District of Columbia Jail: Management Challenges Exist in Improving Facility Conditions

In our August 2004 report on conditions at the District of Columbia Jail, we recommended that the District's Department of Corrections (DOC) and Department of Health (DOH) coordinate with one another to develop a DOH inspection report format that will provide DOC with specific information on the date, time, and location of each health and safety deficiency identified by DOH during its inspection process. We noted that this could help DOC determine the prevalence of the identified deficiency, whether it was new or recurring, if the deficiency had already been fixed, and if health and safety conditions at the facilities were generally improving, worsening, or staying the same over time. In September 2006, the DOC Director wrote GAO that (1)a DOH inspection reporting tool like the one GAO recommended had been developed; (2) the tool would be used for all future inspections of the Jail, and (3) the tool would be further modified to reflect the time that DOH inspectors began the inspection of an area within the facility, and the time they completed it. The DOC Director provided a copy of the inspection tool that had been developed, and the tool showed that it had been formatted to include the specific location and date of the DOH inspection. The tool had not been formatted to record the time of the inspection, however. In a letter dated September 5, 2008, the DOH Director stated that he had spoken with the DOC Director and Deputy Director the previous day. According to the DOH Director, the DOC officials told him that officers at the DC Correctional Facility do record the time of entry and exit for the areas inspected by DOH. The DOH Director added that DOH will amend its inspection forms to include the time of entry and exit for each inspected area to ensure uniformity with the DOC.

Our August 2004 report noted that the District of Columbia's Office of Property Management had formed a working group and begun to take steps toward developing policies and procedures to guide its project managers in planning and managing capital improvement projects. We recommended that timeframes be established for the working group to complete its assignment. In June 2005, a Procedures Manual for Capital Improvement Projects was issued, and the manual identifies the process and procedures the Office of Property Management is to use in administering capital construction programs for facilities construction projects. The manual includes sections for project development, design procurement, design administration, construction procurement, construction administration, and closeout of contracts. The recommendation has been fully implemented and is considered closed.