The Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is committed to supporting the efforts of probation and parole agencies across the nation to leverage contemporary research to implement promising supervision policies and practices that are evidence-based, data-driven, and smart on crime. Although it currently funds several technical assistance (TA) initiatives for community corrections, BJA recognizes there is a need for additional resources that can be tailored to address the specific challenges faced by community corrections at the state, local, and tribal levels. BJA’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) has, therefore, committed a modest amount of resources to support TA engagements focused on enhancing the work of community corrections agencies on the following key issues:
- Leveraging the key lessons learned in BJA’s Smart Probation Initiative to enhance the overall effectiveness and efficiency of offender supervision strategies.
- Enhancing the use of empirically validated offender assessment tools to guide supervision and decisionmaking.
- Evaluating caseload allocations and implementing strategies to use limited supervision resources most efficiently and effectively, (e.g., targeting high and medium risk offenders for smaller caseloads, more intensive supervision and programming).
- Integrating effective treatment and programming with supervision, and ensuring quality of services delivered.
- Developing and implementing a comprehensive system of data-driven graduated sanctions designed to respond to violations and reduce the likelihood of recidivism.
- Expanding collaboration and strategic partnerships between probation and parole agencies and local law enforcement to enhance offender management efforts.
Those community corrections agencies interested in pursuing TA on any of these issues are encouraged to complete a brief online application at: /working-with-nttac/requestors/tta-request/form. Questions about the assistance available can be directed to BJA NTTAC at 1-833-872-5174 or to BJA Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Gary Dennis at gary.dennis@usdoj.gov or 202-305-9059.