Gang-Free Schools and Communities Initiative - Office of Juvenile ...

U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionFY 2000 OJJDP DiscretionaryProgram Announcement

For Further InformationBecause of the wide range of funding opportunities in FY 2000 and their various requirements anddeadlines, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is publishing separateannouncements for many of the programs under which funding is available. These program announcementsaddress the program’s nature and purpose, specify eligibility requirements and selection criteria,and identify deadlines and contact information. The program announcements do not include applicationmaterials. Application instructions, forms (including the SF–424), and review guidelines for allOJJDP funding opportunities are provided in the OJJDP Application Kit (SL 397). To apply for fundingunder the solicitation presented in this program announcement, you must obtain a copy of theOJJDP Application Kit.Copies of the OJJDP Application Kit and the reference materials cited in the program announcementcan be obtained from OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse or downloaded from the agency’s Website. You can contact the Clearinghouse in any of the following ways:Phone:Fax:Fax on Demand:800–638–8736 (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. ET).301–519–5600 (to ask questions).410–792–4358 (to order publications).800–638–8736 (select option 1, select option 2, and listen for instructions).Because of the number of pages, the OJJDP Application Kit is availablein four components (#9119, Introduction and Application and AdministrativeRequirements, 16 pages; #9120, Checklist and Application Forms,24 pages; #9121, Privacy Certificate Guidelines and Statement and PeerReview Information, 19 pages; and #9122, Contact Lists, 16 pages).Copies are sent to your attention via fax immediately upon request.There may be a short delay, depending on the volume of requests.E-Mail:puborder@ncjrs.org (publications, including the OJJDP Application Kit).askncjrs@ncjrs.org (assistance).Copies requested by phone, regular fax, or e-mail will be sent by first-class mail. Delivery will takeapproximately 3–5 days. The OJJDP Application Kit can also be downloaded in either HTML orPDF from OJJDP’s Web site, Grants & Funding section:Internet:ojjdp.ncjrs.orgTo receive timely notification of future OJJDP funding opportunities, newly released publications,and other information on juvenile justice and delinquency, subscribe to OJJDP’s electronic mailinglist, JUVJUST: Send an e-mail to listproc@ncjrs.org. Leave the subject line blank. Type subscribejuvjust your name in the body of the message.

Gang-FreeSchools andCommunitiesI n i t i a t i v eJohn J. Wilson, Acting Administrator

U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention810 Seventh Street NW.Washington, DC 20531Janet RenoAttorney GeneralDaniel MarcusActing Associate Attorney GeneralMary Lou LearyActing Assistant Attorney GeneralJohn J. WilsonActing AdministratorOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionThe Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of JusticePrograms, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, theNational Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

OJJDP’s Fiscal Year 2000 Gang-FreeSchools and Communities Initiative“When children in inner-city schools haveto walk through metal detectors, when highschools in small towns like Jonesboro,Arkansas in my home state or Springfield,Oregon are torn apart by disturbed childrenwith deadly weapons, when gang violencestill ravages communities large and small,we have to do more.”Introduction—President William Jefferson ClintonRemarks by the President at Safe Schools andCommunities Event, August 27, 1998In fiscal year (FY) 2000, the Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), incollaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education,Health and Human Services, Labor, andthe Treasury, will launch two new gang programsdesigned to address and reduce youth gang crimeand violence in schools and communities 1 acrossAmerica. The two new programs are:◆ Gang-Free Communities Program. This programwill offer seed funding to up to 12 communitiesto replicate OJJDP’s ComprehensiveGang Model—a promising approach to addressinga community’s emerging or chronicyouth gang problems. This replication effortwill also include technical assistance and trainingthrough OJJDP’s National Youth GangCenter (NYGC) and a self-evaluation effort.1OJJDP’s FY 2000 gang programs will involve implementing the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model based on lessons learned in OJJDP’s five original urban/suburban demonstration sites; from the Little Village Project in Chicago, whereselected strategies of the Model were tested; and from the gang problem assessmentin OJJDP’s Rural Gang Initiative (RGI) sites. OJJDP is focusing these two programson urban and suburban communities (cities and counties) that are currently experiencingyouth gang problems.◆ Comprehensive Gang Model: An EnhancedSchool/Community Approach to ReducingYouth Gang Crime. This program will supportup to four demonstration sites that willimplement school-focused enhancements tothe OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model. Theseenhancements will build on the Model’s originalframework and current school and youthviolence prevention efforts. This demonstrationand testing effort will also include technicalassistance and training through OJJDP’sNYGC and an independent evaluation of eachof the communities’ efforts.The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model’s implementationprocess requires selected communitiesto conduct a gang problem assessment during theinitial 12-month project period. Following the initialyear of assessment and planning, funding forthe Model’s implementation may be available.This publication includes three separate programannouncements: two for the programs describedabove (the Gang-Free Communities Program andthe Comprehensive Gang Model: An EnhancedSchool/Community Approach to Reducing YouthGang Crime) and one for the National Evaluationof the Comprehensive Gang Model: An EnhancedSchool/Community Approach to Reducing YouthGang Crime.BackgroundThe ProblemIn 1998, more than 4,000 urban, suburban, andrural communities in the United States were experiencingyouth gang problems. More than 30,000youth gangs and 800,000 youth gang memberswere reported in the most recent systematic, annual1

nationwide survey of law enforcement agenciesconducted by OJJDP’s National Youth Gang Center.As was the case in 1996 and 1997, survey respondentsin 1998 reported a high degree of involvementby these youth gangs in aggravatedassaults, larceny/theft, burglary, and robbery.Research findings from OJJDP and the NationalInstitute of Justice (NIJ) suggest that youthgangs continue to present a serious threat to publicsafety, despite the recent downturn in juvenilecrime. OJJDP’s Program of Research on theCauses and Correlates of Delinquency found thatyouth who are involved in youth gangs committhree to seven times as many delinquent andcriminal offenses as youth who are not gang involved.The studies found that this trend holdstrue even when comparing gang youth withnongang youth who were delinquents. Involvementwith the juvenile and criminal justice systemsis usually not a new experience for youthwho join gangs. Many of these youth not onlyhave come into previous contact with the justicesystem but in many cases have also been involvedin or in need of child protective, mentalhealth, and other services. These youth areknown to experience significant risk factors innumerous domains and pose a threat not only totheir own safety but to the safety of their familiesand their communities as well. Often they havecomplex mental health needs requiring longterm,comprehensive, and collaborative servicesin the community (Wood et al., 1997).The threat of gang crime and violence is not limitedto the streets. According to the 1998 NationalYouth Gang Survey (Moore and Cook, 1999), 40percent of youth gang members in the UnitedStates are estimated to be under age 17. Presumably,most of these youth are still in school. Thepercentage of public school students who reportedthat gangs were present in their schools nearlydoubled from 17 percent in 1989 to 31 percent in1995 (Kaufman et al., 1999). About two-thirds ofthe gangs students see in school are involved inviolence, drug sales, or gun-carrying (Howell andLynch, forthcoming). Urban students were morelikely to report that there were street gangs at theirschools than were suburban students or rural students.Between 1989 and 1995, reports of gangpresence increased in all three categories of students’place of residence (Kaufman et al., 1999).Thus, youth gang activity is also a threat to thevery place sometimes assumed to be free fromsafety threats: the classroom. Unfortunately, recentresearch by Howell and Lynch (forthcoming) indicatesthat school security measures such as securityguards, metal detectors, and locker checks “donot appear to be a solution in and of themselves togang problems.” This research also indicates thatgangs are most prevalent where a large numberof security measures are employed in schools(Howell and Lynch, forthcoming). While schoolsplay a powerful role (after families) in socializingyouth, they may also provide the opportunity fornongang youth to learn about and become involvedin gangs (Curry and Decker, 1998).Gangs also contribute significantly to victimizationin areas surrounding schools. In fact, conflictsthat begin at school may escalate in surroundingneighborhoods. An analysis of gangarrests in Orange County, CA, showed that violentgang crimes begin to escalate sharply earlyin the school day, peak early in the afternoon,and rise again long after the school day ends.Communities experiencing youth gang problemsare using many different types of antigang strategiesand activities. Some are simple; others arecomplex. Examples include counseling programs,mentoring, recreational activities, outreach programs,court diversion, antigang sweeps, injunctions,special antigang statutes, and others thatcan be implemented as a part of a comprehensivecommunitywide approach or be implemented bythemselves. A current OJJDP and NIJ study is attemptingto determine how schools are respondingto the youth gang problem. Preliminary resultsshow that, on average, schools that reportthe presence of gangs have as many as 14 differentantigang activities under way (Gottfredson2

and Gottfredson, 1999). It appears, however, thatthe quality and fidelity of implementation ofthese programs and activities may be limited.Schools not only suffer from gang-related violence“spilling over” from the streets but arethemselves rapidly becoming centers of gang activities,functioning particularly as sites for gangmember recruitment and socializing (Burnett andWalz, 1999). Service providers and educatorsneed to clearly understand and recognize the appealof gangs, the precursors to gang affiliation,and the potential impairment of a gang member’sfunctioning. Such responses may help to preventfurther gang association, recognize and serveyouth’s emotional and behavioral health needsmore accurately, reduce gang-related violence inschools, and provide collaborative, tailored servicesthat reach beyond the traditional criminaljustice system (Wood et al., 1997).OJJDP’s ResponseIn 1994, OJJDP took a major step forward in implementingPart D of Title II of the Juvenile Justiceand Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act, “Gang-Free Schools and Communities: Community-Based Gang Intervention” (Sections 281–283)(42 U.S.C. 5567–5667b) with the announcementof its Comprehensive Response to America’sYouth Gang Problem. The Comprehensive Responseis a five-component initiative that includesthe National Youth Gang Center, the demonstrationand testing of OJJDP’s Comprehensive GangModel (also referred to as the “Spergel Model”after its developer, Dr. Irving Spergel), trainingand technical assistance to communities implementingthis Model, evaluation of the demonstrationsites implementing the Model, and an informationdissemination component conducted bythe Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (JJC). Theimplementation and testing of the ComprehensiveGang Model is the centerpiece of the initiative.Since the Comprehensive Response was launched,major progress has been made in addressingAmerica’s youth gang problems, including theaccomplishments described below:◆ The National Youth Gang Center has establisheditself as the leading source for informationon youth gang activity in America. NYGChas conducted four annual surveys of law enforcementagencies on youth gangs and heldtwo national symposia on gangs. The Centerprovides technical assistance to communitiesacross the country, develops numerous publicationson gang-related issues, and developselectronic resources such as a comprehensiveWeb site (www.iir.com/nygc) and a youth gangdiscussion list that is open to juvenile andcriminal justice professionals and others.NYGC’s Web site also provides communitieswith a resource for gang-related State statutesand local ordinances.◆ The demonstration sites implementing OJJDP’sComprehensive Gang Model (Mesa and Tucson,AZ; Riverside, CA; Bloomington, IL; andSan Antonio, TX) recently concluded theirfourth year of program implementation withFederal support. Two program sites, Mesa andRiverside, received an additional year of Federalsupport to enhance their strong implementationand allow for additional data collectionon the effects of the program.◆ A national evaluation of the five ComprehensiveGang Model sites has been conducted toidentify lessons learned with the Model. Althoughprocess or implementation findings arestill being developed, early preliminary outcomesgenerally indicate a reduction in criminaloffending, including crimes against persons andproperty, and a reduction in drug selling anddrug usage by youth targeted by the program.◆ Training and technical assistance have beenprovided to each of the five demonstrationsites and lessons learned from these sites havebeen highlighted or featured in many other3

training events nationwide. Training and technicalassistance on the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model and on various gang topics havealso been provided to other communitiesaround the country.◆ Since 1995, OJJDP, through the Juvenile JusticeClearinghouse, has distributed more than600,000 copies of gang-related publicationsto the juvenile justice field and communities.OJJDP has produced 15 gang-focused publicationsthat highlight relevant gang issues orlessons learned from OJJDP demonstrationsites, and others are forthcoming. JJC alsodeveloped specialized gang-related Web resourcesand information packages. The NationalYouth Gang Center supplemented thisdissemination effort by routinely providinginformation and resources to the field and bylinking its Web site to JJC to support JJC’sdissemination efforts.In addition to the efforts listed above, OJJDP alsoprovided support to many other communitiesthrough training, technical assistance, informationon gang issues and strategies, and funding. In1998, OJJDP launched its Rural Gang Initiative(RGI) in response to feedback from the fieldabout the need for an approach appropriate for ruralcommunities. RGI was also developed in responseto findings from the 1997 National YouthGang Survey, which found that the number ofgangs and gang members in rural areas was growing.The four communities selected to participatein RGI (Glenn County, CA; Mt. Vernon, IL; ElkCity, OK; and Cowlitz County, WA) have recentlyconcluded a 12-month detailed assessment of thelocal youth gang problem. This assessment entailedcollecting data and information from lawenforcement, schools, community agencies, parents,and youth, among other sources. Once thedata were collected, the communities were able toconduct an analysis of their youth gang problem.Multidisciplinary steering committees in each ofthe communities have begun the process of developinga strategic plan to address the problemsidentified, using the OJJDP Comprehensive GangModel.OJJDP has also supported the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model in five of its SafeFutures 2sites. These sites are currently completing theirfourth year of program operation.OJJDP’s Comprehensive Response to America’sYouth Gang Problem, the Rural Gang Initiative,and other antigang efforts have yielded significantlessons and promising results since 1994. However,there is more to be learned and more to beachieved. The intent of OJJDP’s FY 2000 Gang-Free Schools and Communities Initiative is to buildon what has been accomplished, increase knowledgeabout youth gangs, and demonstrate successfulgang prevention and intervention activities.ApproachYouth Gang Problem Assessment and PlanningFrom experience with OJJDP’s five demonstrationsites, the Rural Gang Initiative sites, andother communities that are using the OJJDPComprehensive Gang Model, it has been determinedthat a full assessment of the youth gangproblem must be undertaken prior to any interventionattempts. Youth gangs are a complexproblem intertwined with many causal factors.Because OJJDP believes that the solution to theproblem lies within a comprehensive approachthat addresses the problem’s causes and symptoms,the problem assessment goes beyond otherproblem assessment approaches in use today, e.g.,the SARA (Scanning, Analysis, Response, andAssessment) Model. Communities involved inOJJDP’s RGI have completed a full assessmentof the problem that uses crime analysis, surveysof youth and community members, focus groups,2SafeFutures seeks to prevent and control youth crime and victimization by creatinga continuum of care to enable communities to respond to youth needs through arange of prevention, intervention, treatment, and sanctions programs.4

