National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women Newsletter

April 2012

This is the first of a series of bimonthly newsletters from the National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women (NRCJIW). The NRCJIW provides guidance and support to justice professionals – and promote evidence-based, gender-responsive policies and practices – to reduce the number and improve the outcomes of women involved in the criminal justice system.

Assistance Available: Apply Now!

The NRCJIW offers training and technical assistance to government agencies and community and faith-based organizations to support their work with justice-involved women. The NRCJIW provides assistance and information to practitioners through a variety of means, including:

• Making presentations at national and state criminal justice professional associations
• Providing speakers for state and local conferences and training events
• Conducting webinars on key topics Facilitating strategic planning, leadership, policy development and other meetings
• Producing and disseminating documents such as topical briefs, coaching packets, and "how-to's"
• Maintaining a website (calendar of events, highlights of successful programs, profiles of leaders, emerging research, links and resources)
• Responding to requests for information from the field

The NRCJIW has also reserved significant resources to provide training and technical assistance to state and local agencies in five targeted practice areas. By focusing resources in a few key areas, the NRCJIW hopes to increase the number of jurisdictions that:

• Utilize gender-responsive assessment tools to inform case planning and treatment
• Take gender-responsive approaches to supervision and case management
• Develop gender-informed policies and practices to guide staff in their work with women
• Form strong community partnerships to provide the necessary services and resources to help women be successful in the community
• Implement strategies to enhance institutional culture and women's motivation to succeed

For frequently asked questions about the assistance we offer, visit http://cjinvolvedwomen.org/targeted-training-and-technical-assistance-program or Click here to download a TTA Request Form.

In the News

The Problem with Gender-Neutral Reform
Click here to read Dr. Meda Chesney-Lind's article on the perils of gender-neutral reform in the criminal justice system. This article is excerpted from The Sentencing Project's To Build a Better Justice System. The full document can be accessed here.

For Female Ex-Cons, College Degrees and New Lives
Click here to watch a video about the College and Community Fellowship (CCF), an organization that helps former women prisoners pursue higher education.

Giving Birth Behind Bars
A look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside US jails and prisons. What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America's kids? Click here to listen.

Current Funding Opportunities

Department of Labor Announces $12 Million in Grants for Employment Services for Formerly Incarcerated Women
The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $12 million in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to award approximately eight grants to serve adult and youth ex-offenders pre- and post-release. Services to be funded will be targeted to female ex-offenders, but must also be open to eligible male ex-offenders. Applicants may submit only one proposal for up to $1.5 million, with the amount requested depending on the number of participants to be served. These grants will be selected through a competitive process open to any non-profit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status, unit of state or local government, or any Indian and Native American entity eligible for grants under WIA Section 166. These grants will cover a 30-month period of performance that includes up to six months of planning and a minimum of 24 months of operations. The 24 month period for operations must include time to allow each participant to complete the program and have between 3-4 months of follow-up. Thus, the last cohort of participants must complete program services 3 to 4 months before the end of the grant. Grantees may provide follow-up services to some participants while providing direct services to others. Click here to read the full announcement (pdf format).

Announcing: Competitive Grant Announcement from BJA- Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities
The purpose of this program is to improve probation success rates, which would in turn improve public safety, reduce returns to prisons and jails, and save taxpayer dollars. Funds can be used to implement evidence-based supervision strategies to improve outcomes for probationers.
Priority consideration will be given to applicants that consider the following in the development of their program:

• Clearly demonstrating the appropriate use and integration of evidenced-based principles such as the application of risk/needs assessment.
• Targeting medium- to high-risk offenders, high-needs offenders, or those with special needs such as offenders with mentally illness, female offenders, or sex offenders.
• Documenting a baseline recidivism rate based on historical data.
• Providing a historical record of comprehensive data collection and the ability to track program participation.
• Employing a program strategy that includes collaboration among a variety of government and private agencies.
• Establishing a relationship with an objective entity such as a university or nationally-recognized expert who can provide an assessment/evaluation of the impact of the proposed strategies.

Applications are due to BJA by May 21, 2012. For more information, click here.