BJA FY 15 Swift, Certain, and Fair Sanctions Program (SCF): Replicating the Concepts Behind Project HOPE

There are a multiple states, counties, cities, and tribes that are interested in implementing Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) models of supervision with offenders in the community. This interest has grown out of the potential promise that these SCF models have shown in effectively reducing recidivism and preventing crime. In particular, Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) program has been shown to have promise, and as a result there is significant interest and activity in implementing models of supervision, and other versions of the HOPE model which rely on swift and certain sanctions. SCF approaches are intended to: (a) improve supervision strategies that reduce recidivism; (b) promote and increase collaboration among agencies and officials who work in community corrections and related fields; (c) enhance the offenders' perception that the supervision decisions are fair, consistently applied and consequences are transparent; and (d) improve the outcomes of individuals participating in these initiatives. Through this FY 2015 grant announcement, BJA will select multiple applicants to implement or enhance a HOPE model using SCF. Applicants selected under this announcement will work with BJA and its training and technical assistance (TTA) partner to implement the model with fidelity.