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Gender-Responsive Policy and Practices Assessment - Community Version

Refinement Project

Application Deadline: November 28, 2022

The National Institute of Corrections is seeking Community Corrections agencies providing Probation and/or Parole services to apply for virtual training and technical assistance to implement the Gender-Responsive Policy and Practices Assessment - Community Version (GRPPA-CV).

Introduction

Agencies often ask “How can we improve our outcomes with women on community supervision?”
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) seeks community corrections agencies who wish to implement the Gender-Responsive Policy and Practices Assessment-Community Version (GRPPA-CV). The GRPPA-CV is an assessment process that guides agencies to examine services currently delivered to justice-involved women and explores how closely policies and practices align with the available research. An important outcome of the GRPPA-CV process is to assist agency staff and stakeholders to identify strengths, challenges and opportunities regarding effective approaches with women, including initiatives and practices that demonstrate positive results with justice-involved women.  

To learn more about the GRPPA, click on the link. https://nicic.gov/gender-responsive-policy-practice-assessment

There is an urgent need to build the capacity of community corrections agencies to assess and advance the use of evidence-based practices with women. Community supervision was designed and implemented in the United States as an important alternative to incarceration. Unfortunately, for women, it has become one of the most significant drivers of incarceration (Jacobsen, 2017). Pew Charitable Trusts (2018) reported that a significant number of women released from incarceration are rearrested and returned to prison. Many of these women are suspended or violated while under community supervision, not for the commission of new crimes but for failure to appear, noncompliance with treatment and sanctions related to substance use and other challenges, and an inability to secure safe and stable housing (McConnell et al., 2014). The negative outcomes for Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are more harmful and severe. Not only are these women grossly overrepresented in the justice system, but they are less likely to receive parole and significantly more likely to be returned to prison than other justice-involved women (Pew, 2018).

The prevailing research suggests that involvement in the justice system can deepen the disadvantages and challenges that contributed to women's behavior in the first place. Incarceration, returns to prison, and community supervision can increase traumatic reactions, contribute to toxic economical and emotional stress, and have a longstanding impact not only on the lives of justice-involved women but also on their children.

Over the last three decades, there has been an exponential growth in women-centered research, and there is a growing evidence-base on effective correctional approaches for justice-involved women. Since the 2000’s, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has demonstrated a strong commitment to assisting agencies in integrating and applying the available research. The GRPPA-CV is one such initiative undertaken by NIC to address the gap between what we have learned about justice-involved women and the application of gender-responsive policies and practices.

The GRPPA-CV provides a comprehensive summary of the research on women across six domains: 1) Environment; 2) Staffing; 3) Assessment, Classification, and Case Management; 4) Services and Programs; 5) Supervision Strategies and, 6) Quality Assurance and Evaluation. The GRPPA-CV assists agencies to examine specific practices that contribute to improved outcomes with women under supervision.

Overview of Activities: Implementing the GRPPA-CV

This solicitation builds upon an NIC project that was launched in 2021, which involved 5 sites engaging in a supported implementation of the GRPPA-CV. This current solicitation is a continuation of this work and involves expansion into additional sites.  NIC will select up to six Community Corrections supervision agencies that are committed to implementing the GRPPA-CV. Once selected, each site will receive training, coaching, and technical assistance (TA) from the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP) over approximately one year for both planning and implementation activities. While no direct funding will be provided to jurisdictions selected to participate in the project, pilot sites will benefit from the technical assistance offered by CEPP.

The GRPPA-CV is implemented over four phases (see below).

Phase 1: Planning and Pre-Assessment Activities

A planning session will be scheduled with selected agencies to lay the groundwork for the project. Agencies will be asked to identify a project coordinator as part of the application process (see additional information below). CEPP will work with the project coordinator at each site to prepare for GRPPA-CV implementation. The NIC and CEPP will provide the necessary digitized materials for each agency.

Outcomes during this phase include:

• Building commitment to engage in the GRPPA-CV process;
• Establishing the project work plan, goals, and outcomes;
• Identifying project team members that represent a diagonal slice of staff and external stakeholders across various roles and responsibilities;
• Providing information and resources (e.g., documentation checklist; logic model and work plan); GRPPA-CV protocols, scoring guides, resources); and
• Preparing for virtual training (e.g., logistics, scheduling).

CEPP will also work with the project teams across sites. Each team will participate in three virtual training sessions of three hours duration. The virtual sessions will provide an overview of the available research on justice-involved women and an introduction to the GRPPA-CV. Sites will also participate in several planning sessions.

Phase 2: Preparing for GRPPA-CV implementation

Successful implementation of the GRPPA-CV requires team members to be familiar with the GRPPA-CV Manual and Scoring Instrument. CEPP will work closely with project teams to develop a comprehensive implementation plan and ensure that they are fully prepared to complete the GRPPA-CV. This will be achieved through the following activities:

• Project Coordinators and team members will be invited to participate in two additional virtual training sessions that focus on assessment methods and scoring the GRPPA-CV. In addition, coaching sessions will be provided to build team capacity to implement the GRPPA-CV.
• CEPP will work with each site to ensure that their Implementation Plan is complete. The plan will provide a schedule of activities, identify roles and responsibilities for team members, and establish timelines to complete all assessment activities.
• Project Coordinators across sites will then participate in a 3-hour virtual session to finalize their GRPPA-CV Implementation Plan.

Phase 3: GRPPA-CV Implementation

The primary goal of this phase is to support each site’s full implementation of the GRPPA-CV. To achieve this goal, CEPP will conduct a series of virtual coaching sessions with each site’s Project Coordinator and team members to complete the assessment activities, analyze collected data, score the GRPPA-CV, and identify priority areas for action planning.

