Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision Program: Applying the Principles Behind Project HOPE

 

The purpose of the Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) Supervision Program is to provide state, local, and tribal community supervision agencies with information, resources, and training and technical assistance (TTA) to engage in collaborative problem-solving with stakeholders using data and research-informed strategies to assess and improve responses to client behavior in accordance with the principles of swiftness, certainty, and fairness; improve supervision outcomes; prevent recidivism; and reduce crime in their jurisdictions. The objectives of the SCF initiative are to: Develop and implement supervision strategies based on SCF principles, including responses to both positive and negative client behaviors; Reduce crime committed by, and improve outcomes for, people under supervision. Identify a target population for the SCF initiative using a collaborative, data-driven process that is responsive to local circumstances; Evaluate the efficacy of SCF strategies to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people under community supervision; Increase the number of supervision decisions that are fair and consistently applied, and with consequences that are transparent; Promote and increase collaboration among agencies and officials who work in community supervision, courts, law enforcement, treatment, reentry, and related fields; Develop a plan to sustain effective SCF supervision strategies and related collaborations beyond the award period; and, Increase participant perceptions of fairness, consistency, and transparency in supervision decisions. Performance Measure 1: Percent of individuals in Swift Certain and Fair-funded programs that did not complete the program because of court or criminal involvement, lack of program engagement, or absconding; Performance Measure 2: Total number of participants that have completed all program requirements or met program criteria; and, Performance Measure 3: Total number of participants served.

Active 16.828 Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2017 Held on-site training and provided assistance for each FY16 BJA-funded SCF/HOPE awardees.
Fiscal Year 2018 Fiscal Year 2018: Held on-site training and provided assistance to FY17 BJA-funded SCF/HOPE awardees.
Fiscal Year 2021 BJA’s Improving Community Supervision Outcomes Through Swift, Certain, and Fair Responses awarded more than $3.5 million to five state and local supervision agencies to develop and test new or enhanced applications of the swift, certain, and fair (SCF) principles of intervention to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people under community supervision.
Fiscal Year 2022 Examples of previous BJA-funded projects can be found at https://scfcenter.org/bja/bjafunded-swift-certain-fair-models/. Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328 City or township, county, federally recognized Native American tribal, special district, or state governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; and state, city, township, county, or tribal governments acting directly or through agreements with other public or private entities on behalf of a single drug or treatment court. See goals and objectives for additional information. Also, view the current fiscal year's solicitation available at the Office of Justice Programs web site at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities. The application must include: Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424); Proposal Abstract; Proposal Narrative; Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative; Letters of support from members of the applicant's SCF team; Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable); Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (including applicant disclosure of high risk status); Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL); and additional application components. Additional application components include: Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable); Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity; Documentation of Advancing DOJ Priorities (if applicable); Documentation of High-Poverty Areas or Persistent-Poverty Counties (if applicable); Letter from Research Partner (if applicable); Letter of Support from Community Supervision Agency (if applicable); Letters of Support from All Other Key Partners; Position Descriptions; Documentation of Proposed Subrecipients (if applicable); and Request and Justification for Employee Compensation; Waiver (if applicable). Additional disclosures and assurances include: Applicant Disclosure of Duplication in Cost Items; DOJ Certified Standard Assurance; DOJ Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements; and Applicant Disclosure and Justification - DOJ High Risk Grantees (if applicable). Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants must submit completed applications via the Office of Justice Programs, Grants Management System or through grants.gov following established criteria. The receipt, review, and analysis of applications will follow Office of Justice Programs policies and procedures for the administration of grant applications. Specific application instructions for solicitations are available at the Office of Justice Programs web site http://www.ojp.gov/funding/solicitations.htm. Upon approval by the Assistant Attorney General, successful applicants are notified via the Grants Management System. One copy of the grant award must be signed by the authorized official and returned to the Office of Justice Programs. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 60 to 90 days. There are no appeal rights for rejection of a discretionary application. Please see section 28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 18. Supplemental funding may be available in future years. Not applicable. Allowable uses for award funds can include the following activities to help state, local, and Tribal agencies develop or improve their SCF programs: • Support the Project Coordinator position. • Support a Research Partner • Overtime for: 1) Court staff to complete paperwork; 2) Community corrections staff to expedite bench warrant service; and, 3) Community corrections officers and/or law enforcement officers to apprehend absconders. • The development, implementation, and maintenance of a color code hotline. • The development of a robust, onsite, rapid drug-screening process. • Costs for onsite urine analysis testing. • Costs for offsite urine analysis or hair testing. • Additional BJA-approved contracted jail space, if needed. • Travel costs for SCF team members to attend BJA-approved SCF trainings, project meetings, and peer-to-peer meetings (provide an estimate based on a 3-person team). • Travel costs to attend the BJA Innovations Suite researcher-Practitioner Fellows Academy • Other BJA-approved SCF project costs. Performance Reports: To assist in fulfilling the Departments responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, recipients must provide data that measures the results of their work. Payments and transactions are subject to audits by the Government Accountability Office, Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, state or local government auditors, and auditors from independent public accounting firms. Jurisdictions must follow their local policies and procedures, including maintenance of reliable and accurate accounting systems, record keeping, and systems of internal control. In accordance with the requirement set forth in 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, grantees must maintain all financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to the award for at least 3 years following the close of the most recent audit. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The award period is for 48 months. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/release: Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview) and Post Award Instructions (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements). None/Not specified. Jessa Wilcox
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531 US
jessa.wilcox@usdoj.gov
Phone: (202) 353-2060 https://bja.ojp.gov/program/swift-certain-and-fair-supervision-program/overview 15-0404-0-1-754 (Project Grants) FY 22$8,537,147.00; FY 23 est $5,000,000.00; FY 24 est $5,000,000.00; FY 21$2,999,022.00; FY 20$3,561,351.00; FY 19$766,515.00; FY 18$3,630,134.00; FY 17$3,378,658.00; - Award amount up to $800,000 per award. Office of Justice Programs funding opportunities https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview) and Post award Instructions (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements), applicable OMB Circulars and regulations, and Department of Justice regulations applicable to specific types of grantees. Fiscal Year 2018 The grantee seeks to address opioid addiction and the challenges it poses to successful completion of parole supervision. The grantee’s SCF initiative will target 75 opioid-involved parolees with a history of violations, employing behavioral therapy, medication-assisted treatments, a recovery coach, and other services. An array of modest sanctions, including noncustodial sanctions, will be used in response to technical violations. The initiative will be evaluated with a randomized controlled trial, against supervision as usual.
Fiscal Year 2019 The grantee seeks to implement the SCF principles of supervision within the state probation agency to reduce recidivism and prevent domestic violence homicides. The target population for this initiative will be domestic violence offenders on probation.
Fiscal Year 2020 Please visit https://scfcenter.org/demonstration-field-experiment/
Fiscal Year 2022 Please visit https://scfcenter.org/programs/
Fiscal Year 2023 Please view https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/fy23-sol-overview-scf.pdf.