youth gang member interviews, resource assessments,and other data collection strategies. Oncethe assessment was completed, the communitiesused a basic problem-solving framework (consistentwith that being used in policing environmentsand in other U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiativessuch as the Strategic Approaches to CommunitySafety Initiative (SACSI)). This frameworkwas then complemented with strategic planningexercises to apply the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model.Although the first year of OJJDP’s FY 2000Gang Initiative will focus on youth gang problemassessment and planning, it is important toprovide background on OJJDP’s ComprehensiveGang Model. The sites selected under the programsin this initiative may implement the Modelfollowing the assessment, based on the identifiedyouth gang problem(s). The following descriptiongives applicants an idea of what the Modelrequires in terms of process and strategy, drivenby the assessment findings.The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang ModelIn 1995, when OJJDP sought to test its ComprehensiveGang Model developed by the Universityof Chicago’s Dr. Irving Spergel, it urged five competitivelyselected communities to implement theModel by building on resources already in place inthe community, especially as they related to gangprevention. The communities selected were Mesaand Tucson, AZ; Riverside, CA; Bloomington, IL;and San Antonio, TX. The goal of the initiativewas not to create an entirely new system to respondto gang problems but to put into place theproper continuum of services, supports, and sanctionsand to utilize the continuum through theModel’s structured implementation process. Thisprocess consists of five steps:◆ The community and community leaders acknowledgethe youth gang problem.◆ The community conducts an assessmentof the nature and scope of the youth gangproblem, leading to the identification of atarget community or communities andpopulation(s).◆ Through a steering committee, the communityand community leaders set goals and objectivesto address the identified problem(s).◆ The steering committee makes availablerelevant programming, strategies, services,tactics, and procedures consistent with theModel’s five core strategies.◆ The steering committee, with the assistanceof a research partner, evaluates effectiveness,reassesses the problem, and modifies approachesas needed.The goals of the OJJDP Comprehensive GangModel are as follows:◆ To reduce youth gang crime, especially violence,in targeted communities.◆ To improve the capacity of the community,including its institutions and organizations,to prevent, intervene with, and suppress theyouth gang problem through the targetedapplication of interrelated strategies of communitymobilization, opportunities provision,social intervention, suppression, and organizationalchange and development.The Model addresses the youth gang problemthrough five interrelated strategies, which are describedbelow. The Model is multifaceted andmultilayered, involving individual youth, familymembers, peers, agencies, and the community. Itis based on research and community experiencesthat indicate the gang problem is systemic and isa response to rapid social change, local communitydisorganization, poverty, and other factorsacross multiple domains.5

The approach used in the Model requires thatkey community leaders and organizations identify,reach out to, and communicate with eachother about youth—those seriously involved ingang crime and those at high risk of gang involvement.They should make available andprovide youth with services, opportunities, andsocial control in an interactive way. Program emphasesmay vary with the nature and degree ofthe problem, i.e., in communities with emergingor chronic gang problems.Criminal and juvenile justice agencies, schools,community-based agencies, and grassrootsgroups are expected to share appropriate informationand to modify policies and practices inorder to collaborate at the policy level andthrough a street-level intervention team or teams.The intervention team is the primary mechanismthrough which the Model’s key strategies are deliveredto targeted youth. The team is usuallymade up of workers (including street outreachworkers) from community-based youth agencies,police, probation, and grassroots organizations.Other organizations, such as schools, employmentagencies, and community development andmental health or social service agencies havealso participated on the intervention team insome of the demonstration sites. The multilevelcollaboration required by the Model is gearedtoward short- and long-term capacity buildingand reduction of the problem at the individual,group, and community levels through a sequenceof steps and actions.The Model targets youth gang members mostlikely to be engaged in or at risk of committingserious or violent gang crimes. It holds that thelack of social opportunities available to thispopulation and the degree of social disorganizationpresent in a community largely account forits youth gang problem. Other contributing factorsinclude institutional racism and deficienciesin social policies. Drawing on these theories toframe the development of the Model, the Universityof Chicago team surveyed law enforcementand other agencies in 65 U.S. cities (large andsmall) that reported having had a problem withgangs to learn their strategies and then visitedcities that reported having had a positive impacton their gang problem. Analysis of the surveyinformation and findings from the site visits, inconjunction with research, evaluation efforts, andrelevant theory, led to the identification of theModel’s five strategies.The Model addresses the youth gang problemthrough five interrelated strategies. These fivecore strategies and their associated critical elementsare as follows:Community Mobilization◆ Local citizens, including youth, communitygroups, and agencies, are involved, and programsand functions of staff within and acrossagencies are coordinated.◆ A steering committee is available to initiatethe project by involving representatives ofkey organizations and the community and toguide it over time by responding to barriers toimplementation, developing sound policy,lending support to the project where andwhen appropriate, and taking general ownershipof the communitywide response.◆ The steering committee also is charged withcreating and maintaining interagency andcommunity relationships that facilitate programdevelopment. For example, the committeecould create coordinated outreach and lawenforcement policies and practices and facilitatethe development of community groupssuch as block watches, neighbors/mothersagainst gangs, or other community alliancesand coalitions.◆ The program is supported and sustainedacross all levels (top, intermediate, and6

street/line) of the criminal and juvenile justicesystems, schools, community-based andgrassroots organizations, and government.Social Intervention◆ Youth-serving agencies, schools, grassrootsgroups, and faith-based and other organizationsprovide social services to gang youthand youth at high risk of gang involvement asidentified through street outreach and drivenby the problem assessment findings.◆ Social intervention is directed to the targetyouth individually and not primarily to thegang as a unit, although understanding andsensitivity to gang structure and “system” areessential to influencing individual gang youthand providing effective intervention.◆ All key organizations located in the targetarea are encouraged to make needed servicesand facilities available to gang youth andyouth at high risk of gang involvement.◆ Targeted youth (and their families) are providedwith a variety of services that assistthem to adopt prosocial values and to accessservices that will meet their social, educational,and vocational needs. Mental healthservices are a critical ingredient.◆ Street outreach is established to focus on coregang youth and later on high-risk youth, withspecial capacity to reach both nonadjudicatedand adjudicated youth.◆ The primary focus of street outreach servicesis ensuring safety while remaining aware ofand linking youth and families to educationalpreparation, prevocational or vocational training,job development, job referral, parenttraining, mentoring, family counseling, drugtreatment, tattoo removal, and other servicesin appropriate ways.◆ Outreach activities such as recreation and artsare carefully arranged so as not to become aprimary focus but a means to establish interpersonalrelationships, develop trust, and provideaccess to opportunities and other essentialresources or services.◆ In-school and afterschool prevention and educationprograms such as Gang Resistance Educationand Training (G.R.E.A.T.), antibullying,peer mediation, tutoring, and others are beingoffered within the target area(s), as are communityprograms to educate parents, businesses,and service providers.Provision of Opportunities◆ The community, through an appointed steeringcommittee, develops a variety of educational,training, and employment programs orservices targeted to gang youth and those athigh risk of gang involvement.◆ Special access to social and economic opportunitiesin the community is provided forgang-involved youth and youth at high risk ofgang involvement.◆ Opportunities and services are provided insuch a way that they do not encapsulate, segregate,or alienate gang youth or those at highrisk from mainstream institutions.◆ Mechanisms for identifying and addressingyouth at risk of gang involvement are in placein the elementary, middle, and high schoolswithin the targeted area(s).◆ Education, training, and job opportunity strategiesare integrated with those of social services,particularly youth outreach work, alongwith close supervision and social control, asnecessary.7

◆ Local residents and businesses are supportiveand involved in the provision of educationaland training opportunities and job contacts fortargeted gang youth and those at high risk.◆ Access to social opportunities also is providedto other gang members and associates of targetedyouth.Suppression◆ There are formal and informal social controlprocedures and accountability measures, includingclose supervision or monitoring ofgang youth by agencies of the criminal and juvenilejustice systems and also by communitybasedagencies, schools, and grassroots groups.◆ Gang suppression or control is structurallyrelated to community- and problem-orientedpolicing and to gang enforcement and tacticalunits.◆ Police administration and police officers on theintervention team assume key roles in the developmentand implementation of importantaspects of the program, not only through suppressionbut through gang prevention, socialintervention, and community mobilization.◆ Gang crime data collection and analysis (i.e.,crime analysis) are established to accuratelyand reliably assess the gang problem and itschanges over time. Definitions of gangrelatedincidents, gangs, and gang membersare maintained. Gang intelligence is routinelycollected and analyzed. It is also highly desirableto have gang crime data geocoded 3and analyzed, preferably using automated“hotspot” mapping techniques.◆ Police contact with targeted youth is regularlyand appropriately quantified, shared, and3Geocoding involves assigning X and Y coordinates to a location or address so that itcan be placed on a map.discussed with other members of the interventionteam for purposes of team planning andcollaboration. Contacts should be generallyconsistent with the philosophy of communityandproblem-oriented policing.◆ Aggregate-level data bearing on the gang problemare regularly shared with all components ofthe project, particularly the steering committee.◆ Professional respect and appropriate collaborationbetween police and outreach workersand other team members are essential.◆ Tactical, patrol, drug/vice, community policing,and youth division units that have contactwith targeted youth and gang members providesupport to the intervention team throughinformation sharing and mutual collaborationand support.◆ Targeted enforcement operations, when andwhere necessary, are consistent with programgoals and are coordinated with the interventionteam in order to have the maximum impact.Organizational Change and Development◆ Policies and procedures that result in the mosteffective use of available and potential resourceswithin and across agencies are developedand implemented.◆ The policies and practices of organizations,particularly of agencies providing interventionteam staff, are adapted to conform to thegoals and objectives of the project as identifiedthrough the strategic planning exercises.◆ Each program, agency, or community representativeon the steering committee ensuresthat its internal units are cooperating with andsupport the work of the intervention team.◆ Various agencies learn not only to understandthe complex nature of the gang problem and8

cooperate closely with each other in the developmentand implementation of the programbut also to assist other organizations,particularly agencies involved with the interventionteam, to achieve their respective missionobjectives.◆ In the process of collaboration, a team approachmeans a maximum sharing of informationabout targeted youth such that activities ofteam members are modified in a generalist direction,e.g., police take some responsibilityfor social intervention and outreach workersassist with the suppression of serious crimeand violence.◆ A case management system and associateddata system are established so that contacts andservices by all members of the interventionteam can be monitored for purposes of effectivetargeting, tracking youth entry into andexit out of the program, and measuring outcomesat individual and program area levels.◆ Staff development and training for the interventionteam are conducted for the differenttypes of team participants separately and collectively,especially regarding data sharing,joint planning, and implementation activities.◆ Special training, close supervision, and administrativearrangements are established particularlyfor youth outreach workers and lawenforcement to carry out their collaborativeroles in a mutually trustworthy fashion.◆ Organizational policies and practices becomeinclusive and community oriented with specialreference to the interests, needs, and culturalbackground of local residents, includingthe targeted youth.In addition to anecdotal evidence, qualitativedata, and analysis of preliminary evaluation datafrom OJJDP’s five initial demonstration sites,several researchers have found the Model and/orthe services and activities under its five corestrategies to be promising (Howell, forthcoming;Curry and Decker, 1998; Sherman et al., 1998;Spergel et al., 1999).In summary, the Model requires a multifaceted,multilayered approach that includes eight criticalelements that distinguish it from other approachesto gangs:◆ Continuous problem assessment usingqualitative and quantitative data.◆ Targeting of the area(s) and population(s)of individuals most associated with theproblem as described in the assessment.◆ A mix of the five key strategies: communitymobilization, social intervention,opportunities provision, suppression,and organizational change/development.◆ An intervention team.◆ A steering committee of policymakers andcommunity leaders to oversee and guidethe project.◆ A plan for coordinating efforts and sharingappropriate information among membersof the intervention team, the steering committee,and persons within the partner organizations.This requires a determinationof what information is needed by thesevarious individuals and a mechanism forthe timely sharing of that information.◆ Community capacity building to sustainthe project and address issues that arelong-term in nature.◆ Ongoing data collection and analysis to informthe process and evaluate its impact.Equally important as the types of activities andstrategies to be implemented through these9

programs is the problem assessment and planningprocess that will be conducted during thefirst year of Federal funding. The program announcementsthat follow will emphasize and focuson this component.At the conclusion of the initial year (focusing onassessment and planning), OJJDP intends tomake available resources to support the implementationof the Model. Subsequent awards aredependent on grantee performance and availabilityof funds.10

