Category: Announcements

Application Deadline: June 30th, 2023

Background:

In 2016, the Conference of Chief Justices/Conference of State Court Administrators (CCJ/COSCA) established the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices to:-develop recommendations and tools to promote the fair and efficient enforcement of the law;-ensure no person is denied access to the justice system based on race, culture, or lack of economic resources; and,-develop policies relating to Legal Financial Obligations that promote access, fairness, and transparency.

State Justice Institute, along with the U. S. Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance, provided grant funding to support the work of the Task Force. The Task Force produced the Principles on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices, in addition to numerous additional resources in the Resource Center. Though system improvements have been made in some jurisdictions, the equitable enforcement of fines and fees, along with issues related to bail practices, remains. Through a special Request for Applications (RFA) process, SJI will award grants to further improve state court efforts to address fines, fees, and bail practices. SJI intends to award grants that will enhance state and local courts’ ability to:

-Review these practices to ensure processes are fair and access to justice is assured.

-Develop processes and procedures for indigency review.-Implement alternative forms of sanctions.

-Implement processes that replace money-based pretrial practices with those based on a presumption of pretrial release by the least restrictive means reasonable to assure appearance in court and promote public safety.

-Ensure pretrial release practices include connections to wrap-around services, such as legal and non-legal navigators, behavioral health, housing, and public health services.

-Promote transparency, governance, and structural reforms for better court oversight of legal financial obligations.

In addition to meeting all other application requirements, SJI will give priority consideration for funding to projects that focus on institutionalizing and/or replicating the Principles on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices of the CCJ/COSCA National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices.

ELIGIBILITY

SJI is authorized by Congress to award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts. For the purposes of this RFA, eligibility is limited to the following entities:

• State and local courts and their agencies (42 U.S.C. 10705(b)(1)(A)).

• Other eligible grant recipients (42 U.S.C. 10705 (b)(2)(A)–(D)).SJI may also make awards to state or local agencies and institutions other than courts for services that cannot be adequately provided through nongovernmental arrangements (42 U.S.C. 10705(b)(3)).

SJI is prohibited from awarding grants to federal, tribal, and international courts.

Funding Categories

Eligible applicants may apply for funding based on the categories below.

Category 1-Local Court: Eligible local court applicants may apply for up to $50,000 for a period of up to 12 months.

Category 2-State or Territory Supreme Court and/or the Administrative Office of the Courts: Eligible state (or territory) supreme courts and/or administrative court office applicants may apply for up to $100,000 for a period of up to 12 months. They may also submit applications on behalf of one or more local courts for up to $50,000 per locality for up to 12 months and must agree that all funds will go directly to the local court(s).Note: No grant funds or cash match may be used to pay the salary and related costs for a current or new employee of a court or other unit of government. Cash match for these grants will be waived; however, applicants are encouraged to include as much cash and in-kind match as possible towards their proposed project.

Full instructions are available here: Request-for-Applications-Fines-Fees-Bail_5.1.2023.pdf (sji.gov)

The SJI Board of Directors will be meeting on Monday, April 17, 2023 at 10:00 AM ET.  The purpose of this meeting is to consider grant applications for the 2^nd quarter of FY 2023, and other business.

ADDRESS:  SJI Headquarters, 12700 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 340, Fairfax, Virginia.

Register now! As part of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) Redesigning Legal Speaker Series, on March 21st, 2023, at 1:00PM EST, IAALS and its partners will examine the various legal service providers beyond lawyers who help people with their legal problems and discuss why it will take this entire ecosystem to fully tackle the access to justice crisis. Allied legal professional programs are spreading across the country. Register here.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications to respond to illicit substance use and misuse to reduce overdose deaths, promote public safety, and support access to treatment and recovery services in the criminal justice system. Awards will be made in two categories for the following amounts:

• Category 1: Local Applications
  Subcategory 1a—An urban area or large county with a population greater
  than 500,000: up to $1,600,000
  Subcategory 1b—A suburban area or medium-size county with a population between 100,000 and 500,000: up to $1,300,000
  Subcategory 1c—A jurisdiction is considered rural if the applicant is all or part of a county that is either entirely rural or is an urban or suburban county that contains rural census tracts as identified by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer. Municipalities other than counties, such as towns or cities, must enter the county the municipality resides within to search the analyzer. If the analyzer identifies the county entered as rural, then the applicant is eligible to apply within this subcategory. All jurisdictions that are not designated as rural via the analyzer but have a population of less than 100,000 should apply in subcategory 1b. All federally recognized Indian tribes must apply under this subcategory.: up to $1,000,000

• Category 2: State Applications

Applications from State Administering Agencies (SAA) responsible for directing criminal justice planning, the State Alcohol and Substance Use Agency, or other state agencies appropriate for the scope of the project; in addition, they must apply for funding on behalf of at least six localities, tribal entities, or areas within the state and assist with implementing projects at those sites.: up to $7,000,000

Period of performance start date: October 1, 2023
Period of performance duration: 36 months

Grants.gov Deadline: March 21, 2023, 8:59 p.m., ET
Application JustGrants Deadline: March 28, 2023, 8:59 p.m., ET

In FY 2023, applications must be submitted in a two-step process:

Step 1: Applicants will submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. 

Step 2: Applicants will submit the full application, including attachments, in JustGrants at JustGrants.usdoj.gov. To be considered timely, the full application must be submitted to JustGrants by the JustGrants application deadline. Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2023-171527 for solicitation information, eligibility details, and application guidelines.

NCSC is now accepting applications for the Eviction Diversion Initiative Grant Program through Friday, April 21. Grants will be awarded to 6-9 state and local courts to launch or expand eviction diversion programs and transform the eviction court experience. EDI grant funds can be used to hire dedicated court staff to oversee the eviction diversion and court reform work and to build community partnerships. Participating courts will also join a national network of courts at the forefront of this work and have access to intensive technical assistance and ongoing support from NCSC staff and program partners as they design, implement, and evaluate their programs. 

Two informational webinars about the grant program have been scheduled for Monday, February 13 (Register here) and Wednesday, March 15 (Register here). The webinars will also be recorded and posted to ncsc.org/eviction. Questions about the grant program and application process should be submitted to EDI@ncsc.org. Grant applications are due by Friday, April 21. 

Registration now open! Funded by State Justice Institute, ICM offers a wide variety of high-quality, evidence-based courses for court professionals and the general public. If you’re looking to advance your career, take a look into these courses. Registration for all 2023 virtual courses is now open! Courses fill up quickly, so be sure to register early: https://courses.ncsc.org National Center for State Courts

The SJI Board of Directors will be meeting on Monday, December 5, 2022 at 2:30 PM AST.  The purpose of this meeting is to consider grant applications for the 1^st quarter of FY 2023, and other business.

ADDRESS:  Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 8 Ave. de la Constitucion, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Upcoming Webinar! Hosted by SAMHSA’s GAINS Center on Monday, November 21st, 2022, from 2:30-4:00PM EST. Black Robes and White Coats: Using Project ECHO to Increase Judiciary Knowledge about Substance Use Disorder. High rates of substance use and overdoses among people interfacing with the criminal justice system have highlighted a need for judges to be more informed and aware of substance use disorders and optimal treatment approaches. Register here.