Propriety of Personnel Actions and Use of Consultants by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed recent personnel actions and the procurement of consultants by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to determine whether they were proper.

GAO reviewed 22 personnel actions, affecting employees at the GS-12 level and above, which were initiated between November 1982 and September 1983 and determined that 20 of the actions were proper and in accordance with personnel regulations. However, two employees had filed grievances questioning the propriety of their reassignments from supervisory to nonsupervisory positions. Because the grievances had not been resolved at the time of the GAO review, GAO did not determine the propriety of these actions. Subsequently, the agency's action in one grievance was upheld by a factfinder, and the second grievance was terminated without the need for remedial action. From November 1982 through September 1982, the agency contracted with 8 consultants for 11 contracts costing more than $500 each and totaling about $107,000. The consultants were procured to do specific tasks and to provide expert advice and assistance. GAO found no improprieties in the use of these consultants.