Gang-Free Communities ProgramPurposeTo assist communities in responding to youthgang problems through a strategic, data-drivenapproach that includes prevention, intervention,and suppression of youth gang crime andviolence. Following and building on this 1-yearplanning, assessment, and strategy developmentproject, OJJDP’s Comprehensive GangModel will be implemented to address localyouth gang problems across the country. Communitiesselected under this program will berequired to leverage local resources in additionto Federal funds in order to implement theModel effectively.BackgroundThis program implements Title II, Part D, Section282 of the Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended. Thisprogram is offered to provide seed funding forcommunities interested in addressing their youthgang problem using a promising comprehensivemodel. The future funding level for this programis not anticipated to be sufficient to fund all aspectsof the Model but is expected to assist communitiesin leveraging other non-Federal funds(State, local, private) and other community resourcesto implement this approach.GoalTo support up to 12 communities in a planningand assessment process that supports the eventualimplementation of the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model in a manner that comprehensivelyaddresses youth gang crime, especially violence,and related problems in the community.ObjectivesThe objectives of this project are to:◆ Assist the selected demonstration sites in developingan understanding of the local youthgang problem, its origins, potential causes,and contributing factors.◆ Assist the selected demonstration sites in understandinghow the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model can be applied to the youth gangproblem in the local community 4 as identifiedand assessed through the planning process.◆ Support the sites with relevant technical assistance,including technical assistance on theModel, gang incident data collection, crimeanalysis, gang problem assessment, communitymobilization, strategy development, aself-evaluation process, and other issues.◆ Provide support for local self-evaluation effortsin each of the selected communities andsupport for an implementation report or casestudy of the assessment, planning, and implementationefforts of each of the communitiesselected.Program StrategyAs previously discussed, the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model addresses the youth gangproblem through five interrelated strategies:4The community gang problem includes youth gang problems throughout the community.In contrast to OJJDP’s Enhanced School/Community Approach (see thenext program announcement beginning on p. 21), this program implements theOJJDP Model to address community youth gang problems without a special emphasisor focus on those problems in schools but does not exclude schools from theassessment process or the implementation of the Model. The communities selectedunder OJJDP’s Enhanced School/Community Approach will be responsible fordemonstrating an enhancement to the Model that will require substantial focus onand attention to gang problems within and around the community’s schools.11

(1) community mobilization; (2) social intervention,including street outreach; (3) opportunitiesprovision; (4) suppression/social control;and (5) organizational change and development.The Model is multifaceted and multilayered, involvingthe individual youth, the family, thegang structure, agencies, and the community.In order to effectively implement this Model andthe gang prevention, intervention, and suppressionstrategies and activities called for, a thoroughassessment of the gang problem must becompleted. The assessment process used byOJJDP’s Rural Gang Initiative demonstrationsites serves as a model for completing the requiredassessment. The assessment and planningprocess will be the focus of this funding period.In subsequent years, OJJDP will consider providingimplementation funds to these communitiesbased on funding availability and granteeperformance and each grantee’s need for such anintensive approach to the youth gang problem.The Assessment ProcessBased on local community experiences and asrequired by the Model, the need for a detailedproblem assessment and planning process priorto implementation is clear. OJJDP’s initial fiveComprehensive Gang Model demonstration sitesspent approximately 9 to 18 months conductingtheir assessments of the local youth gang problemand planning the implementation of theModel based on their findings. In many cases,the capacity for collecting the necessary data(e.g., gang crime incident data, youth-related indicators,and risk factors) in the necessary manner(e.g., aggregated and deaggregated) did notexist. In some cases, limited service delivery beganprior to the completion of the assessmentand planning process, causing difficulties thatneeded to be resolved during the 4-year projects.To avoid similar situations and to prepare fundedsites for program implementation and evaluation,OJJDP will make initial awards to conduct anintensive 1-year youth gang assessment andplanning process.Jurisdictions selected for award under this announcementmust have fully addressed in theirapplication, and be willing and committed to undertake,the basic assessment and planning processdescribed below.Data CollectionIf selected, as part of the planning process, jurisdictionsmust first identify and begin to collectdata on problems affecting youth in the jurisdiction.The data to be collected will span severaldomains, including individual/peer, family, community,and school. 5 Simply collecting data onyouth gang crimes or in a single domain is insufficientbecause the youth gang problem and itscauses are not limited to a single domain or dimension.The following are examples of domainsand related indicators:◆ Individual/Peer. Data on individuals/peersmay include substance abuse, crime, delinquency,and victimization data and aggregatedata regarding youth assets, problems, andexperiences, as reported by youth who havecome into contact with the juvenile justice orsocial service systems. Sources of data includeboth in-school and out-of-school youth.◆ Family. Data on family may include familyunit/composition data and information on familymembers’ employment history, involvementin the criminal justice and/or welfare systems,and transiency history.◆ Community. Data on the community may includepopulation and demographic information5Data collection within the school domain will be conducted in accordance with allapplicable provisions of law, including the Family Educational Rights and PrivacyAct (20 U.S.C. 1232g). For more information, see Sharing Information: A Guide tothe Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Participation in Juvenile JusticePrograms. The Guide is available by calling the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at800–638–8736 or by accessing it on OJJDP’s Web site at ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/general.html.12

and data on juvenile delinquency and crime,youth gang crimes and violent incidents, otherrisk factors, services available, service characteristics,agency capacities for information sharing,and other organizational level indicators.◆ School. Data on schools may include schoolattendance statistics and data on Chapter I (freeor reduced lunch program) eligible youth,dropouts, suspensions, expulsions, seizures ofweapons and drugs, gang-related incidents,disturbances, academic performance of youthin the jurisdiction, problems on school campuses,and demographics of students enrolled.In general, data collected should be the most recentavailable, should include or span multipleyears, and should be collected in a form thatpermits analysis below the community level.Geocoded data would be ideal, although it is notrequired. Although some data will presumably beavailable through routine reports and previousstudies, this will likely be insufficient. Surveyinstruments will be provided by the NationalYouth Gang Center to assist with data collectionfrom agencies, community members, youth inschools, and so forth.Certain data, such as gang and nongang crimedata, may need to be collected or cross-tabulatedin a special manner to observe certain patterns,such as offense location and time of day and offenderrace, sex, and ethnicity trends. In caseswhere this level of detail is necessary, someoriginal data collection and/or analysis may benecessary. Law-enforcement-based crime anddelinquency data, especially youth gang incidentdata, are critical for this project. Therefore, it isa requirement that the law enforcement agencywith primary jurisdiction in the area affectedmust already be collecting youth gang incidentdata in some form or have the capacity and willingnessto begin doing so in the event of anaward under this program. It is possible that,with the exception of gang incident data, otherdata may be substituted or added. The assessmentof the jurisdiction’s gang problem must bebased on data. Some of these data are alreadyavailable, and some—because of their importanceto the Model—must be collected for thegang problem assessment.Applicants should note that not all data used inthis process need be quantitative. The perceptionsand anecdotal evidence of focus groups,citizens, youth, service providers, and others canbe an important tool and can sometimes provideinformation that official records and other datacannot. Applicants should describe in their applicationswhat data may be available and include aproposal for how these data would be collectedand additional data identified and collected.Also, a discussion of data that are not availableand methods for collecting supplemental data tocompensate for any gaps in available data shouldbe provided.Data Analysis and AssessmentOnce the data collected are in the proper form(community, area, street, individual addresslevel, or otherwise geocoded), jurisdictions mustbegin to create an assessment of the gang problem.Although commercial, generic, and structuredcommunity problem assessment modelsexist, jurisdictions do not have to use any ofthese. Questions to be answered in this phase ofthe process include but are not limited to:◆ Where do youth gang members originate?◆ Who are they (demographics)?◆ What do they do? When? Where?◆ Why have youth gangs formed here?◆ What helps youth gangs operate here?◆ What keeps youth in the gangs?13

◆ To what extent is gang crime contributing tooverall crime in the community?Also, assessing agencies’ current and past responsesto gangs and gang-involved youth willbe critical to the assessment process.Once the data have been thoroughly analyzed andthese types of questions and others relevant to localconcerns have been answered, the jurisdictionwill complete the assessment by identifying keyfindings about the current nature and scope of theyouth gang problem and its potential causes. TheComprehensive Gang Model is based on thepremise that focused prevention services mustalso be in place; therefore, these findings willform the basis for the eventual comprehensivestrategy that will include prevention, intervention,and suppression services. The “buy-in” of agencyleaders and the community at all phases in thisprocess is key, so that the resulting strategies willhave broad support. This process does not requirescientific or basic research procedures. Althoughfollowing scientific or quasi-scientific procedureswould add value to, and enhance confidence in,the findings of the assessment (and should neverbe discouraged), the key is to identify and answerkey questions for purposes of short- and eventuallylong-term policy development. Applicantsshould describe a plan that includes identifyingkey individuals to be involved in this process andcritical factors to be considered.Planning and Strategy Development(Adaptation of the Model)Once the selected applicants have collected thenecessary data and conducted an assessment ofthe youth gang problem, a planning and strategydevelopment process based on the ComprehensiveGang Model can begin in earnest. It is essentialthat key agency leaders and a diversegroup of community and youth representativesbe involved at this stage and committed to theModel. It is imperative that this group (oftencalled the steering committee) be representativeof the community to be served and include thosewho represent the interests of the various communitygroups in the area.Those responsible for overseeing the processmust fully brief members of the steering committeeon what data have been collected, why theyare important, and how they are being used.Then, the group can begin to discuss the findingsof the assessment, suggest further areas of exploration,and formulate a strategy for youth gangprevention, intervention, and suppression that isresponsive to the assessment’s findings. A strategydeveloped through this process should bemultidimensional and based on the assessmentresults. The strategy must also be consistent withand build upon the Model’s required core strategiesand elements as discussed in pages 5through 10 of this document and below:◆ Overarching Elements❖ Prevention, intervention, and suppression.❖ Focused approach (target populations identifiedby the assessment).❖ Assessment of the gang problem. (This elementwould be addressed as a plan for continuedassessment because the problem willchange over time.)◆ Core Strategies and Services❖ Community mobilization.❖ Social intervention (including streetoutreach).❖ Opportunities provision (social, academic,and economic).❖ Suppression (including traditional lawenforcement, informal and formal socialcontrols, accountability, and graduatedsanctions).14

❖ Organizational change and development(including modification of agency responsesto the youth gang problem and toservice delivery).❖ Additional supports (as identified by theassessment).◆ Implementation of Core Strategies andServices❖ Highly coordinated and integrated services.One key outcome of the assessment and planningprocess is to enable community agencies and leadersto differentiate between youth gang problemsand problems of general delinquency, group delinquency,and crimes associated with adult streetgangs or criminal organizations. This differentiationis critically important to developing a relevantyouth gang prevention, intervention, and suppressionstrategy (see Howell and Decker, 1999).Use of Technical AssistanceGrantees will be able to obtain technical assistancethroughout the planning process fromOJJDP’s National Youth Gang Center. Granteesare expected to use OJJDP’s technical assistanceat key points in the planning process in an effortto create local support and commitment to theModel. Potential areas of technical assistancemay include data collection and analysis, systemdesign and development, gang definitions, collaborativeprocesses, community mobilization,and the Comprehensive Gang Model.EvaluationApplicants will be required to participate in andconduct a self-evaluation of their efforts duringthe future implementation phase. NYGC willprovide technical assistance resources to assistsites in conducting this self-evaluation. Sitesshould also acknowledge their willingness to cooperatewith evaluation staff who will conductcase studies of the sites and the implementationprocess through NYGC.Eligibility RequirementsCommunities interested in applying for awardsunder this announcement must submit an applicationfrom a local unit of government. A “local unitof government” is defined as an agency or organizationwithin a government structure with jurisdictionalresponsibilities for the areas affected bythe project. Examples include county administratoror executive offices and local sheriff’s, probation,and police departments. If the applicant has alimited scope of authority within the area affectedby the project, agencies with authority for thoseareas not covered must provide written verificationof their willingness to support the project orshould become coapplicants. The relevant agenciesand governmental bodies with jurisdiction inthe county must also provide certification of theirwillingness to participate and cooperate with theproject and the evaluation.Applicants must confirm that they have the supportof key community and agency leaders and arecommitted to working with the community andlocal agencies to complete a planning and assessmentprocess addressing the local gang problemthat is based on the OJJDP Comprehensive GangModel. In addition, and most critically, applicantsmust demonstrate through letters of commitmentfrom key community agency and governmentalleaders that if implementation funding is awardedafter the initial assessment and planning year,these leaders will be committed to bringing localresources to the table and seeking other non-Federal resources to assist in addressing the problem.These letters must indicate a commitment tothe assessment process described in this announcementand to the Model described on pages 5–10.Agencies submitting letters should also provide anindication of the type of data the agency or organizationcan provide to the assessment.15

