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Better Documentation of Discretionary Grant Monitoring Is Needed

NCJ Number
192147
Date Published
November 2001
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of an assessment of how well the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is monitoring its grants to ensure that grantees properly implement the programs that the grants support.
Abstract
The study involved interviews with officials from OJJDP and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) concerning discretionary grant monitoring activities, including OJJDP's activities to oversee its monitoring. The study reviewed OJP and OJJDP's grant monitoring requirements and selected and reviewed a representative sample of OJJDP demonstration discretionary grants that were active in all of fiscal years 1999 and/or 2000. This was done to determine whether OJJDP officials were adhering to the agency's discretionary grant monitoring requirements and how the results of its monitoring efforts were documented in its grant files. A similar review was conducted for a representative sample of OJJDP training and technical assistance grants. To determine OJJDP's oversight role in its discretionary grant-monitoring activities, the study reviewed information such as performance work plans. Discussions were held with OJJDP officials regarding steps taken to improve previously reported monitoring problems. Findings show that OJJDP has not consistently documented its grant-monitoring activities. OJJDP does not systematically monitor grant managers' compliance with its monitoring requirements or guidance or assess the effectiveness of OJJDP grant-monitoring practices. Recommendations pertain to OJJDP's need to improve its documentation of discretionary grant-monitoring activities. 2 figures and appended information on OJJDP's discretionary grant award process and comments on this report from the Department of Justice