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The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) seeks innovative research proposals to empirically assess pressing issues in institutional corrections. Interested applicants should submit proposals that address any of the three categories below. NIJ anticipates that up to $8 million may become available for awards under this solicitation. 1. Advancing science: Responding to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences.” 2. Understanding the use of restrictive housing. a. An examination of the use of restrictive housing in state and/or federal prisons. b. Assessing the use of restrictive housing in jails. c. Understanding the impact of restrictive housing on the mental health of inmates and staff in prison and how working in restrictive housing varies from working in the general population. d. A review of step down programs available in restrictive housing environments in U.S. prisons and jails. 3. An examination of correctional officer safety and wellness: The impact of fatal and non-fatal work-related injuries on the corrections institution.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) seeks innovative research proposals to empirically assess pressing issues in institutional corrections. Interested applicants should submit proposals that address any of the three categories below. NIJ anticipates that up to $8 million may become available for awards under this solicitation. 1. Advancing science: Responding to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences.” 2. Understanding the use of restrictive housing. a. An examination of the use of restrictive housing in state and/or federal prisons. b. Assessing the use of restrictive housing in jails. c. Understanding the impact of restrictive housing on the mental health of inmates and staff in prison and how working in restrictive housing varies from working in the general population. d. A review of step down programs available in restrictive housing environments in U.S. prisons and jails. 3. An examination of correctional officer safety and wellness: The impact of fatal and non-fatal work-related injuries on the corrections institution.

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. NIJ invests in doctoral education by supporting academic institutions that sponsor students who demonstrate the potential to successfully complete doctoral degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of NIJ and who are in the final stages of graduate study. Applicants sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only (1) if the doctoral student'‚ƒƒ™s degree program is a Social and Behavioral Science discipline and (2) if the student's proposed dissertation research has direct implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. NIJ invests in doctoral education by supporting academic institutions that sponsor students who demonstrate the potential to successfully complete doctoral degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of NIJ and who are in the final stages of graduate study. Applicants sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only (1) if the doctoral student'‚ƒƒ™s degree program is a Social and Behavioral Science discipline and (2) if the student's proposed dissertation research has direct implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

This award will support efforts in at two or three of five target countries (select among: Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Armenia, and Montenegro) to identify priority substantive anti-corruption measures and assist in implementation of related reform actions. The substantive measures will be determined in reference to the countries' commitments in the context of relevant international standards, and to the recommendations of the peer review bodies associated with those standards. Several anti-corruption mechanisms and fora promote action on these standards by facilitating peer reviews, resulting in recommendations for reform, or by generating country commitments. Exemplar mechanisms and fora include UNCAC and GRECO (primary) and the Anti-Bribery Convention, Istanbul Action Plan, Open Government Partnership, and related policy (secondary). Each of the target countries has engaged in at least one of these entities and has received recommendations or made commitments to address corruption in various ways. INL intends for this project to initiate a multi-stakeholder process in each country selected for this project to prioritize two to three peer review body recommendations addressed to - or political commitments made by -- the country. The project should then support the development of action plans and targeted follow-up action (i.e. technical assistance, advocacy, and coordination) to help governments implement the action plans. Suggested focus areas in which to develop priorities, action plans, and follow-up measures could include judicial integrity/independence, criminalizing and enforcing foreign bribery, transparency of party funding and electoral campaigns, law enforcement reforms, and public procurement fraud and corruption. Supporting action in these areas would aid the criminal justice sector and civil society in making tangible steps to adopt laws, policies, or procedures that either prevent or combat corruption.

NIJ seeks proposals to conduct research on policing to improve policing practices and public safety at the State, local, and tribal levels. In 2015, a task force was created by President Barack Obama to examine the current state of policing in the United States. In response to a number of high profile events across the nation involving the police, the panel provided recommendations on promising policing practices that police could adopt as effective crime fighting strategies that would also strengthen trust and confidence in the police among community residents that they serve. The panel identified a number of reforms or Âœpillars that were viewed as vital to improving current police practices. In response to the recommendations and action items proposed by the task force, NIJ is interested in research in the following topical areas: 1. Research and Evaluation of Strategies to Build and Strengthen Police-Community Relationships 2. Research and Evaluation of Police Training 3. Research and Evaluation on Officer Wellness and Safety 4. Research and Evaluation on Police Technology 5. Research on Crime Scene Investigations: Triaging Evidence

