BJA FY 18 Justice Accountability Initiative: National Training and Technical Assistance to support pilot projects using data-driven systems to reduce crime and recidivism | BJA 2018 14643

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2018 14643

The BJA FY 18 Justice Accountability Initiative (JAI) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2018 14643) is a discretionary Bureau of Justice Assistance program under the U.S. Department of Justice designed to fund a national provider of training and technical assistance (TTA) to support pilot projects that use data-driven systems to reduce crime and recidivism. Offered as a cooperative agreement, the initiative emphasizes close coordination with BJA while the award recipient delivers hands-on support to criminal justice agencies working to strengthen how they assess risk, manage supervision, and share information across the justice system. The core purpose is practical: help jurisdictions use better data and better tools to make decisions that lower reoffending, with a particular focus on reducing violent recidivism.

At the center of JAI is the idea that criminal justice agencies can make measurable public safety gains when they have the capacity to analyze and act on information about people, cases, and system performance. The opportunity frames JAI as a structured, data-driven approach that helps state, local, and tribal agencies understand what is driving reoffending and crime in their jurisdictions and then implement targeted improvements. Rather than relying on broad, one-size-fits-all strategies, JAI encourages jurisdictions to develop or enhance risk prediction tools, improve needs assessments, and translate those findings into supervision plans that are more tailored and effective. In practice, this means supporting agencies as they refine how they identify individuals at higher risk, determine the criminogenic needs that should be addressed, and align supervision conditions and services accordingly.

A major component of the opportunity is building data-sharing and notification systems among criminal justice stakeholders. Many jurisdictions struggle with fragmented data spread across police, courts, jails, prisons, probation/parole, and service providers, which limits their ability to coordinate responses and track outcomes. JAI-backed work is intended to improve how information moves across these partners, including timely notifications and shared access to key decision-making data. The expectation is that stronger data infrastructure will support better operational decisions, reduce duplication and delays, and help agencies respond more quickly and consistently to violations, emerging risks, or changes in an individual’s circumstances.

The opportunity also highlights an efficiency and reinvestment rationale. By improving operational workflows and reducing unnecessary costs associated with ineffective supervision practices or poor coordination, jurisdictions can free up resources and redirect them toward strategies that have evidence of reducing crime and recidivism. In other words, the data work is not presented as an academic exercise; it is positioned as a way to make the system run smarter, reduce waste, and focus limited resources on interventions that actually move outcomes.

Funding is capped at an award ceiling of $2,000,000, with an anticipated three awards. The posting lists the creation date as June 28, 2018, with an original closing date of July 30, 2018. The CFDA number is 16.827, and the activity categories span law, justice and legal services, information and statistics, science and technology and research and development, and related areas such as training and workforce-oriented support. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. Overall, the grant is aimed at creating national capacity to help jurisdictions implement and refine real-world, data-informed practices that reduce recidivism, especially violent reoffending, through improved assessment, supervision planning, and cross-system information sharing.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), information and statistics, law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 18 Justice Accountability Initiative: National Training and Technical Assistance to support pilot projects using data-driven systems to reduce crime and recidivism" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.827.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 28, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for BJA 2018 14643

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