NCJ Number
248910
Date Published
April 2015
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This report by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) presents the methodology and findings of its review of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) administration of grants under the provisions of the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCA).
Abstract
Attention was given to the extent to which OJJDP ensures the timely expenditure of VOCA grants and assessments of the performance of VOCA grantees. The focus of this study was on the administration of the 28 VOCA grants awarded from fiscal years 2010 through 2013. This report concludes that OJJDP has several administrative review and approval processes in place that have contributed to delays in grantees' ability to begin spending their grant funds. In addition, OJJDP's guidance on grant extensions is unclear and irregularly enforced. Further, OJJDP does not have complete data needed to assess VOCA grantees' performance according to the measures it has established; and some grantees have reported that they have not received guidance on which measures to include in their required reports. In addressing the aforementioned issues, GAO recommends that the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) work with OJJDP to examine and address its administrative review processes so as to reduce delays in grantee VOCA spending. OJJDP should also establish and enforce a clear grant extension policy. OJJDP should also better align the VOCA performance measures with available data-collection tools while also clarifying grantee reporting requirements. GAO analyzed OJJDP documentation from fiscal years 2010 through 2013. Interviews were conducted with justice Department officials and the universe of VOCA grantees regarding their experiences with the program. 5 tables, 3 figures, and appended supplementary data and information