NIJ seeks proposals to conduct research on policing to improve policing practices and public safety at the State, local, and tribal levels. In 2015, a task force was created by President Barack Obama to examine the current state of policing in the United States. In response to a number of high profile events across the nation involving the police, the panel provided recommendations on promising policing practices that police could adopt as effective crime fighting strategies that would also strengthen trust and confidence in the police among community residents that they serve. The panel identified a number of reforms or Âœpillars that were viewed as vital to improving current police practices. In response to the recommendations and action items proposed by the task force, NIJ is interested in research in the following topical areas: 1. Research and Evaluation of Strategies to Build and Strengthen Police-Community Relationships 2. Research and Evaluation of Police Training 3. Research and Evaluation on Officer Wellness and Safety 4. Research and Evaluation on Police Technology 5. Research on Crime Scene Investigations: Triaging Evidence

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2015 Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity in Adult and Family Treatment Drug Courts. The purpose of this program is to expand and/or enhance substance abuse treatment services in existing adult and family "problem solving" courts, which use the treatment drug court model in order to provide alcohol and drug treatment (including recovery support services supporting substance abuse treatment, screening, assessment, case management, and program coordination as well as family-focused services in the case of Family Treatment Drug Courts) to defendants/offenders. Grantees will be expected to provide a coordinated, multi-system approach designed to combine the sanctioning power of treatment drug courts with effective treatment services to break the cycle of criminal behavior, child abuse and neglect, alcohol and/or drug use, and incarceration or other penalties. Grants funds must be used to serve people diagnosed with a substance use disorder as their primary condition, particularly high risk/high need populations diagnosed with substance dependence or addiction to alcohol/other drugs and identified as needing immediate treatment. Grant funds must be used to address gaps in the continuum of treatment for those individuals in these drug courts who have substance abuse and/or co-occurring disorders treatment needs. Grant funds may be used to provide services for co-morbid conditions, such as mental health problems, as long as expenditures remain consistent with the drug court model which is designed to serve individuals needing treatment for substance dependence or addiction to alcohol/other drugs. SAMHSA will use discretion in allocating funding for these awards, taking into consideration the specific drug court models (adult and family treatment drug courts) as appropriate, and the number of ap

INL has provided extensive assistance to the General Police Inspectorate and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to further increase the level of public trust in the Moldovan police force, which is a major goal specified in the 2016-2020 Police Development Plan. While levels of public trust have increased, there is an opportunity to achieve further progress. INL plans to expand its partnership to Moldovan schools to facilitate collaboration between police officers and teachers in reaching out to young people. To support further progress in Moldova, the U.S. Department of State has allocated $650,000 USD in FY 2016 Law Enforcement Reform Funds for a program to support Moldovan communities in preventing juvenile delinquency and raising awareness about civic rights through educational activities for Moldovan youth in coordination with Moldovan law enforcement. The activity will also help to facilitate a fundamental shift of thinking within the police, courts, and community towards restorative justice elements and raise awareness among Moldovan youth about widespread problems such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking in persons. INL is looking for creative and proactive community-based models that focus on bringing Moldovan communities and law enforcement together in the schools.

Countries in the East Asia and Pacific region (EAP) are increasingly focused on enhancing regional security. Transnational criminal organizations take advantage of porous borders and fragile rule of law to illegally traffic drugs, arms, people, and wildlife. While countries in EAP face a range of challenges in developing robust rule of law, commonalities provide the context for INL's regional rule of law programming. Interagency and international cooperation on cases remains limited. Corruption is pervasive in many countries in the region. Legal systems are overburdened, and professionals may not have the resources to address their caseloads fully. This project will pilot professional development opportunities for legal professionals in the first five years of their career. The project will focus on sustainable legal professional development for prosecutors, judges, and public defense attorneys involved in criminal cases in the proposed pilot country. In the second year of the project, the implementer will conduct an assessment of a proposed second country for expansion.

This award will support efforts in at least two of four target countries (select among: Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru) to identify priority substantive anti-corruption measures and assist in implementation of reform actions related to them. The substantive measures will be determined in reference to the international and regional standards to which these countries have agreed, and the recommendations of the peer review bodies associated with them. Several anti-corruption mechanisms and fora promote action on these standards by facilitating peer recommendations or encouraging country commitments. Exemplar mechanisms and fora include UNCAC and MESICIC (primary) and the Anti-Bribery Convention, Open Government Partnership, Summit of the Americas and related policy (secondary). Each of the target countries has engaged in at least one of these entities and has received recommendations or made commitments to address corruption in various ways. INL intends for this project to initiate a multi-stakeholder process in each country selected for this project to prioritize two to three peer review body recommendations addressed to - or political commitments made by -- the country. The project should then support the development of action plans and targeted follow-up action (i.e. technical assistance, advocacy, and coordination) to help governments implement the action plans. Suggested focus areas in which to develop priorities, action plans, and follow-up measures include judicial integrity/independence, criminalizing foreign bribery, public procurement, public sector ethics, and international legal cooperation. Supporting action in these areas would aid the criminal justice sector and civil society in making tangible steps to adopt laws, policies, or procedures that either prevent or combat corruption.

The Course Hero-Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching will support rising stars in the academy who love teaching, demonstrate excellence as educators, and are making their mark as exceptional researchers, poised to shape their fields. Designed for young scholars working towards tenure, the Course Hero-WW Fellowship is a "genius grant" that will emphasize the balance between scholarly excellence and commitment to teaching practice that draws on new approaches to pedagogy, creating a new level of engagement for students in and beyond the classroom. In short, Fellows will be emerging heroes in their fields, on a clear trajectory to become great college educators. In its inaugural year, the Course Hero-WW Fellowship will identify five outstanding junior faculty members. Fellows will receive a one-year grant of $40,000-approximately $30,000 to support the engagement of a student assistant and the balance to be used for research and travel support. Exceptional candidates teach in ways that build student confidence and mastery of a subject; encourage critical thinking; explore foundational concepts through the lens of broader themes and global events; promote the power of learning communities beyond the classroom; leverage technology to complement the classroom experience; consider and serve different learning styles; prepare students for lifelong learning; and can serve as replicable teaching models for other educators. Selection takes place in June 2018. The five Fellows will be invited to attend the Course Hero Education Summit in July 2018, where their Fellowships will be announced.

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $4 million total costs for up to two cooperative agreements of up to $2 million total costs each to fund technical assistance project(s) in two different countries to improve implementation of social compliance systems that promote acceptable conditions of work and the elimination of child labor and forced labor in coffee supply chains. Each cooperative agreement will fund a project in one of the following countries in the Latin America/Caribbean region, where DOL's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List) documents child labor and/or forced labor concerns: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, or Nicaragua. Project outcomes include: 1) Adoption of a robust and sustainable social compliance system by private sector stakeholders in coffee supply chains; 2) Strengthened capacity of private sector stakeholders to implement a robust and sustainable social compliance system in coffee supply chains; and 3) New social compliance tools on child labor, forced labor, and acceptable conditions of work piloted in the coffee supply chain. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award. Applicants may apply for one or two of the cooperative agreements listed above. No more than two applications per applicant will be accepted. If applying for two cooperative agreements, applicants should not combine countries in a single application, but must submit separate applications for each country. Each application should request no more than $2 million total costs in funding.

Approximately 2.2 million people were incarcerated in federal, state, and local prisons and jails in 2013, a rate of 1 out of every 110 adults.1 After three years of declines, the prison population increased slightly in 2013, largely due to growth in state prison populations. These prisons face crowding and resource challenges. Accordingly, state spending on corrections has remained high. Over the last 25 years, state corrections expenditures have increased significantly-from $12 billion in 1988 to more than $55 billion in 2013. Justice reinvestment emerged as a way to address these issues through a targeted, datadriven policymaking process. BJA, in a public/private partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, launched the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) in 2010 as a multistaged process in which a jurisdiction increases the cost-effectiveness of its criminal justice system and reinvests savings into high-performing public safety strategies. JRI is a public-private partnership between BJA, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and JRI technical assistance (TA) and assessment providers. Funding from BJA is authorized under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub. L. 113-235.

The Support for Adam Walsh Act (AWA) Implementation Grant Program assists jurisdictions with developing and/or enhancing programs designed to implement requirements of SORNA. In summary, SORNA requires: (1) all States, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and participating federally recognized Indian tribes to maintain a sex offender registry; and (2) sex offenders to register and maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, is an employee, or is a student. SORNA also sets forth requirements for sex offender registries, to include: specified required information, duration of registration, and in-person verification of sex offender identity as well as participation in the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), and the utilization of the SORNA Exchange Portal. For more specific information about compliance with SORNA and access to the National Guidelines and Supplemental Guidelines on Sex Offender Registration and Notification, please visit www.smart.gov/sorna_tools.htm#sornaguidelines. For information and resources on SORNA, visit www.smart.gov. Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables The SMART Office is interested in proposals that facilitate, enhance and maintain jurisdictional implementation of SORNA. For jurisdictions that have not yet substantially implemented SORNA, applicants must explain how the proposed project will bring the jurisdiction closer to implementation. Discussion of a jurisdiction's planned activities should include information regarding the jurisdiction's SORNA implementation working group. The working group plan should include a list of the working group members and their responsibility regarding SORNA implementation. It is expected that successful grantees will report on their jurisdiction's working group meetings in their quarterly progress reports. This requirement does not apply to jurisdictions that have already been found to be substantially implementing SORNA. For those ju

