text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Civic Justice Corps Act of 2011''.
  
  SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
  
      The purpose of this Act is to develop, implement, and expand 
  educational and work experience opportunities for court-involved, 
  previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young 
  adults through service and conservation corps and other community-based 
  service organizations.
  
  SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
  
      The Congress finds as follows:
              (1) On any given day, more than 500,000 juvenile court 
          cases in the United States end in incarceration or probation.
              (2) The per diem cost of locking up one young person in a 
          juvenile facility ranges from $24 in Wyoming to $726 in 
          Connecticut, but the American Correctional Association 
          estimates that, on average, it costs States $240.99 per day, or 
          around $88,000 a year, for every young person in a juvenile 
          facility.
              (3) States spend nearly $6,000,000,000 a year incarcerating 
          youth.
              (4) Youth who are imprisoned are up to 50 percent more 
          likely to recidivate than their counterparts who remain in 
          their communities.
              (5) Nearly 70 percent of youth in residential facilities 
          have been adjudicated for nonviolent offenses and could be 
          safely managed within their communities.
              (6) The most effective programs at reducing recidivism 
          rates and promoting positive life outcomes for youth are 
          administered within communities, outside of the criminal 
          juvenile justice system.
              (7) In the United States there are more than 150 service 
          and conservation corps, the direct descendants of the Civilian 
          Conservation Corps of the 1930s, that operate in all 50 States, 
          provide educational and economic opportunities to more than 
          30,000 young people each year, and make important contributions 
          in the communities in which they are located.
              (8) The Civic Justice Corps Model, developed by The Corps 
          Network in conjunction with the Gates and Open Society 
          Foundations, utilizes community service projects to deliver 
          life skills, education, workforce readiness, and supportive and 
          transitional services to formerly incarcerated and court-
          involved youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25.
              (9) Data from 14 original Civic Justice Corps sites 
          demonstrate 80 percent post-program participant placement rates 
          and 11 percent recidivism rates among program participants (as 
          opposed to the prevailing recidivism rate of 50 to 70 percent).
  
  SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) Civic justice corps model.--The term ``Civic Justice 
          Corps Model'' refers to programs that--
                      (A) intentionally recruit and primarily enroll as 
                  participants in the program court-involved, previously 
                  incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and 
                  young adults between the ages of 16 and 25;
                      (B) provide such participants with educational 
                  programming and support designed to lead to a high 
                  school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
                      (C) provide such participants with assessment, 
                  career planning, workforce readiness, and service or 
                  work experience designed to lead to unsubsidized 
                  employment, enrollment in postsecondary education or an 
                  apprenticeship program, the obtainment of an industry-
                  recognized credential, or some other type of career 
                  pathway program, including military service;
                      (D) demonstrate relationships with local criminal, 
                  juvenile justice, and other social service agencies and 
                  provide a range of supportive and transitional services 
                  to participants;
                      (E) engage participants in relevant, necessary, and 
                  team-based community service projects designed to 
                  instill life and jobs skills and long-term civic 
                  engagement;
                      (F) demonstrate relationships with local boards (as 
                  such term is defined in section 101 of the Workforce 
                  Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801)) and local 
                  employers and can provide participants with appropriate 
                  post-program placements;
                      (G) require participants to be enrolled in the 
                  program for not less than 6 months, and provide 
                  participants with at least 12 months of post-program 
                  support and services;
                      (H) collect post-program data for at least the 12 
                  months after such participants complete the program; 
                  and
                      (I) have in place a plan for sustaining the program 
                  after the expiration of the grant.
              (2) Local subgrantee.--The term ``local subgrantee'' refers 
          to a service and conservation corps or other community-based 
          service organization that--
                      (A) has been competitively selected by a national 
                  intermediary to carry out a Civic Justice Corps program 
                  that implements the Civic Justice Corps Model; and
                      (B) demonstrates--
                              (i) a local need for a Civic Justice Corps 
                          program;
                              (ii) the ability to recruit and enroll 
                          court-involved, previously incarcerated, and 
                          otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults 
                          between the ages of 16 and 25;
                              (iii) the ability to provide the education, 
                          workforce development, service and work 
                          experience, and supportive and follow-up 
                          services described in paragraph (1);
                              (iv) relationships with local criminal, 
                          juvenile justice, and social service agencies;
                              (v) relationships with local boards (as 
                          such term is defined in section 101 of the 
                          Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
                          2801)) and employers and the ability to place 
                          participants upon program completion;
                              (vi) the ability to collect data and report 
                          on the performance measures described in 
                          section 6(b); and
                              (vii) a plan to sustain the Civic Justice 
                          Corps program after the expiration of the 
                          subgrant.
              (3) National intermediary.--The term ``national 
          intermediary'' means a national nonprofit organization that--
                      (A) has experience in developing and administering 
                  programs that utilize community service to deliver 
                  education and work experience to court-involved, 
                  formerly incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged 
                  youth;
                      (B) demonstrates an ability to administer a 
                  competitive subgrant process that will result in the 
                  selection of no less than nine geographically diverse 
                  local subgrantees to carry out Civil Justice Corps 
                  programs that implement the Civic Justice Corps Model;
                      (C) demonstrates an ability to provide training and 
                  technical assistance to subgrantees; and
                      (D) has the ability to collect information from the 
                  subgrantees on the performance measures described in 
                  section 6(b) and report such information to the 
                  Attorney General on an annual basis.
              (4) Service and conservation corps.--The term ``service and 
          conservation corps'' means any State or local service or 
          conservation corps, including a service or conservation corps 
          carried out under the national service laws.
  
