Deadline: 20-Mar-25
The National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants program fosters the development of new knowledge and tools that can be applied to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local level.
Objectives
- Develop, demonstrate, and evaluate programs and practices relevant to criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victims’ services outcomes.
- Identify and analyze the causes and correlates of crime.
- Improve the functioning of the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
- Develop new methods for the prevention and reduction of crime.
- Develop new methods to detect, investigate, and prosecute crime.
- Enhance the justice research infrastructure.
Topics
- With this NOFO, NIJ, in collaboration with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), seeks applications for research and evaluation projects to inform policy and practice in the field of youth justice in the following four topics:
- Topic 1: Research and Evaluation on Youth Justice System Prosecution
- Youth justice prosecutors make important decisions about juvenile court case processing, with varying levels of independence, including decisions concerning charging and alternatives to prosecution (e.g., diversion), transfers and waivers to criminal court, plea agreements, and recommendations for detention and disposition.
- Under this topic, NIJ seeks applications to conduct research and evaluations on youth justice system prosecution, specifically:
- Research to understand prosecutorial decision making. NIJ is particularly interested in research that improves understanding of charging/diversion decisions, plea agreements, and detention and disposition recommendations.
- Evaluations, including formative evaluations, of innovative prosecutorial trainings and strategies to improve outcomes for youth and public safety.
- Topic 2: Research and Evaluation on Youth Defense Delivery Systems
- Youth defense counsel play a critical role in ensuring fairness and equity for youth who are processed in the juvenile court system, and they are expected to “zealously advocate” on behalf of their client. The National Juvenile Defense Standards identify the essential functions of zealous advocacy as independent investigation, review of discovery, legal research, visits to clients, motion practice, engagement of experts, adversarial testing of evidence, and development of alternative dispositional plans.
- Under this topic, NIJ seeks applications to conduct research and evaluation on youth defense delivery systems, specifically:
- Research to advance understanding of youth defense delivery systems and data practices.
- Evaluations, including formative evaluations, of innovative youth defense delivery practices to improve advocacy, including development of alternative dispositional plans (e.g., diversion, restorative practices), and youth and system outcomes.
- Topic 3: Evaluation of Youth Reentry Practices
- Youth reentry is the process of reintegrating youth into their communities after a period of placement in residential facilities (i.e., detention, residential treatment, long-term secure) due to youth justice system involvement. Youth reentry involves a continuum of services which start at facility admission and continue through post-release and reintegration. More research is needed to understand the treatments and services and case management and coordination practices that facilitate successful reentry, and the contextual and mitigating factors that influence effectiveness.
- NIJ will prioritize evaluations of reentry efforts that:
- Begin upon facility admission, focus on continuity of services, and engage youths’ families;
- Focus on youth with histories of homelessness, substance misuse, or mental health problems and older youth (15–17) and young adults (18–24); and/or
- Propose to partner with one or more OJJDP-funded Second Change Act residential placement facility sites to evaluate their efforts in implementing youth reentry program(s), practice(s), or strategies.
- Topic 4: Resubmissions of Youth Justice Reinvestment Studies
- In FY 2024, the NIJ Research and Evaluation on Youth Justice Topics NOFO sought proposals for rigorous outcome evaluation projects on Youth Justice Reinvestment which evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of youth justice system reforms and reinvestment into evidence-based programs serving youth in their communities (prioritizing collaborative partnerships between community-based organizations and youth justice systems).
- Topic 1: Research and Evaluation on Youth Justice System Prosecution
Funding Information
- Total amount to be awarded under this funding opportunity: $4,000,000
Duration
- Successful applicants will be expected to complete the work proposed within a five-year (60 Months) period of performance.
Eligibility Criteria
- The types of entities that are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:
- Government Entities
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Native American Tribal governments (federally recognized)
- Native American Tribal governments (other than federally recognized)
- Educational Organizations
- Independent school districts
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Public Housing Organizations
- Public housing authorities
- Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- For-Profit Organizations
- Organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Government Entities
For more information, visit Grants.gov.