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GAO-23-106012 1 (2023-06-13)

handle is hein.gao/gaootz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: G $ U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 June 13, 2023 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Minority Leader United States Senate The Honorable Mike Braun United States Senate The Honorable Ted Cruz United States Senate The Honorable Bill Hagerty United States Senate BAIL: Information on Whether DOJ Grants Were Used to Fund Cash Bond In U.S. courts, judges generally determine whether defendants charged with a crime should be detained or released. Bail is the process of release and requires a contract between an individual and the court-otherwise known as a bond. Bonds can be financial, such as a cash bond, or non-financial, such as the promise to appear in court. The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ), in part, is to keep the U.S. safe and to protect civil rights. DOJ awards federal assistance to state and local governments, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, and educational institutions through its many grant programs. Authorizing statutes and annual appropriations establish and fund these programs. DOJ has three grant-making components: the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). These components are responsible for managing and administering the grants they provide to ensure that the recipients implement them consistent with applicable authorizing and appropriations statutes, pertinent regulatory requirements, and the grants' terms and conditions. For example, these components manage and administer grants by requiring recipients to submit quarterly financial reports and semiannual performance reports, and using these reports to monitor activities paid for with the grant funds.1 You asked us to review issues related to nonprofits using federal grant funds to pay cash bond for bail on behalf of individuals. This report discusses the extent to which (1) DOJ grant funds have been awarded to nonprofits and used to pay cash bond for bail, and (2) prohibitions exist in statute or regulation to prevent such use. 1DOJ grant recipients may also subaward funding to subrecipients. These subrecipients are required to report information to the recipient of a DOJ grant, and the recipient is responsible for monitoring that its subrecipients comply with statutory or regulatory requirements and the terms and conditions of the subaward. 2 C.F.R. § 200.332. GAO-23-106012 Information on DOJ Grants and Cash Bond Page 1