Joint applications 6 with nongovernment agencieswill be considered when the primary applicant is alocal unit of government. Potential partners includelocal colleges or universities and communitybasedservice providers. At least one applicantmust be capable of or provide assurances withregard to accessing law-enforcement-based data,including gang incident data. No matching fundsare required under this program. Applicants mustdescribe how key agency leaders, communitymembers, and youth will be involved in theproject (e.g., as steering committee members).No actual service delivery will be funded duringthe initial 1-year project period. OJJDP will considerfuture seed funding to support the implementationof the Model in the selected communitiesat the conclusion of this project period basedon availability of funds, grantee performance, andthe applicability of the Model to the community’sidentified youth gang problem.Applicants should identify existing capabilities(or make budgetary provisions) for Internet accessas a method of obtaining technical assistanceinformation. Budgetary provisions must bemade for a local research partner 7 who can providedata collection services, data collection activitiesand/or data collectors (in addition to orunder a research partner), focus group activities,survey work, and other activities. Additional provisionsshould be considered for necessary computerequipment, a full-time project coordinator,and other aspects of the project as necessary. Additionally,applicants should anticipate havingfive to eight community representatives (steeringcommittee members and project staff) attend twocluster meetings in Washington, DC, where theywill meet with OJJDP staff, fellow grantees, andthe training and technical assistance team. The6A “joint application” is constituted by listing the executives of both applicantagencies and having them sign the SF–424 and other required forms. Additionally,provisions for jointly managing the project and the funding must be described under“Management and Organizational Capability.” The primary applicant is the firstapplicant listed and must be a local unit of government.location of these meetings may be changed at alater date. However, all communities applyingshould budget for this travel. Equipment costsunder this program are limited to 10 percent ofthe total Federal budget request.Finally, communities applying under this programshould propose a broad geographic targetarea as opposed to a specific neighborhood orcommunity. The specific target communities andpopulations will be identified by the communitiesduring the assessment process. For example,as opposed to identifying the ABC community orneighborhood as the target for services, applicantsshould initially focus on the entire countyor city or, in cases of very large cities, shouldidentify sectors or quadrants of the city or county(north, south, east, west) that will be the focus ofthe problem assessment. Statewide and regional(multicounty) applications will not be acceptedunder this program.Selection CriteriaApplicants will be selected according to the criteriaoutlined below, with appropriate considerationto geographic diversity. Urban and suburbancommunities currently designated as U.S.Department of Labor Youth Opportunity grantsites, Youth Offender grant sites, and currentlyfunded Weed and Seed sites are encouraged toapply. Sites may apply for only one of the programsunder this FY 2000 Gang-Free Schoolsand Communities Initiative.Problem(s) To Be Addressed (30 points)Applicants must provide a detailed statement ofthe existing youth gang problems and describehow the problems are currently being tracked andaddressed. Applicants must provide assurancesand documentation that they are in fact experiencinga significant local youth gang problem.7See “The Research Partner” description on page 19.16

Goals and Objectives (15 points)Applicants must define goals and objectives forthe planning process. Objectives should be specificand measurable where possible. It is suggestedthat applicants provide goals and objectivesfor conducting the planning process,adopting the Comprehensive Gang Model, accessingtraining and technical assistance, andconducting a self-evaluation of the future programimplementation.Project Design (20 points)Applicants must present a well-detailed proposed“plan for planning” that calls for and ensuresbroad community involvement. Applicantsshould address the requirements and tasks listedabove, along with any other significant issuesrelated to the planning and assessment processdesign. Applicants should also provide initialthoughts on the applicability of the ComprehensiveGang Model to the jurisdiction’s youth gangproblem.Management and Organizational Capability(25 points)Applicants’ project management structure andstaffing must be adequate and appropriate for thesuccessful completion of the project. Applicantsmust present a management plan that identifiesresponsible individuals, their time commitment,major tasks, and milestones. Applicants mustdocument evidence of the organization’s abilityto conduct the project successfully, includingstaff experience in working with gang issues,such as experience in law enforcement, probation,schools, and gang outreach. Applicantsshould note that the project coordinator positionis a key position within the Model. The projectcoordinator is responsible for arranging keyleader meetings; overseeing all data collection,assessment, and planning activities; and workingdirectly with the national technical assistanceprovider, evaluator, and OJJDP. Applicantsshould clearly indicate that they will be the primaryagency or organization designated to leadthe planning effort and that they have the supportof the community and other public and privateagencies, thereby satisfying the collaborative requirementsof this Model. Staff résumés shouldbe attached (including those of the researchpartner(s)), as should letters of support and commitmentfrom other agencies and job descriptionsfor any proposed positions.Budget (10 points)Applicants must provide a budget that is complete,detailed, reasonable, allowable, and costeffective in relation to the project’s activities.Applicants must demonstrate that sufficient localresources have been leveraged in order to implementthis Model effectively during the assessmentperiod and during implementation of theprogram. Equipment costs under this programare limited to 10 percent of the total Federalbudget request. Applicants must use the budgetforms included in the OJJDP Application Kit,which can be obtained by calling the JuvenileJustice Clearinghouse at 800–638–8736 or sendingan e-mail request to puborder@ncjrs.org.The Application Kit is also available online atwww.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit orthrough fax-on-demand. (For fax-on-demand,call 800–638–8736, select option 1, then selectoption 2, and enter the following 4-digit numbers:9119, 9120, 9121, and 9122. Applicationkits will be faxed in four sections because of thenumber of pages.)FormatThe narrative must not exceed 25 pages in length(excluding forms, assurances, and appendixes)and must be submitted on 8 1 /2- by 11-inch paper,double spaced on one side of the paper in a standard12-point font. This is necessary to maintain17

fair and uniform standards among all applicants.If the narrative does not conform to any one ofthese standards, OJJDP will deem the applicationineligible for consideration.Award PeriodOJJDP will award up to 12 planning and assessmentgrants for a 1-year budget and project period.Award AmountUp to 12 communities may receive a maximumof $150,000 each under this program. A total ofup to $1.8 million is available for this program.Confidentiality and Human SubjectsU.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations requirethat projects involving research or statisticsmust maintain the confidentiality of informationidentifiable to a private person and that humanresearch subjects must be protected from unreasonablerisks and properly informed of the potentialharms and benefits from their participationin research. Applicants must comply withthe confidentiality requirements of 42 U.S.C.§ 3789g and 28 CFR Part 22 by submitting aPrivacy Certificate in accordance with 28 CFR§ 22.23 as part of the application package. (Seeappendix B, “Privacy Certificate Guidelines andStatement,” in the OJJDP Application Kit.)If the project involves research using human subjects,the applicant must comply with U.S. Departmentof Justice regulations at 28 CFR Part 46. Thispart generally requires that such projects be reviewedby an Institutional Review Board (IRB).IRB review is not required prior to submission ofthe application. However, if an award is made andthe project involves research using human subjects,OJJDP will place a special condition on the awardrequiring that the project be approved by an appropriateIRB before Federal funds can be expendedon human subjects activities. Applicants shouldinclude plans for IRB review, where applicable, inthe project timeline submitted with the proposal.Catalog of Federal DomesticAssistance (CFDA) NumberFor this program, the CFDA number, which isrequired on Standard Form 424, Application forFederal Assistance, is 16.544. This form is includedin the OJJDP Application Kit, which canbe obtained by calling the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouseat 800–638–8736 or sending an e-mailrequest to askncjrs@ncjrs.org. The ApplicationKit is also available online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit or through fax-on-demand.(For fax-on-demand, call 800–638–8736, selectoption 1, then select option 2, and enter the following4-digit numbers: 9119, 9120, 9121, and9122. Application kits will be faxed in four sectionsbecause of the number of pages.)Coordination of Federal EffortsTo encourage better coordination among Federalagencies in addressing State and local needs, theU.S. Department of Justice is requiring applicantsto provide information on the following:(1) active Federal grant award(s) supporting thisor related efforts, including awards from DOJ;(2) any pending application(s) for Federal fundsfor this or related efforts; and (3) plans for coordinatingany funds described in items (1) or (2)with the funding sought by this application. Foreach Federal award, applicants must includethe program or project title, the Federal grantoragency, the amount of the award, and a briefdescription of its purpose.The term “related efforts” is defined for thesepurposes as one of the following:◆ Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposedaward would supplement, expand,complement, or continue activities fundedwith other Federal grants).18

◆ Another phase or component of the same programor project (e.g., to implement a planningeffort funded by other Federal funds or to providea substance abuse treatment or educationcomponent within a criminal justice project).◆ Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance,research, or evaluation) to the programor project described in the application.Delivery InstructionsAll application packages should include theoriginal application and five copies and shouldbe mailed or delivered to the Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o JuvenileJustice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard,Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, MD 20850; 301–519–5535. Faxed or e-mailed applications willnot be accepted. Note: In the lower left-handcorner of the envelope, you must clearly write“Gang-Free Communities Program.”Due DateApplicants are responsible for ensuring thatthe original and five copies of the applicationpackage are received by 5 p.m. ET on Friday,September 1, 2000.ContactFor further information, contact Jim Burch, GangPrograms Coordinator, at 202–307–5914, or sendan e-mail inquiry to burchj@ojp.usdoj.gov.ReferencesSee “References and Suggested Readings” on p. 41.The Research PartnerThe primary role of the research partner is tosupport overall program development based onthe OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model and assistwith program design and modification. Theresearch partner is responsible for assisting thelocal site in problem assessment and program development,design, and modification. This entailsassisting the site with ongoing gang problem assessment,interpreting and applying the Modeland its supporting theory, and assisting the sitewith tracking and documenting program activitiesand monitoring the success of the program interms of its goals and objectives. The researchpartner role is also designed to assist the site inbuilding capacity to develop and implement futuredata-driven juvenile justice programs andstrategies. The research partner is also responsiblefor working collaboratively with the evaluationstaff where and when appropriate. Theresearch partner should have the necessaryknowledge, skills, abilities, and background toaccomplish the tasks described below and to assistwith large data collection efforts in the targetedcommunity. In the first year of the project,the research partner will play a key role in assistinglocal agencies in conducting a youth gangproblem assessment.Suggested Roles and Responsibilities:◆ Initial and continued problem assessment,which includes assistance with:❖ Collecting law enforcement incident/arrestand contact data.❖ Conducting community survey(s).❖ Conducting school/student survey(s).❖ Collecting other data.◆ MIS/case management assistance, including:❖ Tracking youth/families served.❖ Tracking overall program performance.19

◆ Program development assistance, including:❖ Helping to translate and relate theory tomodel to action.❖ Monitoring emerging research.◆ Program documentation assistance, including:❖ Addressing needs for programsustainability.◆ Assistance with building local capacity forfuture data-driven efforts.Time commitment: Estimated at 0.5 to 0.75 fulltimeequivalent (FTE).❖ Monitoring/documenting performance.❖ Monitoring/documenting successes/challenges.20

Comprehensive Gang Model:An Enhanced School/Community Approachto Reducing Youth Gang CrimePurposeTo assist up to four communities in respondingto school and community youth gang problemsthrough a data-driven approach that includes prevention,intervention, and suppression. Throughthis 1-year planning, assessment, and strategydevelopment project, the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model will be used as the approach todealing with local youth gang problems in communitiesand schools. A key outcome of this programis the development of an enhanced modelapproach or approaches to comprehensively addressyouth gang problems that exist in the communityand the community’s schools.BackgroundThis program implements Title II, Part D, Section282 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention(JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended. Thisprogram is jointly funded by OJJDP and the Centerfor Mental Health Services of the U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services (HHS). TheU.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the U.S.Department of Education’s Safe and Drug-FreeSchools Program are also collaborating withOJJDP in this program. ATF’s ComprehensiveGang Resistance, Education, and Training(G.R.E.A.T.) Program is consistent with theOJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model and the enhancementsanticipated through this demonstrationeffort. These Federal partners recognize thethreat that youth gangs pose to communities andto the schools and youth in those communities.They also are aware of the significant need forcomprehensive mental health and other servicesfor youth involved in gang activity and those atrisk of gang involvement. The ATF ComprehensiveG.R.E.A.T. Program mirrors the intended emphasisof this program—addressing youth gangproblems in schools and communities through anintegrated and comprehensive approach.In November 1999, OJJDP convened a 21-memberadvisory group in order to provide insight into thedevelopment of this program and its potential foraddressing youth gang violence in schools andcommunities. The group was made up of practitioners,policymakers, experts in school and communityyouth gang violence, a school psychologist,educators, school safety and security experts,and youth gang researchers. Valuable and insightfulfeedback was received during the 1-day meeting.Specifically, it was determined that theOJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model’s schoolcomponent could be enhanced in light of the advancementsin school security and violence preventionand the changes in school policy since theschool component of the Model was originally articulatedin 1991. It is OJJDP’s intention that thecommunities supported under this program willimplement the Model and be involved in developingand enhancing the Model’s current schoolcomponent. During the initial year, each selectedcommunity will receive training on the componentas originally designed and consider enhancementsand updates to it as necessary. The communitiesselected will be expected to demonstrate theenhanced school component in a way that buildson important local activities already in place, such21

as school security measures and other schoolbasedgang prevention, intervention, and suppressionefforts. It is expected that these types ofactivities will be consistent with the Model andwill enhance its implementation. The end resultwill be the implementation of gang prevention,intervention, and suppression activities, programs,and strategies in both schools and communitiesthat are closely integrated to deal withyouth gang problems that exist in the communityand in the school. Communities involved in thejoint Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiativeand in ATF’s Comprehensive G.R.E.A.T.Program are expected to have many of the necessaryelements in place and are encouraged to apply.The expected end result is the implementationand testing of the Model with an enhancedschool component or focus that will result in amore comprehensive and integrated approach.The advisory group also recommended thatOJJDP do the following:◆ Consider a community’s potential for or demonstrateduse of research-based “indicators ofschool program success” in the selection ofcommunities under this program (seeGottfredson and Gottfredson, 1999).◆ Require communities to demonstrate somelevel of success in community collaborationinvolving multiple partnerships that includeschools.◆ Require that communities, schools, andschool administrators acknowledge or beopen to acknowledging youth gang presenceand, potentially, youth gang problems.◆ Consider selecting sites that can provide assurancesthat the staff selected under the initiativeare successful in what they do, are well qualified,and have ties to the community or communitieschosen or most likely to be served.Although the advisory group provided very valuablefeedback and guidance to OJJDP in developingthis initiative, OJJDP also intends to relyconsiderably on the preliminary findings of theOJJDP- and NIJ-supported research efforts ofDr. Gary Gottfredson of Gottfredson Associates.Dr. Gottfredson’s work focuses on school responsesto youth gang problems, the frequencyof such responses, their quality, and their characteristics.OJJDP will closely monitor the findingsof this research effort and will attempt to incorporatelessons learned from it.OJJDP expects to provide support for the developmentof the enhancements to the Model’sschool component and its prescribed activitiesthrough implementation funding following theinitial year of planning and assessment. Additionally,OJJDP will provide evaluation andtraining and technical assistance components forthis program.For more background information on the OJJDPComprehensive Gang Model, see pages 5 through10 of this publication.GoalTo support up to four communities in a planningand assessment process for applying and eventuallyimplementing the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model, with specific enhancements to theschool component. The process will comprehensivelyaddress gang crime and related problemsin the community, with a special emphasis onthese problems in the community’s schools.ObjectivesThe objectives of this project are to:◆ Assist the selected demonstration sites in developinga thorough understanding of the localgang problem, its origins, local potentialcauses, and local contributing factors.22

