Audit of the Office of Justice Programs Victim Assistance Funds Subawarded by the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to the Southern Crescent Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center, Hampton, Georgia

• NCJ Number: 309322
• Date Published: February 2024
• Length: 22 pages

Annotation

This audit examines how Southern Crescent used Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds to assist crime victims.

Abstract

The objective of this DOJ Office of the Inspector General audit was to review how Southern Crescent used Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to assist crime victims and assess whether it accounted for these funds in compliance with award requirements, terms, and conditions. The authors concluded that Southern Crescent provided services to victims of crime in the city of Hampton, Georgia, and the surrounding counties. However, the authors also found that Southern Crescent could improve certain areas of its subaward financial management. The audit concluded that Southern Crescent provided direct services to victims of sexual assault and child abuse in accordance with award requirements but failed to submit timely a budget adjustment request related to a change in employee compensation. The Georgia CJCC did not catch this oversight and approved the higher-than-budgeted personnel cost. Southern Crescent eventually corrected the issue. In addition, some employees did not complete their VOCA timesheets accurately and in a timely manner, as required by the subrecipient’s own policy. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provided funds to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (Georgia CJCC) to make subawards to support victim assistance programs in the state of Georgia. The Georgia CJCC awarded $986,711 in crime victim assistance funds to the Southern Crescent Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center (Southern Crescent) under one subaward in October 2021 and two subawards in October 2022. The purpose of Southern Crescent’s subawards was to provide services to victims of crime such as counseling, forensic interviews, and medical evaluations. As of August 2023, the Georgia CJCC had reimbursed Southern Crescent a cumulative amount of $749,942 for the three subawards reviewed. The report contains two recommendations to OJP to assist Georgia CJCC and the Southern Crescent in improving its award management and administration.