Studies have noted that historical trauma, exposure to violence, and substance abuse make Native American youth susceptible to becoming involved with the justice system. Four federal departments administered at least 38 grant programs (and about $1.9 billion) that could help prevent or address delinquency among Native American youth between FYs 2015-2018. These departments incorporated several lea...

In addition to their role in education, public schools serve as voting locations, emergency shelters, and more. But can people with disabilities access all public school buildings? Our national survey found two-thirds of school districts had facilities with physical barriers that may limit access. For example, steep ramps at school entrances can make it hard for people with disabilities to get in...

We testified about our report on whether there are racial or ethnic disparities in the military justice system and responses to that report’s recommendations. Among other things, we found In all military services Blacks and Hispanics were more likely than Whites to be tried in a court-martial proceeding Race was not a statistically significant factor for a conviction The military services do...

We looked at federal agencies’ efforts to hire and retain individuals with disabilities. Agencies hired about 143,600 persons with disabilities from 2011-2015—exceeding the federal target of 100,000. Agencies made an additional 79,600 hires in 2016 and 2017. About 39% of those with disabilities hired in 2011-2017 stayed less than a year, compared to about 43% of those without disabilities. A...

Federal agencies must enforce Title IX—which prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment—at universities receiving federal financial assistance. We looked at 5 agencies funding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and found: 4 of 5 agencies received 3 or fewer complaints over the last 5 years 2 of 5 agencies lack or have outdated complaint procedure...

Religious-based hate crimes are on the rise on America’s college campuses, according to data from the Departments of Education and Justice. DOJ offers publications, webpages, and educational activities to help colleges and campus law enforcement monitor and address these crimes. However, much of DOJ’s information is outdated and difficult to find in one place. In addition, many colleges are u...

Federal law prohibits employers from employment discrimination based on race and gender (among other things). The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) are the primary agencies that enforce these laws. We testified about challenges these agencies face in ensuring that employers meet equal employment...

Environmental justice seeks to address the disproportionately high health and environmental risks found among low-income and minority communities by seeking their fair treatment and involvement in environmental policy. California's mostly minority and low-income community of West Oakland, for example, is surrounded by 3 freeways and a port. Its residents are exposed to diesel air pollution 3 times...

Do women pay more than men for similar consumer products, giving rise to what some call a “Pink Tax”? After controlling for product size and other factors, prices for half of the personal care items we looked at are higher for women, including deodorants and fragrances. Some men's items cost more, such as razors. Whether the price differences are due to gender bias is unclear. Ad costs and co...

The federal government is one of the country's largest advertisers, spending nearly $1 billion annually on advertising contracts. As it does for virtually all of the products and services it buys, the government seeks to provide procurement opportunities for these contracts to certain socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses and to businesses of any size owned by minorities and wo...