Inactive

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is a component of the U.S Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) with the mission to provide leadership and services in grant administration and ... The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is a component of the U.S Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) with the mission to provide leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities. BJA supports programs and initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, justice information sharing, countering terrorism, managing offenders, combating drug crime and abuse, adjudication, advancing tribal justice, crime prevention, protecting vulnerable populations, and capacity building. Its primary mission is to provide leadership and a range of assistance to local criminal justice agencies to make America’s communities safer. BJA accomplishes this mission by providing funding, training, technical assistance, and information to state and community criminal justice programs and by emphasizing the coordination of federal, state, and local efforts. The Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) was created to encourage states and counties to establish employment opportunities for inmates that approximate those found in the private sector. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing technical assistance to Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program certificate holders and their cost accounting centers to enhance prison industry programs, which assist incarcerated individuals in developing marketable skills that will increase job training and skills development as well as increase the likelihood of meaningful employment upon release. States or counties participating in the program must have statutory authority to administer prison industry projects. Project officials shall consult with organized labor and local private industry prior to start-up; pay prevailing local wages; assure that the certified program will not displace free-world workers; employ inmates only on a voluntary basis; provide benefits including the compensation of injured workers; comply with all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements; and involve the private sector. The Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Technical Assistance Program (PIECTAP) provides assistance to entities that hold PIECP certificates and to entities interested in applying for PIECP certificates. The Crime Control Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-647) continues the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP), which was originally authorized within the Justice System Improvement Act of 1979 (Pub. L. 96-157). This legislation provides exemption from federal constraints on the marketability of prisoner-made goods by permitting the sale of these products in interstate commerce (18 U.S.C. 1761(c)), the Sumners-Ashurst Act, 1948) and contracting in excess of $10,000 with the Federal Government (41 U.S.C. 35(d), the Walsh-Healey Act, 1936). Fifty (50) non-federal prison industry programs may be certified for this exemption when their operations have been determined by the Director of BJA to meet statutory requirements and other guidelines. Currently there are 1 federal, 40 state and 4 county-based certified correctional industry programs (a total of 45 PIECP certificate holders), with 219 business partnerships or Cost Accounting Centers (CACs). BJA provides training and technical assistance to ensure that PIECP Certificate Holders comply with PIECP statute and guidelines. The primary objective of the PIECP is to certify that local or state prison industry programs meet all the necessary requirements to be exempt from federal restrictions on prisoner-made goods in interstate commerce. These certified prison industry programs place inmates in realistic work environments, pay them prevailing wages, and give them a chance to develop marketable skills that will increase their potential for rehabilitation and meaningful employment upon release. The primary purpose of the PIECTAP is to provide technical assistance to current PIECP certificate holders and related cost CACs to ensure they are operating PIECP projects in accordance with 18 U.S.C. 1761(c) and the BJA PIECP guidelines (64 Fed. Reg. 17000-17016 (April 7, 1999)). Additionally, technical assistance is provided to applicants that are interested in applying for a certificate under PIECP and ensuring that certificate holders deemed non-compliant receive the necessary assistance to become compliant with program guidelines. This project entails assisting up to 50 PIECP certificate holders held by state and local governmental agencies nationwide. The technical assistance provider under PIECP works with the public and private sectors to provide the latest information and strategies on prison industries and to enhance certificate holders' prison industry programs. The successful applicant will be required to work collaboratively with BJA to accomplish the following deliverables. The overall scope of PIETAP includes assisting PIECP certificate holders and CACs with implementing and operating PIECP in accordance with 18 U.S.C. 1761(c) and the BJA PIECP requirements, including eligibility, inmate wages, non-inmate worker displacement, benefits, deductions, voluntary PIECP inmate worker participation, consultation with organized labor, consultation with local private industry, and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Additionally, technical assistance will include providing technical assistance to entities interested in applying for a PIECP certificate. Technical assistance will be limited to entities that hold PIECP certificates and to entities interested in applying for PIECP certificates. The scope of assistance provided under this award is limited to those technical issues related to compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and certification procedures. State correctional agencies seeking assistance in developing a prison industry program to further successful reentry and related goals may be eligible to receive assistance from other OJP/BJA training and technical assistance providers. The contractor will assist BJA with planning and ongoing activities as necessary to support PIECP.