The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Community Services Division is soliciting proposals from organizations, groups, or individuals to enter into a cooperative agreement with NIC for up to twelve months beginning in September 2011. Work under this cooperative agreement is part of larger NIC project, “Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) in Local Criminal Justice Systems”. Work under this cooperative agreement will be coordinated with recipients of other awards providing services under Phase III of this project.

Deliverables:  Specifically, under this cooperative agreement, the recipient will, 1) provide technical assistance to four Phase III “Tier II” sites that have already been identified, and 2) provide ad hoc technical assistance to other non-EBDM sites to be determined together with the NIC staff.

Required Expertise: Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the organizational capacity to carry out the deliverables of this project, including extensive experience in correctional and criminal justice policy and practice, and a strong background in criminal justice system-wide change with experience in the implementation of evidence-based practices in the criminal justice system to reduce pretrial misconduct and offender risk of re-offending. Applicants should also have demonstrated the ability to package a criminal justice strategy and advance it to a national audience.

DEADLINE: Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, August 24, 2011.

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Diane Williams, President and CEO of Safer Foundation and current Chair of the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Advisory Board, recently joined an elite list of recipients of the Champion of Change award from the White House.  The "Champions of Change Series: Winning the Future Across America" is a White House initiative that honors Americans making an impact in their communities and helping the nation rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st Century.

From the Safer Foundation:

The recognition came for Safer's work implementing the Safer Return program in the East Garfield Park community of Chicago.  The program was featured in the Obama Administration's 2011 National Drug Control Strategy -- a blueprint for reducing substance abuse and its consequences across the country.  The five-year demonstration project is a product of a partnership between Safer and Urban Institute to develop a prisoner reentry initiative.  Made possible by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Safer Return is an innovative, community-based pilot that engages the entire community in positively affecting prisoner reentry and reducing recidivism.

It is a collaborative effort of community members, law enforcement and corrections officials, service providers, businesses, and participants.  Participants are interviewed while they are in prison to begin reentry planning; then post-release, community-based professionals work with them on a range of important issues.

Williams said that programs like Safer Return provide a solid return on investment to the state by placing former inmates in jobs and ultimately keeping them out of the prison system.  It is estimated that Illinois pays over $22,000 per year to incarcerate each inmate.  Assuming an average stay of one year in prison, Safer saved the state more than $83 million as a result of having more than 3800 job starts in fiscal year 2011.  Further, Safer Foundation conducted a three-year study and found that formerly incarcerated individuals who attain employment have a recidivism rate of 18 percent, compared to the statewide average of 52 percent.

For additional information on the program see: Safer Return.