Open Call for Eliminating Records Barriers to Youth Success 2023 – US

Deadline: 6-Jun-23

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeks applications for a national training and technical assistance provider to support jurisdictions’ efforts to improve juvenile records expungement and sealing in order to eliminate barriers to successful reentry.

This program furthers the DOJ’s mission to keep the country and communities safe and protect civil rights and civil liberties by supporting efforts to eliminate barriers to successful reentry and recidivism reduction.

Goals, Objectives and Deliverables Goals

• Goals
  • The goal of this program is to help jurisdictions improve their records expungement and sealing policies, programs, practices, and resources for young poeple. Recognizing that the breadth and reach of juvenile court records far exceed the capacity of young people, youth defense delivery systems, or juvenile courts to meaningfully address strictly on an individual, case-by-case basis and that individual record-clearance efforts too often financially burden young people and families and add to juvenile courts’ and youth defense delivery systems’ overwhelming caseloads, a primary goal of this program is to increase the type and number of juvenile court records eligible for automatic expungement, expunction, and/or sealing.
• Objectives
  • The national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider will provide training, technical assistance, and resources to jurisdictions seeking to improve their juvenile records expungement and sealing policies, programs, practices, and resources.
  • Focus areas the TTA provider should help jurisdictions to address include, but are not limited to:
    • Expanding policies and implementation for the use of automatic juvenile record clearance.
    • Identifying and eliminating systemic barriers to expungement (such as arbitrary or excessive age requirements and disqualifying factors, excessive waiting periods, onerous filing fees and requirements, and extremely complicated processes).
    • Providing training and information to judges, court personnel, defenders, civil legal services providers, lawmakers, and/or other persons and entities poised to improve or assist with juvenile records clearance.
    • Implementing tracking and notification systems to ensure young poeple and families are informed when a young person becomes eligible for expungement.
    • Developing and implementing data collection frameworks and protocols to collect, analyze, and publish expungement-related data and use that data in decisionmaking.
    • Educating/informing young people and families about the importance of records sealing and expungement as a way to provide better opportunities for young people and avoid recidivism.
    • Providing direct legal assistance to young poeple and their families with the expungement process.
    • Raising awareness nationally of other available resources (such as National Criminal History Improvement, or “NCHIP,” funds) that can be used by states to seal or expunge juvenile and criminal history information in accordance with state laws and policies.
• Deliverables
  • Deliverables include, but are not limited to:
    • Expanded use of automatic juvenile record clearance across jurisdictions.
    • Publications, tools, practice guides, and/or other resources addressing the relevance and importance of expungement and record sealing; the harmful collateral consequences juvenile records have on reentering children and families; and curating best and promising record clearance policies, practices, and models.
    • Training and technical assistance for judges, court personnel, defenders, civil legal services providers, lawmakers, and other persons and entities poised to improve or assist with juvenile records clearance.
    • Data analyses and system assessments pertaining to juvenile records clearance to inform and spur reform. A national publication that summarizes the TTA project; objectively assesses or evaluates the impact of the implemented strategies; and captures early outcomes, lessons learned, and best and promising practices.

Funding Information

• Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
• Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards: $1,500,000.00
• Period of Performance Start Date: 10/1/23
• Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36
• Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $1,500,000.00

Eligibility Criteria

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Small businesses
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education

For more information, visit Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention.