Competitive and Noncompetitive Grant Awards Made by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Gao ID: GGD-85-6 October 26, 1984

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the discretionary grant award program conducted by the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), focusing on OJJDP policies and practices pertaining to the award of competitive and noncompetitive grants, and comparing OJJDP grant practices to those of other federal agencies.

GAO found that the number of noncompetitive grant awards by OJJDP decreased from 51 percent of the total number of grant awards in fiscal year 1982 to 41 percent during the first part of fiscal year 1984. However, GAO also found that, during the same time period, the amount OJJDP spent on noncompetitive grant awards increased from 39 percent to 70 percent of the total grant funds awarded. Pursuant to its policies for grant awards, OJJDP provided written justification for noncompetitive awards. In addition, GAO found that, unlike other federal agencies that award large numbers of grants, OJJDP uses its own personnel to evaluate grant applications, rather than a peer review process.



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