BJA, in a public/private partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, launched the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) in 2010 as a multistaged process in which a jurisdiction reduces unnecessary incarceration, increases the cost-effectiveness of its criminal justice system and reinvests savings into high-performing public safety strategies.  JRI jurisdictions reinvest these cost savings into high-performing initiatives that make communities safer. In addition to reducing prison populations, justice reinvestment encourages states to embrace a culture of greater collaboration, data-driven decisionmaking, and increased use of evidence-based practices. While the full impact of justice reinvestment reforms is not yet known, the policies enacted in JRI states hold great promise to reduce prison populations, achieve substantial cost savings, and avert future growth.  However, many of the states found similar factors driving populations and costs for example, parole and probation revocation rates; sentencing policies and practices that favored incarceration of low-risk offenders over alternatives and that resulted in long lengths of stay; insufficient or inefficient community supervision, services, and support; and parole system processing delays and denials. The policy responses to these issues also overlapped, sharing themes of evidence-based practices and data-driven decisionmaking, including risk and needs assessments; accountability measures such as performance and outcome measure reporting; earned credits to encourage compliance with conditions of community supervision; sentencing changes; swift, certain and fair responses to technical probation and parole violations, mandatory post-incarceration supervision requirements; problem-solving courts; streamlined parole processes and expanded parole eligibility; and re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.

BJA, in a public/private partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, launched the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) in 2010 as a multistaged process in which a jurisdiction reduces unnecessary incarceration, increases the cost-effectiveness of its criminal justice system and reinvests savings into high-performing public safety strategies.  JRI jurisdictions reinvest these cost savings into high-performing initiatives that make communities safer. In addition to reducing prison populations, justice reinvestment encourages states to embrace a culture of greater collaboration, data-driven decisionmaking, and increased use of evidence-based practices. While the full impact of justice reinvestment reforms is not yet known, the policies enacted in JRI states hold great promise to reduce prison populations, achieve substantial cost savings, and avert future growth.  However, many of the states found similar factors driving populations and costs for example, parole and probation revocation rates; sentencing policies and practices that favored incarceration of low-risk offenders over alternatives and that resulted in long lengths of stay; insufficient or inefficient community supervision, services, and support; and parole system processing delays and denials. The policy responses to these issues also overlapped, sharing themes of evidence-based practices and data-driven decisionmaking, including risk and needs assessments; accountability measures such as performance and outcome measure reporting; earned credits to encourage compliance with conditions of community supervision; sentencing changes; swift, certain and fair responses to technical probation and parole violations, mandatory post-incarceration supervision requirements; problem-solving courts; streamlined parole processes and expanded parole eligibility; and re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.

Through this Addendum to the 2014 Global Development Alliance (GDA) Annual Program Statement (APS) Number APS-OAA-14-000001, USAID/Rwanda is issuing a call for submission of concept papers focusing on nutrition, youth workforce development, education, and legal capacity development. The addendum is USAID's invitation to the private sector to jointly identify and define key challenges and collaborate with USAID in areas where our goals and interests align. It also defines broad areas in which we see the greatest potential for collaboration in alignment with USAID's strategic interests in Rwanda. The areas of greatest interest to USAID/Rwanda include increasing availability of and access to nutritious foods; increasing employment opportunities for youth, especially in rural areas; providing education and skills training to youth, specifically in the areas of English language and computing; and increasing the clarity and consistency in the interpretation and enforcement of laws and contracts. More details on each of these areas can be found in the addendum attached to this announcement.

he United States Agency for International Development, Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA) is in the process of designing a new program to support microenterprise development in Lao PDR., including, but not limited to, agriculture sector. This is a Request for Information (RFI) which intends to provide public information to parties interested in USAID's support in the sector, as well as to collect any information and suggestions about the USAID's planned programming. Information collected is intended to help in the Mission's activity design and development for an intended future solicitation which is anticipated to be issued in the mid 2018. Requested Action: At this time, USAID is seeking responses to the questions of this RFI as detailed below. Please note USAID is not seeking technical or cost applications/proposals at this time. Responses to this RFI are voluntary and USAID will not pay respondents for any information provided in response to this RFI. If a future solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov or at www.grants.gov at a later date. Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID programs. Sincerely, /s/ Gregory Wang Regional Agreement/Contracting Officer USAID/RDMA, Bangkok, Thailand

