Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities Program

by: Iola Bonggay

The Office of Justice Programs, more commonly referred to as OJP, is a federal government agency operating within the United States Department of Justice that is primarily responsible for preventing crimes through research and development, the provision of assistance to state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies through grants, and assistance to crime victims.

The grants and initiatives of the OJP are all geared towards the realization of its general agency mission which is to "increase public safety and improve the fair administration of justice across America through innovative leadership and programs."

In line with this mission, the Office of Justice Programs has recently established the Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities Program in an attempt to substantially improve probation success rates, while simultaneously improve public safety, reducing returns to prisons and jails, and saving essential taxpayer dollars.

Essentially, the goal of the program is to device a more efficient and evidence-based probation programs that can potentially address concerns regarding offenders’ needs and the ample reduction of recidivism.

The interested applicants of the program can tailor their proposals around the attainment of the following Smart Probation demonstration project objectives:   (continued...)

Smart Probation: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities Program
  Page 2

About The Author Iola Bonggay is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. She also maintains Websites providing resources on community grants and health grants.

Additional Government Grants Resources

2012 University Center Economic Development Program Competition
The Economic Development Administration has recently established the 2012 University Center Economic Development Program Competition wherein they intend to solicit grant applications from higher education institutions stating their intent to establish and operate special University Centers that are focused on leveraging university assets in order to create regional economic ecosystems that will support high-growth entrepreneurship.

---

Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program
The United States Geological Survey has recently constituted the Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program wherein they intend to focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those that only concern a single state.

---

Every Day Counts Innovation Initiatives - Request for Information
In keeping with this mission, the Federal Highway Administration has recently constituted the Every Day Counts Innovation Initiatives project wherein they intend to solicit information from all eligible sources regarding innovations and advances that will potentially transform the way people will do business.

---

Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance
The Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance Program is designed to decrease the number of disadvantaged micro-entrepreneurs by helping them enhance their management capabilities, by way of providing them with technical assistance and training in the areas concerning activities that are associated with starting, expanding and growing their businesses.

---

Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government
There are different variations of a Federal Direct Student Loan available; these are dependent on whether or not the student is eligible for government assistance. Need based programs include the Stafford Loan and the Direct Subsidized Loan; while non-need based programs are the Direct PLUS program, and the Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

---

Financing Your Education - Federal Perkins Loans
The Federal Perkins Loan Program helps those undergraduate postsecondary students that cannot afford their educational expenses without financial assistance with a low interest loan. The loan is in place to help them meet their educational expenses to the completion of a postsecondary degree.

---

Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program
The Health Resources and Services Administration has recently constituted the establishment of the Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program, also referred to as the TRCGP.

---