VENTURA (Feb. 12, 2015) – The Board of State and Community Corrections today approved the issuance of a Request for Proposals for the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant program. The 2014-15 State Budget Act appropriates $18 million to support strategies to reduce recidivism in the state’s mentally ill offender population. Half of the funding will be for projects designed for mentally ill adult offenders and half will target juvenile offenders with mental health issues. Grant funds will be awarded to programs that provide cost-effective alternatives to incarceration for juveniles, that reduce crime and criminal justice costs, and that maximize local recourses for prevention, intervention, detention and after care services for adult and juvenile offenders, among other criteria. The goal is to improve quality of life for offenders while maintaining public safety. Each successful grantee must provide ongoing monitoring and data collection. Counties can request up to $950,000 for the three-year grant cycle. For more information please contact Helene Zentner at 916-323-8631 or Helene.Zentner@bscc.ca.gov The RFP can be found by Feb. 13, 2015 at www.bscc.ca.gov