Juvenile Probation Community Accountability Project (JPCAP)

The Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) will help communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provide for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. This competitive grant announcement focuses on initiatives in eight areas: 1) preventing and reducing violent crime through community-based data-driven approaches; 2) providing funding for neighborhood-based probation and parole officers; 3) reducing mortgage fraud and crime related to vacant properties; 4) hiring of civilian support personnel in law enforcement (training staff, analysts, dispatchers, etc.); 5) enhancing forensic and crime scene investigations; 6) improving resources and services for victims of crime; 7) supporting problem-solving courts; and 8) national training and technical assistance partnerships.

Under category 2, the County of Santa Cruz will use the FY 2009 Recovery Act Byrne Competitive funds to support the Probation Department with the Juvenile Probation Community Accountability Project (JPCAP). The funds will be used to continue to assist the Department with community-based programs designed to help heal victims, neighborhoods, and offenders. The Juvenile Division has led this effort with 15 years of evidence-based, data-driven and cost-effective programs that have shrunk the County's juvenile detention rate by 56 percent. With grant funds, the project will preserve 3.40 FTE probation jobs, including administrative support, and create and sustain 2.0 FTE jobs at community-based resource centers. These positions will serve youth and their families. The emphasis will be on job-skill development. The project will maintain uninterrupted service provision for 80 unduplicated high-risk youth per year and enrichment of the nationally acclaimed Evening Center (EC) program for high-risk youth. Overall, the program will be enhanced through continued implementation of the evidence-based cognitive-behavioral curriculum.

CA/NCF