Applications Open for BJA Visiting Fellows Program

Deadline: 02-Aug-21

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for the BJA Visiting Fellows Program to ensure public safety and ensure fair and impartial administration of justice by bringing talent and expertise from the field to BJA to inform policy and practice and create new tools for the field that disseminate knowledge of effective and innovative approaches to priority criminal justice issues.

The purpose of each fellowship is to make important policy and programmatic contributions in a priority area of criminal justice practice. Fellows will collaborate with BJA and DOJ staff to provide critical outreach, data, research, and subject-matter expertise to inform the development of new BJA strategies and programs to benefit the field.

Goals

To leverage the expertise and experience of the criminal justice field to address key gaps in the field for evidence-based training, technical assistance, and knowledge in the focus areas, discussed in more detail below:

Enhancing access to treatment and addressing the needs of defendants with substance use disorders.
Advancing strategies to help state and local agencies ensure the provisions of the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, including right to counsel, speedy trial, cross examination of witnesses, and impartial juries.
Enhancing efforts to implement cross-system behavioral health programming to improve public safety responses and outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses (MI) or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse (CMISA) who come into contact with the justice system.
Enhancing corrections and the successful reintegration of people returning home to their communities after incarceration, bringing the perspective of the formerly incarcerated.
Enhancing Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) implementation efforts. Building the capacity of community leaders and partners to enhance community safety and build trust with criminal justice partners, strengthening strategies in the most distressed communities. Supporting BJA’s National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab Initiative, which will support advancements in police accountability through core competencies and standards for law enforcement operations, training, assessment, and assistance.
Enhancing and coordinating strategies to prevent and respond to violent crime, using crime analysis tools and resources to drive crime strategies, and to coordinate various local efforts and initiatives into a single, citywide crime strategy.
Enhancing corrections spaces and cultures to ensure individuals are more likely to be prepared for successful reentry and reintegration into communities.
Advancing strategies to prevent and respond to hate crimes, including multidisciplinary approaches that engage those at risk, educate partners, and enhance the identification, reporting, investigation, and prosecution of these crimes.
Supporting outreach, training, communication, and engagement with law enforcement to strengthen and establish new pathways for sharing timely information with over 18,000 law enforcement agencies concerning BJA resources.
Supporting prosecutors who are in jurisdictions experiencing an increase in crime to enhance awareness of BJA resources and gather information about needs.

Objectives

Enhance BJA capacity and expertise to assess the technical assistance, training, and capacity building needs in the areas of focus.
Bring real world experience and knowledge to BJA that enhances staff ability to deliver relevant and effective tools to the field.
Support the development of criminal justice practitioners, researchers, and BJA/Office of Justice Programs staff to advance BJA’s mission.
Advance and translate knowledge about critical criminal justice issues and strategies and promote innovation.

Areas of Focus

In FY 2021, the BJA Visiting Fellows Program’s anticipated areas of focus are below. Please note that depending on the applications received, BJA may fund more than one fellowship in any one of these areas, and may also choose not to fund other areas.

Enhancing Strategies to Effectively and Fairly Manage Crime Related to Substance Use Disorders through Drug Courts
Enhancing Efforts To Enforce the Provisions of the Sixth Amendment in State, Local, and Tribal Courts
Enhancing Efforts To Implement Cross-System Behavioral Health Programming
Improving Corrections and Reintegration Under The Second Chance Act
Enhancing the Prison Rape Elimination Act Implementation Efforts
Building Capacity of Community Leaders and Partners To Enhance Community Safety and Build Trust with Criminal Justice Partners
Supporting BJA’s National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab Initiative
Enhancing and Coordinating Strategies To Prevent and Respond to Violent Crime
Enhancing Corrections Spaces and Cultures
Advancing Strategies To Prevent and Respond to Hate Crimes
Supporting Law Enforcement Outreach, Communication, and Engagement to Enhance Awareness of BJA Resources
Supporting Prosecution Outreach, Communication, and Engagement To Address Increases in Crime

Funding Information

Anticipated Number of Awards: 12
Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards: $350,000.00
Period of Performance Duration (Months): 24
Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $4,200,000.00

Deliverables

Each fellow will be expected to complete a major set of deliverables that will address critical, chronic, or emerging issues in the criminal justice field and build capacity to address one of the areas of focus discussed in the “Anticipated Areas of Focus for BJA Fellows”.

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals
County governments
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Others
City or township governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
State governments
Private institutions of higher education
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Eligible applicants are limited to individuals, as well as state, tribal, or local government, organizations, or academic institutions seeking to provide federal-level experience for one of their staff members. Organizations seeking to place an employee as a fellow under this program will not have programmatic oversight of that staff person for those activities conducted as part of the fellowship. For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. For purposes of this solicitation, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.