitation was designed to be led at the statewide corrections leadership level rather than by local governments or nonprofit organizations.
6. Could local governments or nonprofit organizations apply directly?
No. Based on the eligibility language provided, applicants were limited to state departments of corrections.
7. What kind of approach did BJA expect from applicants?
BJA emphasized that proposals should be comprehensive, collaborative, and data-driven. The solicitation also emphasized systemic efforts (not one-off activities) and a phased approach that moves from planning to capacity building to targeted interventions.
8. What does a "phased approach" mean in the context of this grant?
It means applicants were expected to explain how they would progress over time, such as moving from planning activities to building capacity and then implementing targeted interventions, rather than jumping straight into isolated program activities.
9. What is meant by a "statewide systems challenge" in this program?
It means the solicitation aimed to push states to address recidivism reduction through statewide alignment of policy, practice, and resources across the incarceration-to-community pipeline, rather than relying on fragmented efforts that occur only near the end of a sentence.
10. What stakeholders were expected to be involved in statewide planning?
The opportunity pointed to cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration with criminal justice stakeholders and partners across corrections, supervision, treatment, workforce systems, housing partners, and community-based supports.
11. How did the State Leaders National Forum relate to this solicitation?
In December 2011, the Council of State Governments Justice Center (supported by BJA along with the Pew Center on the States and the Public Welfare Foundation) convened a State Leaders National Forum on Reentry and Recidivism in Washington, DC. During that forum, state and territorial departments of corrections were asked to develop comprehensive statewide plans in partnership with criminal justice stakeholders, reinforcing the solicitation's emphasis on statewide, coordinated planning.
12. How much total funding was available under this opportunity?
BJA stated it was setting aside up to $5,000,000 total to support awards to departments of correction for planning and implementing statewide recidivism reduction plans.
13. What was the maximum award amount per grant?
The award ceiling listed for individual grants was $1,000,000.
14. Was there a minimum (floor) award amount?
No minimum award amount was stated in the information provided.
15. Was matching funding or cost sharing required?
No. The solicitation stated there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
16. What was the funding source for this program?
Funding came from the FY 2012 Section 101 Second Chance Act appropriation.
17. What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was listed under CFDA 16.812 (Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative).
18. When was the solicitation posted and when were applications due?
It was posted on March 21, 2012, and the application deadline was May 21, 2012.
19. When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date listed was June 20, 2012.
20. How were applications submitted?
Applications were submitted through Grants.gov.
21. Where could applicants get technical help with Grants.gov submissions?
Technical submission support was routed through the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline and email.
22. What types of activities was the program intended to support?
The program was intended to support statewide planning and implementation of comprehensive recidivism reduction plans. It emphasized coordinated, data-driven strategies that span from incarceration through release, supervision, and reintegration, rather than fragmented reentry efforts.
23. Why did BJA focus on statewide departments of corrections as the applicant?
The solicitation positioned the state DOC as the primary applicant and coordinating entity to help ensure statewide planning and implementation could influence policy, practice, and resource alignment across the full incarceration-to-community pipeline.
24. What did BJA mean by requiring measurable reductions "compared to a historical baseline"?
It indicates that states were expected to define their starting recidivism rate (the baseline), specify how recidivism would be measured, and track progress over time to demonstrate whether the statewide strategy reduced recidivism relative to that baseline.
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