DOT - Judicial Fellows and Outreach Liaisons Program - MRAS

The Department of Transportation (DOT), through the General Services Administration (GSA), is conducting market research to support the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) mission. NHTSA is focused on saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs associated with road traffic crashes. The agency achieves this through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement activities. A critical aspect of their mission includes addressing equity in traffic safety programs as outlined in Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

The primary focus of this solicitation is to enhance the judicial system's capacity to effectively adjudicate impaired driving cases across federal, state, and local levels. The initiative aims to reduce recidivism among impaired driving offenders by developing curriculum and programs that will empower judges, hearing officers, and magistrates. This effort will be carried out through a Cooperative Agreement that seeks to expand the Judicial Outreach Liaison (JOL) program. This program promotes collaboration among judges and encourages evidence-based courtroom practices such as Driving While Impaired (DWI) Courts and individualized sentencing.

Additionally, this project involves creating or refining training curricula tailored for various judges, including Tribal Judges, non-lawyer judges, and those handling military personnel cases. The training will focus on effective use of screening tools and individualized sentencing strategies specific to DWI offenders. The Judicial Fellows program will also play a role by engaging with stakeholders like Tribal and Military Judges, Toxicologists, and Probation Officers to foster comprehensive understanding and application of these practices.

The Cooperative Agreement outlines specific activities such as a kick-off meeting within thirty days of award where project administration details are discussed with NHTSA personnel. Following this meeting, a revised work plan must be submitted reflecting initial discussions about curriculum development plans. The overall goal is not only to implement these programs but also to evaluate their effectiveness in improving judicial outcomes related to impaired driving cases.