Tribal Youth Program (16.731)
Program
16.731 Tribal Youth Program
Federal Agency
OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS, OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Authorization
Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, Public Law 105-277.
Program Number
16.731
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To support and enhance tribal efforts for comprehensive delinquency prevention, control, and juvenile justice system improvement for Native American youth.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants (Discretionary).
Uses and Use Restrictions
To reduce, control, and prevent crime both by and against tribal youth; to provide interventions for court- involved tribal youth; to improve tribal juvenile justice systems; and to provide prevention programs focusing on alcohol and drugs.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Applications are only invited from Federally recognized tribes and Alaskan Native villages, however, tribes and villages may partner with others as applicable. If partnering with others, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) should be submitted with the application. Additionally, one tribe should be chosen as the primary agency for funding and reporting purposes. Only tribal governments and tribal organizations that have a tribal resolution sharing the endorsement of the tribal government are eligible to apply. A tribal resolution must be included with the application.
Beneficiary Eligibility
All Federally recognized tribes and Alaskan Native villages.
Credentials/Documentation
Each applicant must submit a completed application, including signed assurances that it will comply with statutory and administrative requirements.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
Applicants must submit a completed application form and other information outlined in the Application Kit to the Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The receipt, review, and analysis of applications will follow Office of Justice Programs policies and procedures for the administration of grant applications.
Award Procedure
A letter with copies of the grant award are sent to the applicant tribe upon approval by the Office of Justice Programs. One copy of the grant award must be signed by the authorized official and returned to the Office of Justice Programs.
Deadlines
Consult the Application Kit or contact the State and Tribal Assistance Division, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the Office of Justice Programs for application deadlines. Telephone: (202) 307-5924.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Hearing and appeal procedures will follow 28 CFR, Part 18, of the Department of Justice Regulations.
Renewals
Not applicable.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Awards are made for 36 months.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Quarterly financial and semiannually progress reports are required.
Audits
All tribes that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in any fiscal year must have a single audit for that year in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended. These audits are due to the Office of the Comptroller and the Federal Audit Clearinghouse no later than thirteen (13) months after the close of each fiscal year during the term of the award (for fiscal years beginning on/after July 1, 1998, audit report packages are due nine (9) months after the close of the fiscal year.
Records
In accordance with the requirement set forth in 28 CFR, Parts 66 and 70, grantees must maintain all financial reports and other supporting documents pertinent to the award for at least 3 years following the close of the most recent audit.
Program Accomplishments
Tribal Youth Program: In fiscal year 2002, OJJDP awarded TYP grants totaling $12.7 million to 48 American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal communities to develop programs to prevent and control youth violence and substance abuse. Awards ranged from $125,000 to $500,000 and were based on the size of the population the tribe serves. A broad spectrum of geographically diverse tribal communities responded to the TYP solicitation, an indication that OJJDP is achieving its goal of working with tribes and communities of various population sizes and geographic locations. OJJDP also noted a marked increase in the number of applications from Alaska and in the number of first-time applicants for TYP funds, another indication that the Office's outreach efforts are succeeding. Tribal Youth Mental Health Initiative: OJJDP is also supporting a mental health program, which will provide diagnostic and treatment services to tribal youth involved in juvenile justice systems. The four objectives of this program are the same as those of the Tribal Youth Program discussed above, except that each objective must have a specific mental health and juvenile justice focus. OJJDP awarded grants under this program to five American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal communities. The grants totaled nearly $1 million and ranged from $125,000 to $300,000. Research Projects: OJJDP also supports a number of research and evaluation activities through the Tribal Youth Program. Based on suggestions and feedback from numerous meetings and focus groups with Indian practitioners and researchers, OJJDP established three principles to guide the TYP research and evaluation activities it funds. First, the research should provide practical results that are useful to the parties who are the focus of the research. Second, the projects should include local community members in decision making and in implementing the project. Third, researchers must understand and be sensitive to local customs, traditions, value, and history. OJJDP's TYP research activities, which will provide empirical evidence about juvenile justice and delinquency prevention policies and practice for American Indian and Alaska Native youth, include the following.
Financial Information
Account Identification
15-0405-0-1-754.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 02 $12,761,646; FY 03 est $12,472,000; and FY 04 est not available.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not available.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
OJP Financial Guide.