◆ Assist the selected demonstration sites in understandinghow the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model can be applied to the local communityand school gang problem as identifiedand assessed through the planning process.◆ Support the sites with relevant technical assistance,including technical assistance on theModel, gang incident data collection, crimeanalysis, gang problem assessment, communitymobilization, strategy development,school safety, and other issues.◆ Support an independent outcome evaluation ofthe demonstration effort in order to learn aboutthe effectiveness of the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model and an enhanced school componentin reducing gang crime and violence.Program StrategyAs previously discussed on pp. 5–10, the OJJDPComprehensive Gang Model addresses the youthgang problem through five interrelated strategies:(1) community mobilization; (2) social intervention,including street outreach; (3) opportunitiesprovision; (4) suppression/social control; and(5) organizational change and development. TheModel is multifaceted and multilayered, involvingthe individual youth, the family, the gangstructure, agencies, and the community.Special Focus on SchoolsWithin the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model,the involvement and support of 12 different typesof agencies and organizations are contemplated tovarying degrees depending on the nature, scope,and local characteristics of the problem. Underthis program, OJJDP is interested in developing,demonstrating, and testing an enhanced approachthat requires a special focus on schools in the targetedcommunity. This emphasis requires thatcommunities link community-based gang prevention,intervention, and suppression efforts withthose implemented in the school setting and thatspecial or enhanced programming be plannedand implemented within the school setting. Theschool-based programming will be integrated withcommunity-based programming efforts and willfocus on the needs of in- and out-of-school youthat high risk of gang involvement and those who arealready gang involved. Consistent with the Modeland as emphasized within this program, theseneeds will include academic, vocational, social(especially including mental health), and others.In addition to those activities and strategies contemplatedor required by the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model, schools may be able to plan for,implement, and/or create linkages to other promisingprograms related to youth gangs and the challengesthey bring to the school setting. Examplesof this type of programming include antibullyingprograms, truancy reduction efforts, alternativedisciplinary approaches, conflict resolution/mediation, antigang/violence curriculums,mentoring, and other promising efforts. It is expectedthat schools and school systems taking proactivemeasures toward school security wouldalso integrate these efforts into the overall schoolsecurity plan. These efforts, in conjunction withbroader educational reforms including smallerschools, class size reductions, better preparedteachers, school-to-work transitions, and overallefforts to raise academic standards and restorehope in schools, will result in safer schools withfewer gang problems.This program differs from OJJDP’s ComprehensiveGang Initiative and the five demonstrationprojects implemented in 1995 in that it draws onlessons learned in the 5-year effort. It also placesa special, increased emphasis on youth gangs andgang activities in school settings. It incorporatesthe relevant strategies and activities identified inthe Model as well as other promising school-basedgang/violence prevention efforts and school safetyefforts, such as those being used in Safe Schools/Healthy Students sites. The selected sites will playa significant role in assessing the Model’s school23

component as originally proposed and identifyingand demonstrating the aspects of an enhancedschool component.The school component of the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model, as originally developed,included the following objectives:◆ Creation of a structure for supporting a flexiblecurriculum and ensuring a safe schoolenvironment.◆ Application of consistent sanctions andmeans to protect the school population andthe surrounding community from gangdepredations.◆ Development of a support system for learningand for providing academic, vocational, andsocial opportunities.◆ Implementation of appropriate training, staffselection, information systems, and programevaluation.◆ Early intervention to prevent and deter ganginvolvement.◆ Provision of vocational education, job preparation,and employment experiences.◆ Active parental involvement in academics andgang violence prevention efforts.◆ Coordination, liaison, and outreach to communityagencies and programs.It is the intent of this program to fully achievethese objectives and others within the frameworkof the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model, with aspecial focus on school gang problems. Emphasiswill also be placed on providing necessary mentalhealth services to gang-involved youth, their families,and their peers.In order to effectively implement this Model andthe gang prevention, intervention, and suppressionstrategies and activities called for, a thoroughassessment of the gang problem must becompleted. The assessment process used inOJJDP’s Rural Gang Initiative (RGI) serves as aframework for completing the required assessment.The assessment and planning process willbe the focus of the grant during this fundingcycle. In subsequent years, OJJDP will considerproviding implementation funds to these communitiesbased on funding availability, granteeperformance, and the grantees’ need for theModel’s intensive approach.The Assessment ProcessOJJDP’s experience with the original gang demonstrationsites (in Mesa and Tucson, AZ; Riverside,CA; Bloomington, IL; and San Antonio, TX),the RGI sites, and other communities makes clearthe need for a detailed problem assessment andplanning process prior to implementing the ComprehensiveGang Model. OJJDP and the fiveComprehensive Gang Model demonstration sitesspent approximately 9 to 18 months conductingan assessment of the local youth gang problemand planning the implementation of the Modelbased on their findings. In many cases, the capacityfor collecting the necessary data (e.g., gangcrime incident data, youth-related indicators, andrisk factors) in the necessary manner (e.g., aggregatedand deaggregated to subjurisdictional levels)did not exist. In some cases, limited service deliverybegan prior to the completion of the assessmentand planning process, causing some considerabledifficulties that needed to be resolvedduring the second year of the 3-year projects. Toavoid similar situations and to prepare fundedsites for program implementation and evaluation,OJJDP will make initial awards to conduct an intensive1-year youth gang assessment and planningprocess.Jurisdictions selected for award under this announcementmust have fully addressed in theirapplication, and be willing and committed to24

undertake, the basic assessment and planningprocesses described below.Data CollectionIf selected, as part of the planning process, jurisdictionsmust first identify and begin to collect dataon problems affecting youth in the jurisdiction.The data should span several domains, includingindividual/peer, family, community, and school. 8Simply collecting data on youth gang crimes or ina single domain is insufficient because the youthgang problem and its causes are not limited to asingle domain or dimension. The following are examplesof domain levels and related indicators:◆ Individual/Peer. Data on individuals/peersmay include substance abuse, crime, delinquency,and victimization data and aggregatedata regarding youth assets, problems, andexperiences, as reported by youth who havecome into contact with the juvenile justice orsocial service systems. Sources of data includeboth in-school and out-of-school youth.◆ Family. Data on family may include familyunit/composition data and information onfamily members’ employment history, involvementin the criminal justice and/orwelfare systems, and transiency history.◆ Community. Data on the community may includepopulation and demographic informationand data on juvenile delinquency and crime,youth gang crimes and violent incidents, otherrisk factors, services available, service characteristics,agency capacities for information sharing,and other organizational level indicators.8Data collection within the school domain will be conducted in accordance with allapplicable provisions of law, including the Family Educational Rights and PrivacyAct (20 U.S.C. 1232g). For more information, see Sharing Information: A Guide tothe Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Participation in Juvenile JusticePrograms. The Guide is available by calling the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at800–638–8736 or by accessing it on OJJDP’s Web site at ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/general.html.◆ School. Data on schools may include schoolattendance statistics and data on Chapter I(free or reduced lunch program) eligibleyouth, dropouts, suspensions, expulsions, seizuresof weapons and drugs, gang-related incidents,disturbances, academic performanceof youth in the jurisdiction, problems onschool campuses, and demographics of studentsenrolled.In general, data collected should be the most recentavailable, should include or span multipleyears, and should be collected in a form thatpermits analysis below the community level.Geocoded data would be ideal, although it is notrequired. Although some data will presumably beavailable through routine reports and previousstudies, such data will likely be insufficient. Surveyinstruments will be provided by the NationalYouth Gang Center (NYGC) to assist with datacollection from agencies, community members,youth in schools, and so forth.Certain data, such as gang and nongang crimedata, may need to be collected or cross-tabulatedin a special manner to observe certain patterns,such as offense location and time of day and offenderrace, sex, and ethnicity trends. In caseswhere this level of detail is necessary, some originaldata collection and/or analysis may be necessary.Law-enforcement-based crime and delinquencydata, especially youth gang incident data,are critical to this project. Therefore, it is a requirementthat the law enforcement agency withprimary jurisdiction in the area affected must alreadybe collecting youth gang incident data insome form or have the capacity and willingness tobegin doing so in the event of an award under thisprogram. It is possible that, with the exception ofgang incident data, other data may be substitutedfor or added to this listing of data. The assessmentof the jurisdiction’s gang problem must be basedon data. Some of these data are already available,and some—because of their importance to theModel—must be collected for the gang problemassessment.25

Applicants should note that not all of the dataused in this process need to be quantitative. Theperceptions and anecdotal evidence of focusgroups, citizens, youth, service providers, andothers can be an important tool and can sometimesprovide information that official recordsand other data cannot. Applicants should describein their applications what data may beavailable and include a proposal for how thesedata would be collected and additional data identifiedand collected. Also, a discussion of datathat are not available and methods for collectingsupplemental data to compensate for any gaps inavailable data should be provided.Data Analysis and AssessmentOnce the data collected are in the proper form(community, area, street, individual addresslevel, or otherwise geocoded), jurisdictions mustbegin to create an assessment of the gang problem.Although commercial, generic, and structuredcommunity problem assessment modelsexist, jurisdictions do not have to use any ofthese. Questions to be answered in this phaseof the process include but are not limited to:◆ Where do youth gang members originate?◆ Who are they (demographics)?◆ What do they do? When? Where?◆ Why have youth gangs formed here?◆ What helps youth gangs operate here?◆ What keeps youth in the gangs?◆ To what extent does youth gang crime contributeto overall crime in the community?Also, assessing agencies’ current and past responsesto gangs and gang-involved youth willbe critical to the assessment process.Once the data have been thoroughly analyzedand these types of questions and others relevantto local concerns have been answered, the jurisdictionwill complete the assessment by identifyingkey findings about the current nature andscope of the youth gang problem and its potentialcauses. The Comprehensive Gang Model isbased on the premise that focused prevention servicesmust also be in place; therefore, these findingswill form the basis for the eventual comprehensivestrategy that will include prevention,intervention, and suppression services. The “buyin”of agency leaders and the community at allphases in this process is key, so that the resultingstrategies will have broad support. This processdoes not require basic or scientific research procedures.While following scientific or quasiscientificprocedures would add value to, andenhance confidence in, the findings of the assessment(and should never be discouraged), the essentialtask is to identify and answer key questionsfor purposes of short-term and eventuallylong-term policy development. Applicants shoulddescribe a plan that includes identifying key individualsto be involved in this process and criticalfactors to be considered.Planning and Strategy Development(Adaptation of the Model)Once the selected applicants have collected thenecessary data and conducted an assessment ofthe youth gang problem, a planning and strategydevelopment process based on the ComprehensiveGang Model can begin in earnest. It is essentialthat key agency leaders and a diversegroup of community and youth representativesbe involved at this stage and committed to theModel. It is imperative that this group (the steeringcommittee) be representative of the communityto be served and include those who representthe interests of the various communitygroups living in the area. For this program, it isespecially important that schools be well representedon the steering committee.26

