Department of Justice:
Information on the Office of Professional Responsibility's Operations
GGD-00-187: Published: Aug 14, 2000. Publicly Released: Sep 13, 2000.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Office of Professional Responsibility's (OPR) operations, focusing on: (1) how OPR conducts its inquiries into allegations of misconduct by Department of Justice attorneys; (2) to what extent OPR's workload, as well as budget, have changed; (3) the possible range of disciplinary actions and procedures if employee misconduct is found; (4) OPR's oversight relationship with similar offices in other Justice components; (5) the degree to which OPR has implemented GAO's prior recommendations; and (6) how OPR is monitoring and implementing the Hyde Attorneys Fees Amendment and the Citizens Protection Act.
GAO noted that: (1) with regard to how OPR conducts its inquiries of allegations of misconduct involving Justice attorneys, OPR is to initially notify the attorney of the allegations and request a written response to the charges; (2) on the basis of the response, OPR is then to determine whether further investigation is necessary; (3) if further investigation is determined to be warranted, OPR is to interview relevant individuals and analyze necessary documentation; (4) after completing its investigation, OPR is to prepare a report of its findings and, if appropriate, include a recommended range of possible disciplinary actions; (5) if the matter appears to involve a violation of a criminal law, OPR is to refer the matter to Justice's Public Integrity Section or the appropriate U.S. Attorney's office; (6) with respect to OPR's workload, the number of authorized staff has remained fairly level at 33 to 35 over the past 4 fiscal years; (7) the authorized funding levels have risen from $3.8 million in 1997 to $4.2 million in 2000; (8) administrative disciplinary actions that can be taken when professional misconduct is found can range from an oral reprimand to termination of employment, depending on the circumstances of each case; (9) it is the responsibility of the head of the office where the attorney works to impose final disciplinary action and report to OPR on what action was taken; (10) Justice OPR is also responsible for overseeing the operations of two other Justice components, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (11) these agencies have established their own OPRs, which are tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct by employees in their respective agencies; (12) Justice OPR relies on FBI and DEA monthly status reports which show the number of matters opened and the disposition of closed matters, to stay abreast of their activities; (13) in response to recommendations in GAO's 1992 report, OPR has established written investigative procedures; (14) in response to the findings contained in GAO's 1994 report, the Attorney General issued an order clarifying the jurisdiction for both OPR and Justice's Office of the Inspector General; (15) with respect to Hyde Amendment cases, nine matters have been in various stages of investigation or inquiry and one had been closed by OPR on June 11, 2000; and (16) regarding implementing the Citizens Protection Act, OPR evaluates the subjects' conduct by applying the most stringent rules of either the state bar association where the subject is licensed or the state where the case took place.
Feb 24, 2021
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Pregnant Women in DOJ Custody:
U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons Should Better Align Policies with National GuidelinesGAO-21-147: Published: Jan 25, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 24, 2021.
Oct 26, 2020
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Intellectual Property:
CBP Has Taken Steps to Combat Counterfeit Goods in Small Packages but Could Streamline EnforcementGAO-20-692: Published: Sep 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
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Federal Criminal Restitution:
Department of Justice Has Ongoing Efforts to Improve Its Oversight of the Collection of Restitution and Tracking the Use of Forfeited AssetsGAO-20-676R: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 10, 2020
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Federal Tactical Teams:
Characteristics, Training, Deployments, and InventoryGAO-20-710: Published: Sep 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2020.
Sep 8, 2020
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VA Police:
Actions Needed to Improve Data Completeness and Accuracy on Use of Force Incidents at Medical CentersGAO-20-599: Published: Sep 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 8, 2020.
Aug 13, 2020
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Anti-Money Laundering:
FinCEN Should Enhance Procedures for Implementing and Evaluating Geographic Targeting OrdersGAO-20-546: Published: Jul 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 2020.
Jul 29, 2020
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Federal Prison Industries:
Actions Needed to Evaluate Program EffectivenessGAO-20-505: Published: Jul 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2020.
Jul 8, 2020
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Gun Control:
DOJ Can Further Improve Guidance on Federal Firearm Background Check RecordsGAO-20-528: Published: Jul 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
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Federal Prisons:
Additional Analysis Needed to Determine Whether to Issue Pepper Spray to Minimum Security PrisonsGAO-20-342: Published: Jun 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
May 26, 2020
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Bureau of Prisons:
Improved Planning Would Help BOP Evaluate and Manage Its Portfolio of Drug Education and Treatment ProgramsGAO-20-423: Published: May 26, 2020. Publicly Released: May 26, 2020.
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