Risk Assessment: Conducting Prison Security Audits

The Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons is soliciting one applicant to establish and manage a 12-month prison security audit training program under Assistance Listing 16.601 (Corrections Training and Staff Development), with applications due July 20, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The total award is $175,000 as a single cooperative agreement with no cost share requirement.

Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education including tribal entities, provided they waive profit or fees for services and furnish proof of 501(c)(3) status or tribal authorization. Federal agencies, state governments, county governments, and city governments are ineligible.

The awardee must deliver a 36-hour training curriculum across two training events, accommodating up to 24 participants each. Faculty must hold minimum five years of correctional experience at Deputy Warden level or above, three years of training delivery experience, and documented prison security audit experience. All faculty travel and lodging costs are the awardee's responsibility. Training locations include South Dakota Department of Corrections for the first event and a to-be-determined location for the second.

Key deliverables include curriculum updates incorporating restrictive housing and administrative accountability sections, readiness protocol enhancement, pre-program logistics coordination, faculty development establishing a cadre of six qualified trainers, audit reporting within 30 days of facility completion, post-audit virtual coaching (up to 8 hours per facility), national conference presentation preparation, and evaluation collaboration with National Institute of Corrections research analysts. The program comprises one full day of classroom instruction, three and one-half days of prison-based audit work, and a half-day executive closeout, concluding with a comprehensive remediation report prepared for each audited facility.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov must include SF-424 forms, project abstract, 30-page program narrative, budget detail worksheet, budget narrative, logic model, timeline/milestone chart, resumes of key personnel, VPAT accessibility compliance report, and proof of organizational status.