Who’s got a cool reentry project or program out there? Want to collaborate with the A2J Lab to apply for funding and study the effectiveness of your program?
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for funding for randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluations of promising reentry initiatives. Based on the solicitation, qualifying programs are defined fairly broadly: offender reentry initiatives provide one or many types of services, skills training, or therapeutic interventions designed to promote prosocial behavior, reductions in recidivism, and the offenders’ successful reintegration into the community from jail or prison. The primary goal of the NIJ’s solicitation is to advance the body of knowledge on promising practices in offender reentry, in part to inform the Second Chance Act Community-based Adult Reentry Program. To be considered, one of the project’s overall goals must be to reduce recidivism. And, note that juvenile projects will not be considered.
The solicitation indicates that preference will be given to research proposals that adhere to the principles underlying RCT designs, including the implementation of random assignment (luckily, that’s exactly what we do!). The evaluation will include a process, outcome/impact, and cost/benefit analysis.
The solicitation encourages applications from programs that have shown some promise and meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Referenced in the NIJ’s web-based clearinghouse of programs and practices, as promising or effective
- Cited in the empirical literature on offender reentry
- Funded by a federal agency, including but not limited to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); or
- Implemented abroad and logically applied to U.S. offender populations.
In addition to some of the more traditional reentry programs, as included in the NIJ’s clearinghouse, examples might include programs that secure driver’s licenses, expunge criminal records, create and/or modify child support orders, provide family services stabilize and reintegrate the offender, find and maintain adequate housing or employment, and assist with correcting reports that fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
If you are interested in having a conversation with the A2J Lab about a possible partnership for this opportunity, please complete these questions and return them to April at afaithslaker@law.harvard.edu. Applications are due to the NIJ on August 6, 2018, so we ask that you reach out to us as soon as possible. Read more about the solicitation here.