BJA Funds for Careers Training and Research on Improving Education for Teens in the Juvenile Justice System

The National Reentry Resource Center recently sent out the following announcement for not one but two grant opportunities through the Second Chance Act that apply to juveniles.

1. One $2.5 million grant will be awarded by the Bureau of Justice Affairs (BJA) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to a state, unit of local government, territory, federally-recognized Indian tribe, or other public or private entity to:

• evaluate methods to improve academic and vocational education for incarcerated adults and juveniles;
• identify and make recommendations to the Department of Justice regarding best practices relating to academic and vocational education for incarcerated adults and juveniles; and
• improve the academic and vocational education programs available to incarcerated adults and juveniles.

The RFP goes on to say, "This solicitation is not requiring an evaluation of programs, but instead is seeking an entity to survey the research on existing promising and evidence-based practices and to then make recommendations to DOJ/BJA regarding best practices, gaps in evidence-based programs, and future research needs."
Not too many folks will be able to apply for it, but the results could be extremely useful.

2. Awards of $750,000 each (it's unclear how many) will be available to help train incarcerated juveniles (and adults) in technology careers during the three-year window before their release.

The deadline for applications is 8:00 p.m. ET on June 10, 2010. Inquiries about the solicitations should be directed to Thurston Bryant, BJA policy advisor for corrections. Follow the link to email him or call him at (202) 514-8082.