Those responsible for overseeing the process mustfully brief members of the steering committee onwhat data have been collected, why they are important,and how they are being used. Then thecommittee can begin to discuss the findings of theassessment, suggest further areas of exploration,and formulate a strategy for youth gang prevention,intervention, and suppression that is responsiveto the assessment’s findings. A strategydeveloped through this process should be multidimensionaland based on the assessment results.The strategy must also be consistent with andbuild upon the Model’s required core strategiesand elements as discussed in pages 5 through 10of this document and below:◆ Overarching Elements❖ Prevention, intervention, and suppression.❖ Focused approach (target populations identifiedby the assessment).❖ Assessment of the gang problem. (This elementwould be addressed as a plan for continuedassessment because the problem willchange over time.)◆ Core Strategies and Services❖ Community mobilization.❖ Social intervention (including streetoutreach).❖ Opportunities provision (social, academic,and economic).❖ Suppression (including traditional lawenforcement, informal and formal socialcontrols, accountability, and graduatedsanctions).❖ Organizational change and development(including modification of agency responsesto the youth gang problem and toservice delivery).❖ Additional supports (as identified by theassessment).◆ Implementation of Core Strategies andServices❖ Highly coordinated and integrated services.One key outcome of the assessment and planningprocess is to enable community agencies and leadersto differentiate between youth gang problemsand problems of general delinquency, group delinquency,and crimes associated with adult streetgangs or criminal organizations. This differentiationis critically important to developing a relevantyouth gang prevention, intervention, and suppressionstrategy (see Howell and Decker, 1999).Use of Technical AssistanceGrantees will be able to obtain technical assistancethroughout the planning process fromOJJDP’s National Youth Gang Center. Granteesare expected to use OJJDP’s technical assistanceat key points in the planning process in aneffort to create support for and commitment tothe Model. Potential areas of technical assistancemay include data collection and analysis,system design and development, gang definitions,collaborative processes, community mobilization,and the Comprehensive Gang Model.NYGC is expected to work closely with organizationssuch as OJJDP’s National School SafetyResource Center (NSSRC) and others that focuson school safety and mental health issues.Participation in National EvaluationApplicants must certify their commitment to participatingin the national evaluation of the EnhancedSchool/Community Approach. As part ofthis certification, applicants should recognize thatthe national evaluator will require access to planningmeetings and minutes and direct access tokey policymakers in their jurisdiction. Applicants27

must also certify their willingness, if selected, toshare assessment data and findings with the nationalevaluator, including data from a variety ofother system components.Policymakers writing in support of applicationsshould indicate their willingness to facilitateproper access to necessary data and data sources.Eligibility RequirementsCommunities interested in applying for awards underthis announcement must submit a joint application9 from a local unit of government and a localschool district or districts. Joint applications areinvited from local units of government and localschool districts in urban and suburban areas. A “localunit of government” is defined as an agency ororganization within a government structure withjurisdictional responsibilities for the areas affectedby the project. Examples include county administratoror executive offices and local sheriff’s, probation,and police departments. If the applicant has alimited scope of authority within the area affectedby the project, agencies with authority for those areasnot covered either must provide a written verificationof their willingness to support the project ormust become coapplicants. The relevant agenciesand governmental bodies with jurisdiction in thecounty must provide certification of their willingnessto participate and cooperate with the projectand the evaluation. Joint applications are required.School districts applying must include letters ofcommitment from the school board and letters fromthe school principals in the proposed target area ordistrictwide (one letter signed by each principal andone letter signed by the board or its chairperson/designee will be sufficient). These letters must indicatea commitment to this approach and to addressingyouth gang problems.Applicants must confirm that they have the supportof key community and agency leaders andare committed to working with the communityand local agencies to address the local gang problemby completing a planning and assessmentprocess that is based on the OJJDP ComprehensiveGang Model. Potential partners include localcolleges or universities, justice system agencies,and community-based service providers. The selectionand use of a local research partner will berequired. 10 At least one applicant must be capableof or provide assurances with regard to accessinglaw-enforcement-based data, including gang incidentdata. Applicants must describe how keyagency leaders, community members, and youthwill be involved in the project (e.g., as steeringcommittee members) and must include letters ofcommitment for this project and for potential futureimplementation of the Model from key publicand private agencies.No actual service delivery will be funded duringthis initial 1-year project period. OJJDP willconsider future implementation funding for theseprojects at the conclusion of this project periodbased on availability of funds and grantee performance.No matching funds are required underthis program.Applicants should identify existing capabilities(or make budgetary provisions) for Internet accessas a method of obtaining technical assistanceinformation. Budgetary provisions shouldalso be considered for a research partner, datacollection or collectors, focus group activities,survey work, computer equipment, a full-timeproject coordinator, and other aspects of theproject. Additionally, applicants should anticipatehaving five to eight community leaders/steering committee members and project staffattend two cluster meetings in Washington, DC,where they will meet with OJJDP staff, fellowgrantees, the training and technical assistance9A “joint application” is constituted by listing the executives of both applicantagencies and having them both sign the SF–424 and other required forms. Additionally,provisions for jointly managing the project and the funding must be describedunder “Management and Organizational Capability.” The primary applicant is thefirst applicant listed and must be a local unit of government.10See “The Research Partner” description on p. 31.28

team, and the national evaluator. The location ofthese meetings may be changed at a later date.Equipment costs under this program are limitedto 10 percent of the total Federal budget request.Finally, communities applying under this programshould propose a broad geographic targetarea as opposed to a specific neighborhood orcommunity. The specific target communities andpopulations will be identified by the communitiesduring the assessment process. However, becausea key emphasis of this program is to demonstratea community/school approach to dealingwith gang problems, the communities applyingmust indicate (under “Problem(s) To Be Addressed”)and describe in as much detail aspossible existing school and community gangproblem(s). The communities selected will beexperiencing some degree of youth gang problemsin their communities and schools. Statewideor regional (multicounty) applications willnot be accepted under this program.Selection CriteriaApplicants will be selected according to the criteriaoutlined below, giving appropriate considerationto geographic diversity. Communitiescurrently designated as Safe Schools/HealthyStudents demonstration sites and ATF ComprehensiveG.R.E.A.T. Program demonstration sitesare encouraged to apply. Sites may apply foronly one of the programs under this FY 2000Gang-Free Schools and Communities Initiative.Problem(s) To Be Addressed (30 points)Applicants must provide a detailed statement ofthe existing youth gang problems in the communityand its schools and describe how the problemsare currently being tracked and addressedin the community and specifically within theschool(s). Applicants must provide assurancesand documentation that they are in fact experiencinga significant local youth gang problemand describe how this problem is affecting thelocal school(s).Goals and Objectives (15 points)Applicants must define goals and objectives forthe planning process. Objectives should be specificand measurable where possible. It is suggestedthat applicants provide goals and objectivesfor conducting the planning process,adopting the Comprehensive Gang Model, accessingtraining and technical assistance, andparticipating in the national evaluation.Project Design (20 points)Applicants must present a well-detailed proposed“plan for planning.” Applicants should addressthe data collection and analysis requirements andtasks listed on pages 25–26, along with any othersignificant issues related to the planning and assessmentprocess design. Applicants should alsoprovide initial thoughts on the applicability ofthe Comprehensive Gang Model and its schoolcomponent to the community’s youth gang problem.Each of the school component’s objectives(listed on p. 24) should be addressed.Management and Organizational Capability(25 points)Applicants’ project management structure andstaffing must be adequate and appropriate for thesuccessful completion of the project. Applicantsmust present a management plan that identifiesresponsible individuals, their time commitment,major tasks, and milestones. Applicants mustdocument evidence of the organization’s abilityto conduct the project successfully, includingstaff experience in working with gang issues,such as experience in law enforcement, probation,schools, and gang outreach. Applicantsshould note that the project coordinator is a keyposition. The project coordinator is responsiblefor arranging key leader meetings; overseeing all29

data collection, assessment, and planning activities;and working directly with the national technicalassistance provider, evaluator, and OJJDP. Applicantsshould clearly indicate that they will bethe primary agency or organization designated tolead the planning effort and that they have thesupport of the community and other public andprivate agencies, thereby satisfying the collaborativerequirements of the Model. Staff résumés andletters of support and commitment from othercommunity agencies and groups must be attached.Budget (10 points)Applicants must provide a budget that is complete,detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost effective inrelation to the project’s activities. Equipment costsunder this program are limited to 10 percent of thetotal Federal budget request. Applicants must usethe budget forms provided in the OJJDP ApplicationKit, which can be obtained by calling the JuvenileJustice Clearinghouse at 800–638–8736 orsending an e-mail request to puborder@ncjrs.org.The Application Kit is also available online atwww.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit orthrough fax-on-demand. (For fax-on-demand,call 800–638–8736, select option 1, then selectoption 2, and enter the following 4-digit numbers:9119, 9120, 9121, and 9122. Applicationkits will be faxed in four sections because of thenumber of pages.)FormatThe narrative must not exceed 25 pages in length(excluding forms, assurances, and appendixes)and must be submitted on 8 1 /2- by 11-inch paper,double spaced on one side of the paper in a standard12-point font. This is necessary to maintainfair and uniform standards among all applicants.If the narrative does not conform to these standards,OJJDP will deem the application ineligiblefor consideration.Award PeriodOJJDP will award up to four planning and assessmentcooperative agreements for a 1-yearbudget and project period.Award AmountUp to four communities may receive a maximumof $150,000 each under this program. A total ofup to $600,000 is available for this program.Confidentiality and Human SubjectsU.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations requirethat projects involving research or statisticsmust maintain the confidentiality of informationidentifiable to a private person and that humanresearch subjects must be protected from unreasonablerisks and properly informed of the potentialharms and benefits from their participationin research. Applicants must comply withthe confidentiality requirements of 42 U.S.C.§ 3789g and 28 CFR Part 22 by submitting aPrivacy Certificate in accordance with 28 CFR§ 22.23 as part of the application package. (Seeappendix B, “Privacy Certificate Guidelines andStatement,” in the OJJDP Application Kit.)If the project involves research using human subjects,the applicant must comply with U.S. Departmentof Justice regulations at 28 CFR Part46. This part generally requires that such projectsbe reviewed by an Institutional Review Board(IRB). IRB review is not required prior to submissionof the application. However, if an awardis made and the project involves research usinghuman subjects, OJJDP will place a special conditionon the award requiring that the project beapproved by an appropriate IRB before Federalfunds can be expended on human subjects activities.Applicants should include plans for IRB review,where applicable, in the project timelinesubmitted with the proposal.30

Catalog of Federal DomesticAssistance (CFDA) NumberFor this program, the CFDA number, which isrequired on Standard Form 424, Application forFederal Assistance, is 16.544. This form is includedin the OJJDP Application Kit, which canbe obtained by calling the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouseat 800–638–8736 or sending an e-mailrequest to puborder@ncjrs.org. The ApplicationKit is also available online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit or through fax-on-demand.(For fax-on-demand, call 800–638–8736, selectoption 1, then select option 2, and enter the following4-digit numbers: 9119, 9120, 9121, and9122. Application kits will be faxed in four sectionsbecause of the number of pages.)Coordination of Federal EffortsTo encourage better coordination among Federalagencies in addressing State and local needs, theU.S. Department of Justice is requiring applicantsto provide information on the following: (1) activeFederal grant award(s) supporting this or relatedefforts, including awards from DOJ; (2) any pendingapplication(s) for Federal funds for this or relatedefforts; and (3) plans for coordinating anyfunds described in items (1) or (2) with the fundingsought by this application. For each Federal award,applicants must include the program or projecttitle, the Federal grantor agency, the amount of theaward, and a brief description of its purpose.The term “related efforts” is defined for thesepurposes as one of the following:◆ Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposedaward would supplement, expand,complement, or continue activities fundedwith other Federal grants).◆ Another phase or component of the same programor project (e.g., to implement a planningeffort funded by other Federal funds or toprovide a substance abuse treatment or educationcomponent within a criminal justiceproject).◆ Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance,research, or evaluation) to the programor project described in the application.Delivery InstructionsAll application packages should include theoriginal application and five copies and shouldbe mailed or delivered to the Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o JuvenileJustice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard,Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, MD 20850; 301–519–5535. Faxed or e-mailed applications willnot be accepted. Note: In the lower left-handcorner of the envelope, you must clearly write“Comprehensive Gang Model: An EnhancedSchool/Community Approach to Reducing YouthGang Crime.”Due DateApplicants are responsible for ensuring that theoriginal and five copies of the application packageare received by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, September15, 2000.ContactFor further information, contact Jim Burch, GangPrograms Coordinator, at 202–307–5914, or sendan e-mail inquiry to burchj@ojp.usdoj.gov.ReferencesSee “References and Suggested Readings” on p. 41.The Research PartnerThe primary role of the research partner is to supportoverall program development based on the31

OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model and assistwith program design and modification. The researchpartner is responsible for assisting the localsite in problem assessment and program development,design, and modification. This entails assistingthe site with ongoing gang problem assessment,interpreting and applying the Model and itssupporting theory, and assisting the site withtracking and documenting program activities andmonitoring the success of the program in terms ofits goals and objectives. The research partner roleis also designed to assist the site in building capacityto develop and implement future datadrivenjuvenile justice programs and strategies.The research partner is also responsible for workingcollaboratively with the evaluation staff whereand when appropriate. The research partnershould have the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities,and background to accomplish the tasks describedbelow and to assist with large data collectionefforts in the targeted community. In the firstyear of the project, the research partner will play akey role in assisting local agencies in conducting ayouth gang problem assessment.Suggested Roles and Responsibilities:◆ Initial and continued problem assessment,which includes assistance with:❖ Collecting law enforcement incident/arrestand contact data.❖ Conducting school/student survey(s).❖ Collecting other data.◆ MIS/case management assistance, including:❖ Tracking youth/families served.❖ Tracking overall program performance.◆ Program development assistance, including:❖ Helping to translate and relate theory tomodel to action.❖ Monitoring emerging research.◆ Program documentation assistance, including:❖ Monitoring/documenting performance.❖ Monitoring/documenting successes/challenges.❖ Addressing needs for programsustainability.◆ Assistance with building local capacity forfuture data-driven efforts.Time commitment: Estimated at 0.5 to 0.75 fulltimeequivalent (FTE).❖ Conducting community survey(s).32