  SEC. 5. CIVIC JUSTICE CORPS GRANTS.
  
      (a) In General.--The Attorney General shall award grants to one or 
  more national intermediaries to develop, implement, and collect data 
  from Civic Justice Corps programs administered by no fewer than nine 
  local subgrantees in diverse geographic locations.
      (b) Grant and Subgrant Periods.--Each grant awarded to a national 
  intermediary, and each subgrant awarded to a local subgrantee, under 
  this section shall be for a period of 3 years.
      (c) Use of Grant Funds.--
              (1) In general.--Each national intermediary receiving a 
          grant under this section shall make at least nine subgrants to 
          local subgrantees to carry out Civil Justice Corps programs 
          that implement the Civil Justice Corps Model described in 
          section 4(1) with the funds provided under such subgrant.
              (2) Reservation.--Each national intermediary receiving a 
          grant under this section shall reserve--
                      (A) not less than 90 percent for subgrants to local 
                  subgrantees; and
                      (B) not more than 10 percent for training and 
                  technical assistance to, and data collection from, such 
                  local subgrantees.
      (d) Use of Subgrants.--An entity receiving a subgrant under this 
  section shall use the funds made available through such subgrant to 
  carry out a Civic Justice Corps program that implements the Civic 
  Justice Corps Model. Such program shall include the provision of 
  educational programming and support to participants, which may 
  include--
              (1) basic instruction and remedial education;
              (2) language instruction for individuals with limited 
          English proficiency;
              (3) secondary education services and activities, including 
          drop-out prevention, tutoring, and other activities;
              (4) preparation for and access to postsecondary education 
          opportunities, including counseling and assistance with 
          applying for student financial aid;
              (5) work readiness training, which may include--
                      (A) development of basic skills, such as--
                              (i) arriving on time to work;
                              (ii) being prepared to work;
                              (iii) working independently;
                              (iv) working with others;
                              (v) working safely; and
                              (vi) demonstrating a commitment to produce 
                          high quality work;
                      (B) development of job-specific occupational skills 
                  and on-the-job training; and
                      (C) assessment of skills, career counseling, and 
                  job search assistance; and
              (6) development and monitoring of individual education and 
          career plans.
  
  SEC. 6. REPORTS.
  
      (a) Annual Reports to the Attorney General.--Each national 
  intermediary receiving a grant under this Act shall submit a report 
  annually to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and 
  providing such information as the Attorney General may require, 
  including information on the performance measures reported by 
  subgrantees in accordance with subsection (b).
      (b) Subgrantee Reports on Performance Measures.--Each entity 
  receiving a subgrant under this section shall annually report to the 
  national intermediary that awarded such subgrant on the following 
  performance measures of participant progress:
              (1) The obtainment of a high school diploma, a recognized 
          equivalent, or some other industry-recognized credential.
              (2) Post-program placement for each participant in one of 
          the following, and total post-program placement rates for each 
          of the following:
                      (A) Unsubsidized employment.
                      (B) Postsecondary education.
                      (C) A registered apprenticeship or further job 
                  training.
                      (D) A career pathway program, including military 
                  service.
              (3) Post-program recidivism rates.
  
  SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  
      There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
  $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2018.
target: Civic Justice Corps Act of 2011 - Directs the Attorney General to award three-year Civic Justice Corps grants to national nonprofit organizations (national intermediaries) that have experience in developing and administering programs to deliver education and work experience to court-involved, formerly incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25.  Requires such organizations to develop, implement, and collect data from Civic Justice Corps programs administered by at least nine local subgrantees in diverse geographic locations.  Requires national intermediaries and subgrantees to submit annual reports on performance measures of participant progress.
feat_title: To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults.