Limited English Proficiency
Civil rights requirements associated with OJP awards
November 2020
This webpage is intended to give applicants for OJP awards a general overview of award requirements that relate to civil rights and nondiscrimination. These requirements will be addressed in several of the "General Conditions" for FY 2021 OJP awards. Certain OJP awards will include additional conditions related to civil rights and nondiscrimination.
Civil rights requirements associated with OJP awards
October 2019
This webpage is intended to give applicants for OJP awards a general overview of award requirements that relate to civil rights and nondiscrimination. These requirements will be addressed in several of the "General Conditions" for FY 2020 OJP awards. Certain OJP awards will include additional conditions related to civil rights and nondiscrimination.
Office for Civil Rights — Training for Grantees
Limited English Proficient
Discrimination on the Basis of National Origin
Courts have interpreted Title VI's prohibition of discrimination on the basis of national origin to include discrimination based on English proficiency. Under Title VI (and the Safe Streets Act), recipients are required to provide LEP individuals with meaningful access to their programs and services. Providing "meaningful access" will generally involve some combination of services for oral interpretation and written translation of vital documents.
Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights at the Office of Justice Programs ensures that recipients of financial assistance from OJP, as well as the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office on Violence Against Women, comply with federal laws that prohibit discrimination in employment and the delivery of services or benefits based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, and disability. See Civil Rights Requirements for more information.
Recipients of financial assistance from OVW are also prohibited from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. For more information, see Nondiscrimination Grant Condition in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.
Employees, beneficiaries and applicants for employment or services of any of the above who believe that they have experienced unlawful discrimination may file a complaint.
The Investigative Findings page captures information for a selection of OCR investigations.
Contacts
Director: Michael Alston
OCR Main Line: 202-307-0690
Fax: 202-354-4380
TDD/TTY: 202-307-2027
OCR E-mail: [email protected]
Resources
Other federal civil rights agencies: