FY 2023 Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program | O BJS 2023 171794

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJS 2023 171794

The FY 2023 Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program (CHRARP) grant opportunity is a continuation award offered by the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). It is designed to support BJS in the final year of a program that originally began in 2020, with a strong emphasis on producing high-quality statistical information that can inform policy and practice across the criminal justice system. Consistent with broader OJP priorities, the solicitation frames this work within goals such as advancing civil rights and racial equity, improving access to justice, supporting crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, responding to emerging threats, and building trust between law enforcement and communities.

At its core, the solicitation seeks one recipient to carry out highly technical research and data development work related to recidivism and criminal history records. A major component is assisting BJS in developing a new recidivism study focused on individuals released from federal prison. To make that study possible at the level of rigor BJS expects, the awardee is expected to help transform criminal history record information that contains a mix of federal fields and state-specific fields into a standardized research database. In practical terms, that means taking data elements that may be coded differently across jurisdictions or systems and converting them into harmonized, comparable variables that can reliably support statistical analyses, including national-level reporting and cross-state comparisons where appropriate.

In addition to building the standardized database, the awardee will continue providing analytical support to BJS, particularly through multivariate analyses of recidivism patterns among people released from prison. Multivariate work typically involves examining how multiple factors (for example, demographic characteristics, criminal history attributes, offense types, sentencing or supervision factors, and other measurable variables in the record system) relate to outcomes such as re-arrest, reconviction, or return to incarceration, while accounting for confounding influences. The emphasis on continuing analyses suggests that the project is not starting from scratch; rather, it is intended to extend, refine, and finalize work already underway as part of the broader CHRARP effort.

The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals substantial federal involvement in the project compared with a more hands-off grant. In a cooperative agreement context, BJS typically works closely with the recipient on technical direction, deliverables, timelines, and coordination with federal data sources and partners. The opportunity is categorized as a continuation, and the posting indicates an expectation of a single award, reinforcing that this solicitation is likely meant to support an existing partner or a tightly scoped final-year effort rather than fund multiple new, independent research teams.

Key administrative details provided in the source information include: the opportunity number O-BJS-2023-171794; the activity category of Information and Statistics; and CFDA number 16.734. The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $500,000, with one award expected. The solicitation was created on June 14, 2023, and the original closing date was July 10, 2023. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation materials, which commonly means eligibility may include a range of entity types (such as public agencies, universities, private organizations, or individuals) but is constrained by the specifics of the continuation and BJS program needs.

The legal authority for the program is rooted in the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, specifically 34 U.S.C. 10132(c) and (c)(3). Under that authority, BJS may make grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher education, private organizations, or private individuals to collect data and analyze statistical information about the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime and juvenile delinquency at federal, state, tribal, and local levels, as well as to study the operation of the criminal justice system across those levels. In other words, the solicitation is grounded in BJS's central mission: producing standardized, defensible statistics and research that help the public and decision-makers understand how the justice system functions and what outcomes it produces, including recidivism outcomes after prison release.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2023 Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.734.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 14, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 10, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O BJS 2023 171794

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