OJJDP Reporting Requirements for Discretionary and Formula Grantees and Concerns About Evaluation Studies

• NCJ Number: 192146
• Date Published: October 2001
• Length: 101 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: US Government Accountability Office; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Report to the Honorable Bob Schaffer, House of Representatives; downloaded 11/29/2001.

Annotation

This report presents the methodology and findings of a review of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) major programs, as well as the evaluations it has funded.

Abstract

Specifically, the study obtained information on programmatic reporting requirements for OJJDP grantees, the reasons for these requirements, and examples of the information grantees have reported, along with information on how many juveniles OJJDP grantees reported directly serving in fiscal year 2000 and whether OJJDP requires grantees to report the number of juveniles they directly serve. Further, the study analyzed the methodological rigor of the impact evaluations OJJDP has funded for its own programs since 1995. A review of OJJDP's major programs found that although virtually all grantees are required to report on their progress twice a year, the information they reported varied. There were eight programs in which all grantees reported the number of juveniles they directly served. These eight programs reported serving approximately 142,000 juveniles in fiscal year 2000. An in-depth review of 10 of OJJDP's impact evaluations undertaken since 1995 raised concerns about whether many of the evaluations would produce definitive results. All of these evaluations are still ongoing. Two of the evaluations that are in their later stages and three of those that are in their formative stages lack specific plans for comparison groups, which would aid in isolating the impacts of the programs from the effects of other factors that may have influenced change. This report recommends that the five evaluations that are in their formative stages ensure that potential problems related to comparison groups and data collection are mitigated. Appendixes contain OJJDP awards data for fiscal years 1996 through 2000; OJJDP's process for disseminating published products; a categorical assistance progress report form; descriptions of OJJDP programs, reporting requirements, and examples of reported information; training and technical assistance and research performance data reported by OJJDP grantees; and information on evaluations funded by OJJDP. 12 tables and 2 figures