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $6,000,000 total costs for up to three cooperative agreements of up to $2,000,000 total costs each to fund technical assistance projects to improve the capacity of labor stakeholders to better understand and address indicators of forced labor and labor trafficking. Each cooperative agreement will fund a project in a country to be proposed by the applicant. Applicants must propose a country covered in the DOL's Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in accordance with the Trade and Development Act of 2000 or on the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor as mandated by Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. Proposals for working in the fisheries sector in the Asia-Pacific region will not be considered. In each country, the project should achieve the following outcomes: * Improved understanding of indicators of forced labor and labor trafficking * Improved monitoring of working conditions by labor stakeholders to identify and address indicators and incidents of forced labor and labor trafficking * Strengthened capacity of the labor inspectorate to address forced labor and labor trafficking. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award. Applicants may apply separately for cooperative agreements serving one or more of the countries listed above, up to a maximum of three applications, but may not combine proposals for more than one country in a single application. Each application should request no more than $2 million total costs in funding. For this FOA, DOL will make no more than one award per country.

NIJ is seeking proposals for research and evaluation projects that support and inform federal, State, local and tribal criminal justice agencies and victim service providers in responding to the challenges that trafficking in persons (hereinafter "trafficking in persons," "human trafficking," or "trafficking") poses in their jurisdictions. NIJ is particularly interested in research responding to the following priority areas: * Fostering partnerships between researchers and trafficking survivors. * Evaluation of the Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Task Forces. * Perception of human trafficking victimization in courts (judges, jurors, prosecutors). * The extent to which existing crime reporting and data systems capture the human trafficking victimization that occurs in a particular jurisdiction. * Trafficking and sex offender registries.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for funding of innovative doctoral dissertation research in the social and behavioral sciences that is relevant to providing solutions to better ensure public safety, prevent and control crime, and ensure the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. This program furthers the Department's mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels   Eligible applicants are limited to degree-granting academic institutions in the United States and its territories. To be eligible, the institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Under this solicitation, the applicant institution must apply as the sponsoring institution for the doctoral candidate who will be conducting criminal-justice-related research in a discipline relevant to NIJ's mission. An eligible applicant may submit more than one application, as long as each application proposes a different project in response to the solicitation. (Applicants should also review and consider the "Duplicate Applications" note under How to Apply in Section D. Application and Submission Information.) NIJ may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

MOVO will be a five-year regional messaging and communication effort that leverages both traditional and new media to counter violent extremism and promote democracy, human rights and governance. MOVO will aim to form lasting partnerships to amplify moderate voices in communities as well as national and regional networks and institutions. MOVO will use a strategic information campaigns to tackle difficult, long-standing issues critical to VE vulnerability as well as to respond directly to events and hot topics. MOVO will integrate with other USG CVE and messaging efforts, such as State and USAID-funded programs, Public Affairs Sections and Military Information Support Teams (MIST) in the region. With regard to mediums of information exchange, MOVO will strengthen and expand existing PDev II radio networks and programming, continuing to invest in the medium most easily accessible to rural communities at-risk. However, MOVO will also produce targeted video content in targeted countries that is easily sharable and of most interest to target demographics. Mobile platforms that leverage feature phones have proved wildly popular and are useful in engaging rural audiences. Social media offers exciting new opportunities to connect with target audiences. However, poor internet penetration in target areas and among target demographics may limit the applicability of the medium. MOVO will expand its emphasis on social media in a measured, iterative manner that builds on effective, cost-efficient approaches. To the extent possible, all content will be cross-promoted across radio, video, mobile and social media to increase dissemination and build audiences across demographics and platforms.

BJA's mission is to provide leadership and services through grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities. Driving BJA's work in the field is the following principles: to reduce crime, recidivism, and unnecessary confinement, and promote a safe and fair criminal justice system. To implement our strategies consistent with these principles, BJA supports effective criminal justice policy, programs, information sharing, and collaborations within state, local, and tribal agencies and communities, and promotes the use of data, research, and information to increase the effectiveness of criminal justice programs. BJA has four primary components: Policy, Programs, Planning, and the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Office. The Fellows will work in the Policy Office, which provides national leadership in criminal justice policy, training, and technical assistance to further the administration of justice. It also acts as a liaison to national organizations that partner with BJA to set policy and help disseminate information on best and promising practices. To address emerging issues and build capacity to improve the administration of criminal justice, BJA launched the BJA Visiting Fellows Program in FY2012. The intent is to leverage state, local, or tribal subject-matter expertise to assess areas of need and to develop strategies, tools, and policies in collaboration with BJA staff for the benefit of the criminal justice field. By hosting up to five Fellows with FY 2014 funds, BJA will collaborate with practitioners and researchers to build capacity to address gaps in priority and emerging issues in the criminal justice field.