Related Programs
None.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, 810 7th Street, N. W., Washington, D.C. 20531. Telephone: (202) 307-5924. Contact: Laura Ansera, Program Manager, State and Tribal Assistance Division. Telephone: (202)-307-5924.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Tribal Youth Program: Grantees have developed a variety of activities under TYP. For example, the Burns Paiute Indian Reservation in Harney County, a rural area of eastern Oregon, is addressing alcohol and marijuana abuse, juvenile crime, and school failure. The tribe will improve tribal youth service delivery systems; increase the access and availability of community-based wraparound services for high-risk youth; and work with volunteer parents and tribal members to develop and implement a comprehensive 3-year plan to delay the onset of alcohol and drug use, reduce the incidence of violent or other criminal offenses, and prevent school dropouts. The Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, which is uniquely located in an urban setting near El Paso, TX, is providing interventions for court-involved tribal youth and improving its tribal juvenile justice system. The Pueblo is introducing a home detention system to help reduce the practice of detention and separation from family. The Pueblo also will expand its community service program to include traditional restitution, involve police in mentoring activities, increase diversion by applying auxiliary community policing concepts, increase probation supervision, and add activities to deter further crime among court-involved youth. The Knik Tribal Council, based in Matanuska-Susitna Valley near Wasilla, AK, is providing delinquency prevention and court-ordered youth services to Alaskan Native and American Indian youth ages 12 to 18 years. The Council is working with State, school, and community agencies to reinforce traditional values essential for the well-being and future of Native American youth. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, based in La Plata County, near Ignacio, CO, is implementing three levels of activity to reduce, control, and prevent crime and delinquency in children up to age 18 years. Level one involves adolescents in an established teen court program. Level two is a family preservation program that provides family therapy in times of crisis, mediates conflicts, identifies appropriate family behaviors, and provides required services for adolescents and preadolescents who are returning home from out-of-home placements or from alcohol/substance abuse treatment. Level three uses a behavior coach to redirect destructive and dangerous behavior patterns of adolescents and preadolescents who are involved in the family service division of the South Ute Tribal Court. The White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota is using a three-pronged approach to curb tobacco, alcohol and drug use, violence, truancy, and school dropouts among youth age 12 to 18 years. The grantee is developing and adopting a fair, equitable, and culturally appropriate juvenile justice code; providing a Juvenile Tribal Court Advocate to provide both probationary and counseling services to juveniles; and developing Sentencing Circles in schools to deal with youth in a culturally significant manner. The Gila River Indian community is located southeast of the Phoenix, AZ, metropolitan area; part of the community is on the reservation. The community is developing a teen court program that involves a youth council, prosecutors, and judicial staff. The program will incorporate Pima and Maricopa cultural values and history, target juvenile offenders age 12 to 17 years who admit to the allegations they are accused of, educate youth about the judicial system, and encourage them to be active in community problem solving. The program will hold juvenile offenders and their parents accountable for the juveniles' actions and compel juvenile offenders to complete constructive sentencing imposed on them by their peers. Tribal Youth Mental Health Initiative: The Hannahville Indian Community (Potawatomi Band) of Wilson, MI, received a grant to expand education, vocational skills, and employment opportunities for the community. The community will restructure tribal programs and services and identify the infrastructure needs of tribal youth. As part of the initiative, Hannahville's Behavioral Health Department will procure psychological evaluations for at-risk and adjudicated youth between 9 and 17 years of age. The community will use a grassroots, collaborative, problem-solving community approach to mental health and treatment services. The Chugachmiut of the Chugach Region, Anchorage, AK, will provide interventions for court-involved youth. The tribe will improve interagency coordination and collaboration efforts related to preventing juvenile delinquency and intervening with predelinquent Native youth and their families and increase the delivery of direct clinical mental health services to individual Native American juvenile offenders and at- risk juveniles and their families. The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Nixon, NV, will provide mental health services for juveniles age 12 to 17 years, and address delinquency, substance abuse, and court-mandated services. The tribe will provide services to juveniles under 12 years of age and focus on services relating to crimes committed against the juveniles, including treatment for sexual assault, anger, and attention deficit disorders. The project is based on the traditions and customs of the Pyramid Lake Paiute people and will coordinate services with the Tribe's Juvenile Drug Court Program and provide family counseling and intervention for nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians of Philadelphia, MS, will develop a system of youth-centered, family-focused, culturally competent services for court- involved Choctaw youth. The project will emphasize capacity building and fits into an on-going plan of integrated human service development initiated by the Department of Family and Community Services, and developed as a result of extensive research and on-going program developmennt to improve the lives of th Choctaw people. The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Poplar, MT, will provide mental health diagnostic and treatment services of at-risk juvenile offenders. The services will include a psychologist to provide mental, diagnostic, and assessment services and combine standard diagnostic and treatment options with adaptations and innovations that reflect Assiniboine and Sioux culture and values. The goal of the project is to provide alternatives to incarceration with follow-up program support. The South Central Foundation of Anchorage, AK, will use a treatment, intervention, and prevention approach to reduce criminal behavior, substance abuse, and educational failure among Native American youth ages 13 to 18 years living in Anchorage, AK. The program will address incarceration, alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, and school dropout rates. The grantee will collaborate with schools, juvenile detention facilities, and the court system to provide early intervention and prevention programs for youth at high risk for delinquency, criminal behavior, and serious emotional problems. The program also will use the "Young Warrior Program," a self-help support group based on Alaska Native and American Indian spirituality and traditional healing practices, to instill traditional values. CIRCLE Project: The Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement (CIRCLE) project is designed to help tribes, with the assistance of Federal, State, and private partners, develop comprehensive planning and funding infrastructures so that they can more effectively fight crime, violence, and substance abuse in their communities. CIRCLE emphasizes two primary principles: local leadership in developing and implementing crime control initiatives and a comprehensive approach that incorporates coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts. OJJDP, in conjunction with the Office of Tribal Justice, the Office of Justice Programs, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Attorneys, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the FBI, is funding and providing technical assistance to tribes at three pilot sites (Oglala Sioux in Pine Ridge, SD; Northern Cheyenne in Lame Deer, MT; and Zuni Pueblo in Zuni, NM). The tribes received grants of up to $200,000 each in FY 2000. The CIRCLE project complements and is supported by the Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative. Participating tribes receive special consideration for technical assistance and training related to strategy development and implementation. They are also eligible to apply for funding for law enforcement, tribal courts, detention facilities, and youth programs.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Applicants will be evaluated and rated by a modified peer review process according to prescribed selection criteria.