Phase 4: GRPPA-CV Post-Assessment Activities

The final phase of this project is to develop a GRPPA-CV Action Plan. CEPP will prepare Project Coordinators to work with their teams to create the plan and present it, along with the results of the GRPPA-CV, to their agency leadership. Specifically, CEPP will work with the Project Coordinator at each site to create a detailed description of the strengths and challenges identified by the GRPPA_CV, and a list of next steps (recommended actions) designed to address identified challenges and build on strengths.

Once the Action Plan is complete, CEPP will deliver two, 3-hour virtual training sessions for Project Coordinators and team members across sites to celebrate the successful implementation of the GRPPA-CV and share their Action Plans. When requested, CEPP will be available to coach teams or participate in the presentation of the proposed GRPPA-CV Action Plan to agency leadership. Before the end of this project, sites will be asked to submit a final version of their GRPPA-CV Action Plan to NIC.

Applications for Participation in the GRPPA-CV Implementation

The following information is provided to indicate, as clearly as possible, the work that each site will be expected to undertake and the submission requirements for applicants.

Eligibility

Community Corrections agencies providing Probation and/or Parole services at the state, county or city level are eligible to participate in this initiative. This project will focus on supervision agencies and is not intended for residential settings.  Team members can include external stakeholders that have a working relationship with the agency. (Note: The probation/parole agency needs to upload the Affirmation Letter in the application webform.)

Please review the expectations and submission requirements before completing this form.

Expectations and Submission Requirements

Applicants should demonstrate that their jurisdiction offers the following qualities deemed necessary for successful implementation of the GRPPA-CV:

• A Demonstrated Commitment to Implement the GRPPA-CV:
  The agency must describe their rationale and commitment to implement the GRPPA-CV, the driving factors behind their decision, and the changes or outcomes they hope to achieve due to this project.
• The Ability to Share Information:
  The agency must be willing to share information on existing policies, programs, and practices that guide work with justice-involved women. Willingness to share information on current policies and practices, aggregate data, and any available research focused on population demographics, flow, and recidivism outcome data (e.g., rate of probation or parole violations; new arrests; new convictions; rates of successful completion) is considered an asset.
• A Qualified Individual to Serve as the Project Coordinator: 
  Applicants must identify a Project Coordinator, including their name, title, agency, contact information, qualifications, and rationale for their selection. Please also identify an alternate point of contact as a contingency.  The Project Coordinator will serve as the liaison between CEPP and agency team members. This individual will work closely with CEPP, be responsible for complete oversight of the project, and participate in the following activities:
  • assemble a robust agency team,
  • organize the collection and dissemination of GRPPA-CV materials, 
  • coordinate and schedule agency team meetings, 
  • participate in seven 3-hour virtual training sessions and engage in up to 8 hours of coaching, 
  • prepare the GRPPA-CV Implementation Plan and coordinate all data collection and analysis activities, 
  • work with the agency team to develop an Action Plan, 
  • coordinate presentations to CEPP and NIC and the agency leadership.
  • Project Coordinators should expect to spend approximately 14 days on this project over a nine-month period.
• A Team of Staff Willing to Participate in the GRPPA-CV Process:
  Applicants should anticipate that 5-8 individuals, depending on the agency size, including the Project Coordinator, will be required to implement the GRPPA-CV. Ideally, all team members will join voluntarily. Individuals selected to be part of the team should represent a diagonal slice of the agency with a range of roles and responsibilities (e.g., administration, executive staff, community supervision officers, program staff, agency partners, and directly impacted women.) 
• Time for Team Participation:
  Applicants must indicate a commitment to the GRPPA-CV process and a willingness to give team members the time required to participate in   the GRPPA-CV process. Team members should expect to spend approximately 8 days on this project over a nine-month period. This estimate includes all activities, such as participation in training and coaching, conducting the assessment activities, scoring, and developing and presenting the action plan.
• Data Storage Needs:
  Applicants must have the capacity to store confidential data collected during the GRPPA-CV and ensure that team member have access to such data.
• Technology Needs:
  All training and coaching will be delivered virtually in real-time and will include access to NIC platforms. Participants, while applying as part of a team, are each required to have a dedicated laptop with webcam capacity that they can access during the traditional workday. As much of the web-based training will use break-out room activities, dedicated laptops, and headphones are required.
• Support from an Agency Partner(s):
  Agencies with a formal or informal relationship with an agency partner(s) should describe the nature of the collaboration and services provided. They should indicate the name of the agency partner(s), type of services provided, the length of the relationship(s), and indicate if the agency partner(s) will be available to participate in the GRPPA-CV implementation.

Expected Work Products

NIC expects that the products developed under this project may vary to some degree depending on agency circumstances and needs. However, each site is required to produce, with the assistance of CEPP, the following:

• GRPPA-CV Implementation Plan developed by the site and supported by CEPP
• GRPPA-CV Action Plan (documenting priority targets, goals and outcomes achieved and anticipated, and timelines) developed by the site and supported by CEPP

Application Process and Timeline

Applications must be received by 5 p.m. (ET) on November 28, 2022

• Instructions and webform for transmitting applications is contained here: https://info.nicic.gov/form/node/21
• Final selection decisions are anticipated shortly after and agencies will be notified.

Further Information

For further information about the GRPPA-CV project or this selection process, please contact:

Lorie Brisbin, Correctional Program Specialist, Community Services Division
National Institute of Corrections 
320 First Street, NW, 901 D - 3rd Floor 
Washington, DC 20534 
Phone: (208) 573-5411 
Email: lbrisbin@bop.gov