National Evaluation of the ComprehensiveGang Model: An Enhanced School/Community Approach to ReducingYouth Gang CrimePurposeTo support OJJDP’s Comprehensive Response toAmerica’s Youth Gang Problem through a processevaluation of OJJDP’s Comprehensive GangModel: An Enhanced School/Community Approachto Reducing Youth Gang Crime and thedevelopment of an appropriate evaluation designto measure program implementation and outcomesfor subsequent adaptation of the OJJDPComprehensive Gang Model.BackgroundThis program implements Title II, Part D, Section282 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention(JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended. Thisprogram is implemented with support from theCenter for Mental Health Services of the U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services (HHS).The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau ofAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and theU.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program are also collaborating withOJJDP in this program. The Enhanced School/Community Approach is consistent with the approachbeing taken by ATF to develop a ComprehensiveGang Resistance, Education, and Training(G.R.E.A.T.) Program that includes communitybasedgang prevention services for at-risk youth.The Evaluation of the Enhanced School/CommunityApproach is part of OJJDP’s ongoing effort totest the Comprehensive Gang Model. This evaluationis preceded by two OJJDP-sponsoredevaluations of the Comprehensive Gang Modeland one evaluation of an earlier version of thismodel in the Little Village area of Chicago.While knowledge of previous evaluations willbe beneficial in designing and conducting theEvaluation of the Enhanced School/CommunityApproach, the evaluation for this program mustrespond to the unique challenges and opportunitiespresent in the program sites and the specialemphasis on schools.The Little Village Gang Violence Reduction Projectoperated out of the Chicago Police Departmentwith funding from the Illinois Criminal Justice InformationAuthority. The evaluation was conductedby a team of University of Chicago researchers ledby Dr. Irving Spergel. In addition to tracking programimplementation and services delivered, theevaluation design included pre- and post-programmeasures of individual, gang, and community-levelindicators to assess program outcomes such asnumber of arrests for violent offenses, gang memberself-reports of violent offending, and communitymembers’ perceptions of safety and gangcrime. Data were collected in a comparison areaand for a comparison group of youth gang members.The results of the evaluation showed that accordingto both official police arrest records andgang member self-reports, violent offending decreasedsignificantly for youth in the program. Furthermore,a community survey of residents in thetarget area reported significant improvements in33

perceptions of safety, level of crime, and fear ofvictimization (Spergel et al., 1999).The first OJJDP-sponsored effort to implementand evaluate the Comprehensive Gang Model iscurrently in its fifth year. This study, also led byDr. Spergel, is focused on implementation andoutcomes of the Comprehensive Gang Model inthe five communities noted earlier in this publication(Mesa and Tucson, AZ; Riverside, CA;Bloomington, IL; and San Antonio, TX). Theevaluation design for this study built on the approachused in Little Village. Instruments andprocedures were modified and additional measureswere incorporated. For example, organizationalsurveys were added to measure indicatorsof information sharing, community mobilization,and organizational change. However, the frameworkof the design was unchanged. Althoughthis evaluation is still in progress, early resultsare promising and are consistent with thosefound in the Little Village evaluation.The Rural Gang Initiative (RGI) has an evaluationcomponent that is being carried out by the NationalCouncil on Crime and Delinquency(NCCD). For the first 12 months of the initiative,the four RGI program sites are involved in a comprehensiveassessment and program planning process.Still in its early stages, NCCD’s processevaluation includes case studies of the assessmentactivities and program planning in each site andthe creation of an evaluation design that will measureboth program implementation and outcomes.The case studies employ both qualitative andquantitative data. The final design for the impactevaluation of RGI is still under development, butit is already apparent that it will be quite differentfrom those developed for the previous efforts. Forexample, due to the smaller population in ruralsites, it may be impossible or impractical to identifyand use comparison groups in this design. Althoughmany of the broad domains for data collectionwill remain (e.g., self-reported offending,indicators of service delivery, official reports ofoffending), instruments and procedures for datacollection, analysis, and coordination with thesites will be modified.The framework of the Enhanced School/CommunityApproach most closely reflects that of the RuralGang Initiative, with its early programmaticemphasis on assessment and adaptation of theComprehensive Gang Model and its evaluationemphasis on case studies and planning for an impactevaluation. However, the focus on schoolsand the inclusion of urban sites will make thisevaluation an important and unique addition toOJJDP’s ongoing effort to test the ComprehensiveGang Model.GoalsThe goal of OJJDP’s Comprehensive GangModel: An Enhanced School/Community Approachto Reducing Youth Gang Crime program isto support up to four communities in a planningand assessment process for implementing theOJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model in a mannerthat effectively addresses gang problems in thecommunity with a special focus on the schools.The goal of this national evaluation is to addressthe development and process of school and communitycollaboration around the assessment andprogram planning activities, with special attentionto the methods used to translate assessment findingsinto program plans. Further, the evaluatormust develop an impact evaluation design thatmeasures both program implementation and outcomesand is suited to the schools and communitiesthat are selected and the program plans developedduring their first year of funding.ObjectivesThe objectives for this project are to:◆ Conduct a process evaluation to accomplishthe above goals by using appropriate qualitativeand quantitative methods.34

◆ Design an impact evaluation to assess the effectivenessof the Comprehensive GangModel and the Enhanced School/CommunityApproach to Reducing Youth Gang Crime.The design must meet scientifically rigorousstandards for evaluation. The evaluator mustdesign instruments to support the impactevaluation.◆ Produce the following items at the conclusionof the project period: (1) a freestanding casestudy report for each program site, (2) an impactevaluation design, (3) draft instrumentsthat support the impact evaluation, and (4) afinal report that incorporates all of these items.National Evaluation Strategy forthe Enhanced School/CommunityApproachOne award for a national evaluator will be madeunder this competitive solicitation. The nationalevaluator will work with up to four program sitesthat will engage in a thorough assessment andprogram planning process during the first 12months of funding. The process evaluation willdocument the assessment and program planningactivities in each site. OJJDP anticipates thatcase studies will be the primary research methodused in this process evaluation. However, somecommon activities and challenges will be facedby all the program sites. Where possible, the processevaluation will include comparisons amongsites and analyses of factors related to more andless successful efforts. Further, the nationalevaluator will be responsible for creating an impactevaluation design that may be implementedshould additional funding be made available forprogram implementation.Case StudiesThe case studies should draw on multiplesources of data, such as school and agency documents,minutes from meetings, preliminary assessmentreports, structured interviews, and observations.Although the sites will be requiredto cooperate with the national evaluator, effortsshould be made to minimize the evaluation burdenon site personnel and school staff. The casestudies should cover three main areas: schooland community collaboration, assessment activities,and program planning.School and Community CollaborationThe national evaluator must document the natureof school and community collaboration in eachof the program sites. Key agency leaders, schooladministrators, and community and youth representativesshould be making meaningful contributionsto the assessment and program planningprocess. The effort should be guided by a group,which may be called the steering committee, thatrepresents the interests of the community to beserved. Potential research questions in this areainclude, but are not limited to, the following:◆ How are members selected for the steeringcommittee?◆ How does the steering committee draw inputfrom schools, youth, and others in thecommunity?◆ How are decisions made within this group?◆ To what extent does the composition of thesteering committee reflect the community andthe school district(s) to be served?◆ How do steering committee activities changeover the course of the project?Assessment ActivitiesWith guidance from the technical assistance providerand OJJDP, the sites will engage in a varietyof assessment activities employing bothquantitative and qualitative measures of the gang35

problem in the school district(s) and community.The national evaluator must document the proceduresand instruments used by the sites andshould highlight factors related to more and lesssuccessful data collection efforts. Potential researchquestions in this area include, but are notlimited to, the following:◆ How do sites implement data collection in thevarious domains that are central to school- andcommunity-level gang problem assessment?◆ How do sites use resources that are availablethrough the technical assistance provider?◆ How do sites use resources in their schoolsand communities to further the assessment?◆ What approaches or strategies specific to eachsite facilitate data collection?◆ What factors particular to each funded communityor school district(s) facilitate datacollection?Program PlanningThe management and analysis of data collectedfor the assessment will require specific technicalskills. Sites will be encouraged to enlist a researchpartner to assist in these activities. However,the steering committee will retain primaryresponsibility for translating these findings into aprogram plan and for directing any additionalgang problem assessment activities. The processof moving from assessment findings to an appropriateprogram design is a critical step in theoverall effort. The national evaluator must documentthe program planning process and assessthe extent to which the process and the resultingplan are appropriate given the assessment findings.Potential research questions in this area include,but are not limited to, the following:◆ How does the steering committee collaboratewith the research partner and the technical assistanceprovider in the interpretation of theassessment findings and the design of the programplan?◆ How does the steering committee respond toconflicting assessment findings from multiplesources?◆ How does the steering committee set prioritiesfor programming?◆ How well does the program plan flow fromthe assessment results?◆ How well does the program plan fit with localconditions in the schools and community?Impact Evaluation DesignIn addition to designing an impact evaluation, thenational evaluator is also responsible for draftinginstruments for use in this evaluation. The nationalevaluator must have a clear understanding of theComprehensive Gang Model and the programplans that are developed at each of the sites in orderto design an appropriate impact evaluation.Since the sites will not complete their programplans until the end of their 12-month fundingcycle, the national evaluator must finalize the impactevaluation design and the development ofdraft instruments during the last 3 months of this15-month project period. However, design work onthe impact evaluation should begin earlier in theproject. Through the course of conducting the casestudies, the national evaluator will become familiarwith each site’s capacity to secure and providegang-related data. Preliminary assessment resultsand school and community characteristics willprovide additional early indicators to guide designdecisions. Designs and instruments developed forprevious and ongoing evaluations of the ComprehensiveGang Model will be available through thetechnical assistance provider and OJJDP. Finally,the national evaluator is encouraged to seek inputfrom stakeholders at the sites for their perspectives.36

The national evaluator should draw on thesesources and others to create an impact evaluationdesign that supports analysis for individual sitesand across sites. The impact evaluation designmust include measures of program implementationand program outcomes, and it must be able to relateoutcomes to program services.Cooperation With TechnicalAssistanceApplicants should certify their willingness to cooperateand collaborate with the technical assistanceproviders. Potential areas for collaborationand joint tasks with the technical assistance providershould be described, and the benefits ofsuch collaboration should be highlighted.ProductsAt the conclusion of the project period, the nationalevaluator will be responsible for providingOJJDP with (1) a freestanding case study reportfor each program site, (2) an impact evaluationdesign as described above, (3) draft instrumentsthat support the impact evaluation (pretesting ofthese instruments is not necessary at this point),and (4) a final report that incorporates all ofthese items.Eligibility RequirementsOJJDP invites applications from public and privateagencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals.Organizations with strong backgroundsconducting research with schools and communitiesare encouraged to apply. Private, for-profitorganizations must agree to waive any profit orfee. Joint applications from two or more eligibleapplicants are welcome, as long as one is designatedas the primary applicant for purposes ofcorrespondence, award, and management. Othersmay be indicated as coapplicants.Project AbstractApplications must include a project abstract thatclearly summarizes the problems to be addressed,the goals of the project, the project design,and the management and organizational capabilityof the applicant. The abstract should beno longer than 250 words and must be submittedon 8 1 /2- by 11-inch paper, double spaced on oneside of the paper in a standard 12-point font.Selection CriteriaApplicants will be evaluated and rated by a peerreview panel according to the criteria outlinedbelow.Understanding of the Problem (25 points)Applicants must demonstrate a clear understandingof the need for comprehensive, communitywideapproaches to gang prevention, intervention,and suppression. Discussion should highlight theimportance of assessment in effective youth gangprogramming and the particular needs that schoolsface as they address youth gangs. Applicantsshould discuss how to apply state-of-the-art evaluationmethods to address collaborative youth gangprograms with a school focus. Applicants shoulddiscuss both the challenges and the opportunitiesinherent in this project.Goals and Objectives (15 points)Applicants must state goals and measurable objectivesfor the process evaluation and the designof the impact evaluation. These should be guidedby the requirements set forth in this program announcementand should be clearly defined andattainable. Process objectives should be linked toclearly stated outcomes.37

Project Design (25 points)The application should describe in detail theoverall design of the project. The applicationshould include a detailed description of themethods to be used to document and analyze theassessment and program planning activities ofthe sites. This description should include specificationof the information and data elements thatwill be collected and the sources of these data.Considerations regarding data availability andcollection in school environments should be included.This section must directly address thethree main areas to be covered in the case studies:school and community collaboration, assessmentactivities, and program planning. Further,this section should clearly describe proceduresfor developing an impact evaluation design thatcovers both program implementation and outcomes.Any measures for involving local stakeholdersin the impact evaluation design should benoted. Applicants must ensure that other tasksdescribed under the “National Evaluation Strategyfor the Enhanced School/Community Approach”section of this announcement (pp. 35–37) are addressed appropriately.The application must include a timeline that indicateswhen specific tasks will be started andcompleted and when products will be submitted.The timeline must be referenced as appropriatein the narrative but should be placed in appendixA of the application.Management and Organizational Capability(25 points)The applicant’s management structure and staffingmust be adequate and appropriate for thesuccessful implementation of the project. Theapplicant must identify responsible individualsand key consultants, their time commitment, andmajor tasks. Key staff and consultants shouldhave significant experience in youth gang research;community needs assessment; case studymethodology; and program evaluation, includingboth process and impact evaluations using bothqualitative and quantitative methods. Theyshould demonstrate the ability to work effectivelywith school administrators and personnel.Staff and key consultant résumés must be attachedas part of the appendixes.Budget (10 points)Applicants must provide a budget that is complete,detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost effectivein relation to the project’s activities. Thebudget must be comprehensive and should includetravel costs for site visits and two cluster meetingsof all the sites. Applicants must use the budgetforms included in the OJJDP Application Kit,which can be obtained by calling the JuvenileJustice Clearinghouse at 800–638–8736 or sendingan e-mail request to puborder@ncjrs.org.The Application Kit is also available online atwww.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit orthrough fax-on-demand. (For fax-on-demand,call 800–638–8736, select option 1, then selectoption 2, and enter the following 4-digit numbers:9119, 9120, 9121, and 9122. Applicationkits will be faxed in four sections because of thenumber of pages.)FormatThe narrative must not exceed 40 pages in length(excluding forms, assurances, abstract, and appendixes)and must be submitted on 8 1 /2- by 11-inch paper, double spaced on one side of the paperin a standard 12-point font. This is necessaryto maintain fair and uniform standards among allapplicants. If the narrative does not conform tothese standards, OJJDP will deem the applicationineligible for consideration.38

