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.

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

Department of Agriculture: Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grants program is geared towards helping the Independent Producers of Agricultural Commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures in developing techniques that would create marketing opportunities and establish business plans involving viable marketing opportunities that involve the production of bio-based products from agricultural commodities.

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Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Training and Technical Assistance Program
In line with this mission, the Office of Justice Programs has recently established the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Training and Technical Assistance Program (JMHCP), wherein it seeks to increase public safety by encouraging collaboration between criminal justice, juvenile justice, and mental health and substance abuse treatment systems.

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Democracy, Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Freedom of Expression and the Press for Europe and Eurasia
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs has recently established a funding opportunity entitled Democracy, Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Freedom of Expression/Press for Europe/Eurasia, wherein they are seeking applications and proposals that aim to develop projects promoting democracy, human rights, rule of law, and freedom of expression/press in Europe and Eurasia.

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Coastal Impact Assistance Program
The Fish and Wildlife Service has recently established the Coastal Impact Assistance Program wherein the agency will provide a ceiling budget amounting to $250 million to be utilized in conservation, protection, and preservation projects of coastal areas, including wetlands.

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