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| 17.270 REINTEGRATION OF EX-OFFENDERS |
| FEDERAL AGENCY |
| EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR |
| AUTHORIZATION |
| Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Title I, Subtitle D, Section 171, Public Law 105-220. |
| OBJECTIVES |
| This program includes both Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) grants to serve adult returning offenders and Youthful Offender grants aimed at youth involved or at risk of involvement in crime and violence. The objectives of the PRI grants include increasing the employment rate, employment retention rate, and earnings of released prisoners, and decreasing their recidivism. The objectives of the Youthful Offender grants include preventing in-school youth from dropping out of school, increasing the employment rate of out-of-school youth, increasing the reading and math skills of youth, reducing the involvement of youth in crime and violence, and reducing the recidivism rate of youth. |
| TYPES OF ASSISTANCE |
| Project Grants. |
| USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS |
| Services under the PRI grants include assistance in finding employment, mentoring, job training, remedial education, and other comprehensive transitional services. Services under the Youthful Offender grants include a wide array of educational, employment, mentoring, case management, and violence reduction efforts. |
| Applicant Eligibility |
| Eligible applicants for PRI grants are faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) that are located in, or have a staff presence in, the urban community being served. Eligible applicants for Youthful Offenders vary depending on the solicitation, but have included community-based organizations, school districts, and juvenile justice agencies. |
| Beneficiary Eligibility |
| PRI grants serve individuals, 18 years old and older, who have been convicted as an adult and have been imprisoned for violating a state or federal law, and who have never been committed a sex-related offense. Depending on the solicitation, enrollment may be limited based on whether the presenting offense was violent or whether the individual has previously committed a violent crime. Individuals eligible for Youthful Offender grants vary depending on the solicitation. |
| Credentials/Documentation |
| Non-governmental entities ordinarily must furnish documentary evidence of adequate financial controls. |
| Preapplication Coordination |
| None except as specified in solicitations. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. |
| Application Procedure |
| Grants for projects are awarded on a competitive basis, announced in Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGAs) in the Federal Register and also on ETA's Web site at http://www.doleta.gov. To compete for a grant, organizations develop a proposal and budget that demonstrate how the organization will provide services to a targeted population. The SGA provides all of the necessary information for applying for Federal assistance. Please note that competitions for PRI and Youth Offender grants do not necessarily occur every year, depending on availability of funds and the extent to which existing grants are continuing. |
| Award Procedure |
| Procedures for each project are specified in the applicable request for proposals. The general procedure is as follows. A technical review panel composed of staff from ETA program offices as well as peer reviewers evaluates eligible submitted applications. The panel prepares a report for the ETA Grant Officer identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the application and the cumulative rating. Once selections are made by the Grant Officer, an Award Notification is sent through the appropriate congressional channels for notification. After awardees are notified, the list of awardees is posted on the ETA Web site at www.doleta.gov. If an application is rejected, a letter is sent to the applicant as notification that they were not selected as a recipient of the grant. |
| Deadlines |
| Specified in the applicable request for proposals, but generally 45 days from announcement. |
| Range of Approval/Disapproval Time |
| From 45 to 90 days. |
| Appeals |
| Procedures for each project are specified in the applicable request for proposals. |
| Renewals |
| Extensions available upon approval; renewals are not automatic. |
| Formula and Matching Requirements |
| Matching requirements vary by grant announcement. |
| Length and Time Phasing of Assistance |
| The period of performance varies by grant announcement. The possibility of additional years of funding varies by grant announcement. Payments to grantees are usually made by Letter of Credit draw-down procedures. |
| Reports |
| Quarterly progress and financial reports and final reports are required. Depending on the solicitation, grantees also may be required to participate in DOL's Management Information System data collection system. |
| Audits |
| In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised June 27, 2003), audits of states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations, non-Federal entities that receive financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards must have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. |
| Records |
| Recipients are required to maintain books, records, documents, and other evidence of accounting procedures and practices sufficient to reflect properly all direct and indirect costs of whatever nature claimed to have been incurred for the performance of the grant. Records are to be retained for three years from the date of final payment unless the grant officer authorizes earlier disposal. |
| Account Identification |
| 16-0174-0-1-504. |
| Obligations |
| (Project Grants) FY 07 $74,000,000; FY 08 est $73,000,000; FY 09 est $40,000,000. |
| Range and Average of Financial Assistance |
| Initial awards for PRI Grants have ranged from $130,000 to $667,000 a year. Initial awards for Youthful Offender grants have recently ranged from $1 million to $3.2 million a year. |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| Now in their third year of operation, PRI grants have thus far enrolled 13,881 participants, with 8,778 of these participants finding employment. The recidivism rate for the participants in the program is 15 percent. Youthful Offender grants typically serve about 9,000 individuals each year, and these programs have placed 56 percent of out-of-school participants in jobs, education, or training. The recidivism rate in Youth Offender programs is 12 percent for 14 to 17 year-olds and 11 percent for participants ages 18 and above. |
| REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE |
| Specified in SGA Announcement. |
| Regional or Local Office |
| Contact the nearest Employment and Training Administration regional office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. |
| Headquarters Office |
| Division of Youth Services, Office of Workforce Investment, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Room N-4511, Washington, DC 20210. Contact for PRI Grants: Jenn Smith. Telephone: (202) 693-3597, E-mail: Smith.Jenn@dol.gov. Contact for Youthful Offender Grants: Richard Morris. Telephone: (202)-693-3603, E-mail: Morris.Richard@dol.gov. |
| Web Site Address |
| http://www.doleta.gov |
| RELATED PROGRAMS |
| None. |
| EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS |
| PRI Grants: Grants of $660,000 to community and faith-based organizations to support a project director, three job counselors, one job developer, a mentoring supervisor, an administrative assistant, tryout jobs for participants, materials and supplies. Youthful Offender Grants: Grants to school districts, community-based organizations, and juvenile justice agencies to start or enhance alternative school serving juvenile offenders. |
| CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS |
| Criteria for each proposal are specified in the applicable request for proposals. |
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General Services Administration Office of Chief Acquisition Officer Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR) |
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