Award PeriodThis project will be funded in the form of a cooperativeagreement for a 15-month budget andproject period.Award AmountThe award amount for the 15-month budget andproject period will be up to $235,000.Confidentiality and Human SubjectsU.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations requirethat projects involving research or statisticsmust maintain the confidentiality of informationidentifiable to a private person and that humanresearch subjects must be protected from unreasonablerisks and properly informed of the potentialharms and benefits from their participationin research. Applicants must comply withthe confidentiality requirements of 42 U.S.C.§ 3789g and 28 CFR Part 22 by submitting aPrivacy Certificate in accordance with 28 CFR§ 22.23 as part of the application package. (Seeappendix B, “Privacy Certificate Guidelines andStatement,” in the OJJDP Application Kit.)If the project involves research using human subjects,the applicant must comply with U.S. Departmentof Justice regulations at 28 CFR Part46. This part generally requires that such projectsbe reviewed by an Institutional Review Board(IRB). IRB review is not required prior to submissionof the application. However, if an awardis made and the project involves research usinghuman subjects, OJJDP will place a special conditionon the award requiring that the project beapproved by an appropriate IRB before Federalfunds can be expended on human subjects activities.Applicants should include plans for IRB review,where applicable, in the project timelinesubmitted with the proposal.Catalog of Federal DomesticAssistance (CFDA) NumberFor this program, the CFDA number, which is requiredon Standard Form 424, Application forFederal Assistance, is 16.544. This form is includedin the OJJDP Application Kit, which canbe obtained by calling the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouseat 800–638–8736 or sending an e-mailrequest to puborder@ncjrs.org. The ApplicationKit is also available online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit or through fax-on-demand.(For fax-on-demand, call 800–638–8736, selectoption 1, then select option 2, and enter the following4-digit numbers: 9119, 9120, 9121, and9122. Application kits will be faxed in four sectionsbecause of the number of pages.)Coordination of Federal EffortsTo encourage better coordination among Federalagencies in addressing State and local needs, theU.S. Department of Justice is requiring applicantsto provide information on the following:(1) active Federal grant award(s) supporting thisor related efforts, including awards from DOJ;(2) any pending application(s) for Federal fundsfor this or related efforts; and (3) plans for coordinatingany funds described in items (1) or (2)with the funding sought by this application. Foreach Federal award, applicants must includethe program or project title, the Federal grantoragency, the amount of the award, and a brief descriptionof its purpose.The term “related efforts” is defined for thesepurposes as one of the following:◆ Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposedaward would supplement, expand,complement, or continue activities fundedwith other Federal grants).◆ Another phase or component of the same programor project (e.g., to implement a planning39

effort funded by other Federal funds or toprovide a substance abuse treatment or educationcomponent within a criminal justiceproject).◆ Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance,research, or evaluation) to the programor project described in the application.Delivery InstructionsAll application packages should include theoriginal application and five copies and shouldbe mailed or delivered to the Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o JuvenileJustice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard,Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, MD 20850; 301–519–5535. Faxed or e-mailed applications willnot be accepted. Note: In the lower left-handcorner of the envelope, the applicant mustclearly write “National Evaluation of the ComprehensiveGang Model: An Enhanced School/Community Approach to Reducing Youth GangCrime.”Due DateApplicants are responsible for ensuring that theoriginal and five copies of the application packageare received by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, September1, 2000.ContactFor further information, contact Phelan Wyrick,Program Manager, Research and Program DevelopmentDivision, at 202–353–9254, or send ane-mail inquiry to wyrickp@ojp.usdoj.gov.ReferencesSee “References and Suggested Readings” onp. 41.40

References and Suggested ReadingsBurnett, G., and Walz, G. 1999. Gangs inSchools. ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban EducationDigest. New York, NY: ERIC Clearinghouseon Urban Education.Curry, D.G., and Decker, S.H. 1998. ConfrontingGangs, Crime and Community. Los Angeles,CA: Roxbury Publishing Company.Gottfredson, G.D., and Gottfredson, D.C. 1999(July). Survey of school-based gang preventionand intervention programs: Preliminary findings.Paper presented at the National Youth GangSymposium, Las Vegas, NV. (Available online atwww.iir.com/NYGC.)Howell, J.C. Forthcoming. Youth Gang Programsand Strategies. Summary. Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs,Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention.Howell, J.C., and Decker, S.H. 1999. The YouthGangs, Drugs, and Violence Connection. Bulletin.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,Office of Justice Programs, Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency.Howell, J.C., and Lynch, J.P. Forthcoming. YouthGangs in Schools. Bulletin. Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Justice, Office of JusticePrograms, Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention.Moore, J., and Cook, I. 1999. Highlights of the1998 National Youth Gang Survey. Fact Sheet.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,Office of Justice Programs, Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention.Sherman, L.W., Gottfredson, D.C., MacKenzie,D.L., Eck, J., Reuter, P., and Bushway, S.D.1998. Preventing Crime: What Works, WhatDoesn’t, What’s Promising. Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Justice, Office of JusticePrograms, National Institute of Justice.Spergel, I.A. 1995. The Youth Gang Problem: ACommunity Approach. New York, NY: OxfordUniversity Press.Spergel, I.A., and Grossman, S.F. 1997. TheLittle Village Project: A community approach tothe gang problem. Social Work 42(5):456–470.Spergel, I.A., Grossman, S.F., Wa, K.M., Choi,S., and Jacob, A. 1999. Evaluation of the LittleVillage Gang Reduction Project: The First ThreeYears. Executive Summary. Chicago, IL: IllinoisCriminal Justice Information Authority.Wood, M., Furlong, M.J., Rosenblatt, J.A.,Robertson, L.M., Scozzari, F., and Sosna, T.1997 (August). Understanding the psychosocialcharacteristics of gang-involved youths in a systemof care: Individual, family, and system correlates.Education and Treatment of Children20(3):281–294.Kaufman, P., Chen, X., Choy, S.P., Ruddy, S.A.,Miller, A.K., Chandler, K.A., Chapman, C.D.,Rand, M.R., and Klaus, P. 1999. Indicators ofSchool Crime and Safety, 1999. Report. Washington,DC: U.S. Department of Education, Officeof Educational Research and Improvement,National Center for Education Statistics, andU.S. Department of Justice, Office of JusticePrograms, Bureau of Justice Statistics.41

Publications From OJJDPOJJDP produces a variety of publications—FactSheets, Bulletins, Summaries, Reports, and theJuvenile Justice journal—along with videotapes,including broadcasts from the juvenilejustice telecommunications initiative. ThroughOJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (JJC),these publications and other resources are asclose as your phone, fax, computer, or mailbox.Phone:800–638–8736(Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. ET)Fax:410–792–4358 (to order publications)301–519–5600 (to ask questions)Online:OJJDP Home Page:www.ojjdp.ncjrs.orgTo Order Materials:www.ncjrs.org/puborderE-Mail:askncjrs@ncjrs.org (to ask questionsabout materials)Mail:Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse/NCJRSP.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849–6000Fact Sheets and Bulletins are also availablethrough fax on demand.Fax-on-Demand:800–638–8736, select option 1, select option 2,and listen for instructions.To ensure timely notice of new publications,subscribe to JUVJUST, OJJDP’s electronicmailing list.JUVJUST Mailing List:e-mail to listproc@ncjrs.orgleave the subject line blanktype subscribe juvjust your nameIn addition, JJC, through the National CriminalJustice Reference Service (NCJRS), is the repositoryfor tens of thousands of criminal andjuvenile justice publications and resourcesfrom around the world. They are abstractedand placed in a database, which is searchableonline (www.ncjrs.org/database.htm). You arealso welcome to submit materials to JJC forinclusion in the database.The following list highlights popular and recentlypublished OJJDP documents and videotapes,grouped by topical areas.The OJJDP Publications List (BC000115) offersa complete list of OJJDP publications and isalso available online.In addition, the OJJDP Fact Sheet Flier(LT000333) offers a complete list of OJJDPFact Sheets and is available online.OJJDP also sponsors a teleconference initiative,and a flier (LT116) offers a complete list ofvideos available from these broadcasts.Corrections and DetentionBeyond the Walls: Improving Conditions ofConfinement for Youth in Custody. 1998,NCJ 164727 (116 pp.).Disproportionate Minority Confinement: 1997Update. 1998, NCJ 170606 (12 pp.).Disproportionate Minority Confinement:Lessons Learned From Five States. 1998,NCJ 173420 (12 pp.).Juvenile Arrests 1997. 1999, NCJ 173938(12 pp.).Reintegration, Supervised Release, and IntensiveAftercare. 1999, NCJ 175715 (24 pp.).CourtsGuide for Implementing the Balanced and RestorativeJustice Model. 1998. NCJ 167887(112 pp.).Innovative Approaches to Juvenile IndigentDefense. 1998, NCJ 171151 (8 pp.).Juvenile Court Statistics 1996. 1999,NCJ 168963 (113 pp.).Offenders in Juvenile Court, 1996. 1999,NCJ 175719 (12 pp.).RESTTA National Directory of Restitutionand Community Service Programs. 1998,NCJ 166365 (500 pp.), $33.50.Trying Juveniles as Adults in Criminal Court:An Analysis of State Transfer Provisions. 1998,NCJ 172836 (112 pp.).Youth Courts: A National Movement Teleconference(Video). 1998, NCJ 171149 (120 min.), $17.Delinquency Prevention1998 Report to Congress: Juvenile MentoringProgram (JUMP). 1999, NCJ 173424 (65 pp.).1998 Report to Congress: Title V IncentiveGrants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs.1999, NCJ 176342 (58 pp.).Combating Violence and Delinquency: TheNational Juvenile Justice Action Plan (Report).1996, NCJ 157106 (200 pp.).Combating Violence and Delinquency: TheNational Juvenile Justice Action Plan(Summary). 1996, NCJ 157105 (36 pp.).Effective Family Strengthening Interventions.1998, NCJ 171121 (16 pp.).Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block GrantsStrategic Planning Guide. 1999, NCJ 172846(62 pp.).Parents Anonymous: Strengthening America’sFamilies. 1999, NCJ 171120 (12 pp.).Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse HomeVisitation. 1998, NCJ 172875 (8 pp.).Treatment Foster Care. 1999, NCJ 173421(12 pp.).Gangs1996 National Youth Gang Survey. 1999,NCJ 173964 (96 pp.).Gang Members on the Move. 1998,NCJ 171153 (12 pp.).Youth Gangs: An Overview. 1998, NCJ 167249(20 pp.).The Youth Gangs, Drugs, and Violence Connection.1999, NCJ 171152 (12 pp.).Youth Gangs in America Teleconference(Video). 1997, NCJ 164937 (120 min.), $17.General Juvenile JusticeComprehensive Juvenile Justice in StateLegislatures Teleconference (Video). 1998,NCJ 169593 (120 min.), $17.Guidelines for the Screening of Persons WorkingWith Children, the Elderly, and IndividualsWith Disabilities in Need of Support. 1998,NCJ 167248 (52 pp.).Juvenile Justice, Volume VII, Number 1. 2000,NCJ 178256 (40 pp.).A Juvenile Justice System for the 21st Century.1998, NCJ 169726 (8 pp.).Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 NationalReport. 1999, NCJ 178257 (232 pp.).OJJDP Research: Making a Difference forJuveniles. 1999, NCJ 177602 (52 pp.).Promising Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence.1999, NCJ 173950 (253 pp.).Sharing Information: A Guide to the FamilyEducational Rights and Privacy Act andParticipation in Juvenile Justice Programs.1997, NCJ 163705 (52 pp.).Missing and Exploited ChildrenPortable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse(13-title series).Protecting Children Online Teleconference(Video). 1998, NCJ 170023 (120 min.), $17.When Your Child Is Missing: A Family SurvivalGuide. 1998, NCJ 170022 (96 pp.).Substance AbuseThe Coach’s Playbook Against Drugs. 1998,NCJ 173393 (20 pp.).Drug Identification and Testing in the JuvenileJustice System. 1998, NCJ 167889 (92 pp.).Preparing for the Drug Free Years. 1999,NCJ 173408 (12 pp.).Violence and VictimizationCombating Fear and Restoring Safety inSchools. 1998, NCJ 167888 (16 pp.).Guide for Implementing the ComprehensiveStrategy for Serious, Violent, and ChronicJuvenile Offenders. 1995, NCJ 153681(255 pp.).Report to Congress on Juvenile ViolenceResearch. 1999, NCJ 176976 (44 pp.)Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders. 1998,NCJ 170027 (8 pp.).Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders: RiskFactors and Successful Interventions Teleconference(Video). 1998, NCJ 171286 (120 min.), $17.State Legislative Responses to Violent JuvenileCrime: 1996–97 Update. 1998, NCJ 172835(16 pp.).White House Conference on School Safety:Causes and Prevention of Youth ViolenceTeleconference (Video). 1998, NCJ 173399(240 min.), $17.Youth in ActionCommunity Cleanup. 1999, NCJ 171690 (6 pp.).Cross-Age Teaching. 1999, NCJ 171688 (8 pp.).Make a Friend—Be a Peer Mentor. 1999,NCJ 171691 (8 pp.).Plan A Special Event! 1999, NCJ 171689(8 pp.).Planning a Successful Crime PreventionProject. 1998, NCJ 170024 (28 pp.).Stand Up and Start a School Crime Watch!1998, NCJ 171123 (8 pp.)Two Generations—Partners in Prevention.1999, NCJ 171687 (8 pp.).Wipe Out Vandalism and Graffiti. 1998,NCJ 171122 (8 pp.).Youth Preventing Drug Abuse. 1998,NCJ 171124 (8 pp.).QuarkXpress 4.0 Revised 6/19/2000

U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionFIRST-CLASS MAILPOSTAGE & FEES PAIDDOJ/OJJDPPERMIT NO. G–91Washington, DC 20531Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use $300SL 000427