§945. Program design

A. The commission shall establish the program application and award process, including but not limited to the following items:

(1) The requirements for initial and renewal grant applications, including the following:

(a) The requirement that the children and youth planning board within each judicial district will be responsible for grant application and implementation for that judicial district. In the event that a group of judicial districts apply jointly, each children and youth planning board within the group of judicial districts shall indicate in writing its consent to the application, and all applicant districts together shall designate a committee of persons who shall be responsible for the grant application and implementation.

(b) A description of the proposed program region and the juvenile justice need the program is intended to meet.

(c) A description of how the proposed program collaborates with schools, courts, private entities serving children and families, the office of juvenile justice, and local governmental departments or divisions of juvenile services.

(d) A description of performance measures to be utilized to measure the outcome and overall impact of the program.

(2) The procedure for review of the grant applications and the award of the grants including the following:

(a) A committee that includes subject matter experts to review the applications.

(b) Criteria to be utilized in awarding the grants, including but not limited to the following:

(i) The use of evidence-based practices in program design.

(ii) How the program reduces the use of out-of-home placements.

(iii) How the program reduces recidivism.

(iv) How the program establishes or utilizes educational, vocational, substance abuse, behavioral health, mental health, or family intervention services, and local alternatives to detention.

(v) Whether grant funds will be used to leverage existing funding resources or increase access to existing resources.

(vi) Geographical distribution.

(vii) The number of youth potentially served by the program or service.

(viii) The cost of the program or service.

(ix) The existence of similar services in the judicial district.

(3) The criteria for renewal of a grant awarded by the program, provided that:

(a) Such criteria shall include a twenty percent reduction in the relevant applicant's detention admissions, commitments to the office of juvenile justice, or a combination thereof, as compared to the applicant's baseline.

(b) If an applicant meets the reductions required in this Subsection, the applicant may be considered for grant renewal. Grants are not guaranteed to be renewed, and an application shall be submitted for consideration of renewal.

(c) If the applicant has substantially complied with the requirements of the program, but has not attained the reductions required in this Subsection, the applicant may apply for a grant renewal if there is a fifteen percent reduction in detention admissions, commitments to the office of juvenile justice, or a combination thereof during year one as compared to the applicant's baseline.

(d) Detentions and office of juvenile justice commitments for crimes of violence as specified in R.S. 14:2 shall not be counted in the calculation of reductions for a judicial district.

B. A judicial district or group of districts may apply for the program until its population of detention admissions and office of juvenile justice commitments is reduced by sixty percent as compared to the applicant's baseline, if the judicial district meets the reductions described in Subsection A of this Section, the district may continue to apply for funding if the required reductions are maintained.

Acts 2016, No. 499, §1.