Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities Program

by: Iola Bonggay

The Office of Justice Programs, more commonly referred to as OJP, is a federal government agency operating within the United States Department of Justice that is primarily responsible for preventing crimes through research and development, the provision of assistance to state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies through grants, and assistance to crime victims.

The grants and initiatives of the OJP are all geared towards the realization of its general agency mission which is to "increase public safety and improve the fair administration of justice across America through innovative leadership and programs."

In line with this mission, the Office of Justice Programs has recently established the Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities Program in an attempt to substantially improve probation success rates, while simultaneously improve public safety, reducing returns to prisons and jails, and saving essential taxpayer dollars.

Essentially, the goal of the program is to device a more efficient and evidence-based probation programs that can potentially address concerns regarding offenders’ needs and the ample reduction of recidivism.

The interested applicants of the program can tailor their proposals around the attainment of the following Smart Probation demonstration project objectives:

a) The improvement of supervision strategies that will reduce recidivism and provide training, technical
assistance, and policy support.

  (continued...)

Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities Program
  Page 2

About The Author Iola Bonggay is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. She also maintains Websites providing resources on community grants and health grants.

Additional Resources

category - Civic Engagement Grants

Government Grants Within the United States Disaster Prevention and Relief Sector
According to the Disaster Survival Resources website, there has been about 640 disastrous events (floods, tsunamis, typhoons, earthquakes, cyclones, etc.) that have occurred in the United States since 1980 to 2010. Cumulatively, these catastrophic instances have killed 12, 366 people.

---

Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking on Brain Development
The National Institutes of Health, in close cooperation with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has established the Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking on Brain Development Project.

---

9th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet
The National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet program revolves around the notion of seeking applications and proposals that aim to conduct research studies, develop and design strategies that would address real world challenges throughout the overall sustainability of human society.

---

Youth Leadership Program: Algeria
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has established the Youth Leadership Program with Algeria which allows them to bring in young and adult Algerian students to the United States have them undergo a four-week exchange program.

---