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LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued a Request for Proposal to provide local jurisdictions with funding to support the implementation and evaluation of programs and initiatives designed to reduce racial and ethnic disparities at the juvenile justice arrest decision point.

Racial and ethnic disparities exist at various decision points within Michigan’s Juvenile Justice system, but start with arrest. A racial and ethnic disparity reduction in arrests may lead to further disparity reductions at other decision points.

Example of programs that could reduce racial and ethnic disparities at arrest include the following:

• Police-led programs, including civil citation programs.
• Service coordination programs, including case management and wraparound services that are family centered, strength-based, solution-focused and problem-solving processes.
• Counseling/skill-building programs, including individual/family-based treatment, mentoring.
• Restorative justice programs, including victim-offender mediation, family group conferences and teen court.
• School-based arrest diversion programs.
• Retail fraud diversion programs.

Eligible applicants include local units of government, law enforcement agencies and other entities that may increase or reduce the impact of racial and ethnic disparities at the arrest decision point through contact with youth and that have a Relative Rate Index of 1.62 or higher (ex. schools, community-based service providers). The Relative Rate Index is a method used to compare the (rate) of activity for each major stage of the juvenile justice system of minority youth compared to white (majority) youth.

Eligible counties are Berrien, Chippewa, Delta, Eaton, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Ingham, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Macomb, Mecosta, Muskegon, Oakland, Osceola, Otsego, Saginaw, St. Clair and Washtenaw.

Grant applications for the Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reduction (REDC-2024) RFP must be submitted electronically through the EGrAMS program by 3 p.m., April 20. The program period begins Oct. 1, 2023 and ends Sept. 30, 2024.

A pre-application conference will be held to provide instruction on using the EGrAMS system.  The pre-application conference will be held Wednesday, March 15, beginning at 9 a.m., and will last approximately 90 minutes. The webinar can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3IevDCb.

For more information or to apply, visit the EGrAMS website and select “About EGrAMS” link in the left panel to access the “Competitive Application Instructions” training manual. The complete RFP can be accessed under the ‘Current Grants’ section under the “Children’s Service Agency” link and selecting the “REDC-2024” grant program.