BJA FY 20 Improving Community Supervision Outcomes Through Swift, Certain, and Fair Responses | BJA 2020 17096

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2020 17096

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), within the U.S. Department of Justice, offered a discretionary grant opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Improving Community Supervision Outcomes Through Swift, Certain, and Fair Responses" (Funding Opportunity Number: BJA-2020-17096; CFDA: 16.828). Released on February 28, 2020, with an original application deadline of April 28, 2020, this program was designed to help community supervision agencies strengthen how they respond to people on probation, parole, or other forms of community supervision. The focus is on building more effective, consistent supervision practices that can reduce recidivism and improve public safety outcomes at the local level.

At its core, the grant centers on adopting and improving supervision responses guided by three linked principles: swiftness, certainty, and fairness. In practice, that means agencies are encouraged to respond to violations or noncompliance quickly (swift), respond in a predictable and reliable way so supervised individuals understand what will happen when rules are broken (certain), and ensure responses are proportionate, unbiased, and procedurally just (fair). The intent is to move away from slow, inconsistent, or overly punitive reactions that can undermine accountability and trust, and toward a structured approach that reinforces behavior change while maintaining community safety.

The program emphasizes training and technical assistance (TTA) and the dissemination of information and resources, rather than simply funding routine operations. The goal is to help agencies improve the decision-making and delivery of sanctions and incentives, strengthen supervision strategies, and align agency policies with evidence-informed practices. By supporting agencies in building internal capacity, standardizing responses, and improving how behavior is addressed in real time, the initiative aims to produce measurable improvements in supervision outcomes, prevent further criminal behavior, and reduce crime within participating jurisdictions.

Eligible applicants included a broad set of governmental entities that run or oversee community supervision functions: state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. This eligibility reflects BJA's intent to reach the full range of agencies responsible for community supervision across different governance structures and local contexts, including tribal jurisdictions.

Funding details indicated an anticipated maximum award amount (ceiling) of up to $750,000 per award, with BJA expecting to make about four awards under this solicitation. As a result, the competition was likely intended for a limited set of sites or lead agencies prepared to implement structured improvements and engage in meaningful TTA activities, potentially including cross-agency coordination where supervision outcomes are influenced by courts, treatment providers, law enforcement, and service systems.

In summary, this BJA FY 20 opportunity targeted practical improvements to community supervision by helping jurisdictions implement responses to client behavior that are faster, more consistent, and more equitable. The broader public safety rationale is that when rules and consequences are clear, promptly applied, and perceived as fair, individuals under supervision are more likely to comply, agencies can intervene earlier when risks emerge, and jurisdictions can reduce unnecessary escalation to incarceration while still holding people accountable.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the education, employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Improving Community Supervision Outcomes Through Swift, Certain, and Fair Responses" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.828.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 28, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 28, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for BJA 2020 17096

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