Title II - Formula Grants Program

Created as a result of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 2002, the Formula Grants program supports state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements.  After Congress appropriates funds, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awards formula grants to states based on their proportionate population under age 18.  At least two-thirds of the funds awarded to each state must be used for programs operated by local public and private agencies and federally recognized tribal governments.  These funds must be distributed on a competitive basis.

As the administering agency for the Title II Formula Grants program, the CSA is responsible for the development and submission of a Three-year State Plan that identifies California’s prioritized juvenile justice needs.  The JJDP Act requires that the State Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (SACJJDP) participate in development of the State Plan.  As such, the CSA and SACJJDP blend State and Federal funding streams strategically to provide both direct services and systems improvement/reform.  In short, State funds support what counties do, while Federal funds support how they do it. 

Guided by the SACJJDP 2009-2011 Strategic Plan, the current Three-year State Plan identifies five priority areas for funding locally developed projects with Title II monies: Alternatives to Detention, Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC), Evidence-Based Programs/Promising Approaches, Restorative Justice Principles and Holistic Approach to Counsel.  Additionally, each year an update to the three-year plan must be provided to OJJDP.

• 2009-2011 California Three-year State Plan
  • 2010 Update
• 2006-2008 California Three-year State Plan/Annual Updates
  

Finally, as one of four core proctetions in the JJDP Act, Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) continues to be a priority whereby California strives to reduce the number of youth of color coming into contact with the juvenile justice system.  As a result, Title II grantees are required to participate in DMC trainings to increase their knowledge of DMC and compliment their prevention and intervention services provided to at-risk and system-involved youth.  Our hope is that DMC education and awareness will be bolstered at pivotal decision-points within the juvenile justice system throughout counties in California.

Title II Formula Block Grant Projects

California’s SACJJDP has dedicated $4.6 million dollars in federal Title II grant funds for three of the five priority areas identified in the State Plan: Effective Alternatives to Detention/Incarceration, Restorative Justice (methods for holding juveniles accountable and repairing the harm caused by juvenile offending), and Holistic Approach to Offender Counsel (providing youthful offenders consistent wrap-around services focused on reducing youthful offending by providing meaningful and necessary services during the court jurisdictional process for the youth and family) projects.

In November 2011, the Title II Executive Steering Committee (ESC), comprised of subject matter experts from multiple disciplines, finalized their funding recommendations after a lengthy competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. These award recommendations were presented to the SACJJDP on November 9, 2011 and approved; on November 10, 2011, the CSA Board supported the ESC and SACJJDP’s work and approved Title II funding recommendations for the 15 direct-service projects beginning January 1, 2012.

Title II Formula Block Grant Awards

• Infrastructure and Intervention Implementation (Year 1) supports the implementation of a direct service project to include monitoring project effectiveness and ongoing enhancement of infrastructure needs
• Monitor and Sustain (Year 2) supports the administration of the direct service project, as well as the monitoring, evaluation and sustainability components
  
• Evaluate and Sustain (Year 3) continues supporting the administration of the direct service project, as well as the monitoring, evaluation and sustainability.

Additionally, these grant projects are incorporating system reform/change strategies - which seek to alter the basic procedures, policies, and rules that define how youth-serving systems work - and DMC – the reduction of the overrepresentation of youth of color coming into contact with the juvenile justice system.

Title II Project Descriptions (Under Construction)
 

Probation and Court-Based Alternatives Grant Project

On July 1, 2011, eight (8) County Probation Departments - in collaboration with their juvenile courts- began implementation of the Probation and Court-Based Alternative Project (PCBA). This one-year project utilizing $1.5 million in federal funds is intended to decrease the number of non-violent youth detained in secure detention, while not compromising public safety. The target population is those youth placed into secure detention for violations of probation (VOPs), failures to appear (FTAs) and bench warrants.

These grant funds will support counties with existing strategies, as well as counties that are - for the first time - considering system change. The projects will be focusing on how detention settings are utilized and addressing issues such as processes for how VOPs, FTAs and bench warrants result in secure detention; methods of reducing the incidence of VOPs, FTAs and bench warrants; and changes in the assessment and classification of juveniles that will result in a more judicious use of secure detention.

This competitive grant project was initiated by the State Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in 2010. CSA then utilized its Executive Steering Committee process made up of subject matter experts to develop the RFP and rate the proposals. The recommended grants awards were approved by the Corrections Standards Authority Board on May 12, 2011. Funding amounts range from $50,000 to $300,000 and were mostly dependent upon the amount requested, but were capped at $300,000.

Click here for a list of the grantees and a brief description of the projects.

Title II Native American Grant Program
Title II Formula Block Grant Native American funds awarded to each state must be utilized for programs operated by federally recognized tribal governments (approximately $3,100 allocated to California for 2010).  Upon the recommendation from the SACJJDP, the CSA allocated additional funding to support Native American Tribal Program(s) – for an annual amount of $240,000 in available federal funds.

In August 2010, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was announced, inviting all federally recognized tribes within the State of California to apply and compete for these federal funds.  The Tribal Youth Executive Steering Committee (ESC) – comprised of subject matter experts – developed the RFP upon the beliefs and values associated with Native culture (as defined in the Gathering of Native Americans - GONA principles).  In addition, the RFP encouraged priorities such as capacity building for tribal communities, culture is prevention” principles, holistic approaches to community wellness including; interconnectedness and community empowerment, and incorporation of traditional practices as well as embedding key elements such as “Nation Building,” Culture, Cultivation of Leadership, and Transformational Sustainability, and Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC).

At its November meeting, the CSA Board approved the recommendations of the ESC and awarded two (2) grants to support delinquency prevention and intervention programs to at-risk and system-involved youth.  The tribal governments receiving $120,000 in federal funding are the Tule River Tribal Council in Tulare County and the Yurok Tribe of California in Del Norte County.  Grants commenced January 1, 2011.

Grantee Resources
Invoices and Instructions
Progress Reporting
Grant Administration and Audit Guide- CSA, Federal Juvenile Justice Grants (January 2011)
Resources and Links

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Notice of Federal Funding and Federal Disclaimer

This Web site is funded in part through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).