Bureau of Prisons, Law Enforcement Issues on GAO High-Risk List
Strengthening Management of the Federal Prison System was added to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) high-risk list for 2023.
The list comes out every two years at the start of a new Congress and details government and operations that are “susceptible to waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement or are in need of reform.”
In 2021, GAO cited management at the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) as an “emerging high-risk issue.”
But GAO says BOP has addressed just 22 of its recommendations since then, with 28 that need to be fully addressed.
“I regret our efforts since 2021 were not sufficient to prevent this placement on the high-risk list; however, I am confident the processes and procedures now in place will ensure future success,” BOP Director Colette Peters said in a statement.
BOP Staffing Challenges
GAO cited issues with staffing at Bureau of Prisons (BOP) as one of the main reasons for its placement on the high-risk list.
The report says job vacancies at BOP and the use of overtime to plug gaps “present a serious threat to inmate and staff safety” and that BOP does not have reliable methods for assessing staffing levels.
GAO Managing Director for Homeland Security and Justice Charles Johnson told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that BOP has a “15% gap in their authorized staffing levels.”
GAO also cited BOP for its lack of leadership continuity, as the agency is on its sixth director or acting director in six years and for issues planning and evaluating programs that help incarcerated people have a successful return to civilian life upon their release.
GAO said successful implementation of the 2018 First Step Act, which was designed to reduce recidivism and made reforms to the corrections and sentencing process, “could reduce the amount of time inmates serve in prison, the recidivism among federally incarcerated people, and costs to the U.S. taxpayer.”
Cybersecurity and Staffing Concerns
BOP was far from the only issue impacting the federal law enforcement community on the GAO high-risk list.
Strategic human capital management remains on the list, as it has on every list since GAO started publishing them in 2001.
GAO mentions the skills gap as a high-risk area particularly in human resources, acquisitions, and cybersecurity, with the government in competition with the private sector for highly skilled technical workers.
Cybersecurity issues remain on the list overall as a high-risk area. GAO says less than a quarter of the more than 4,000 cyber recommendations made to agencies since 2010 have been addressed.
Drug Efforts, Tax Enforcement Cited
Appearing on the list for the second time is National Efforts to Prevent, Respond to, and Recover from Drug Misuse.
GAO says plans were only partially met in improve monitoring and data collection efforts on drug abuse and that the federal government still needs to “expand resources for the prevention, treatment, and recovery from drug misuse.”
Also on the list is Enforcement of Tax Laws. GAO says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs to “increase its capacity to implement new initiatives, improve ongoing enforcement and taxpayer service programs, and combat identity theft (IDT) refund fraud.”
Department of Defense (DOD) High-Risk Concerns
There were a number of issues concerning DOD that remain on the high-risk list. These include:
· DOD Weapons Systems Acquisition
· DOD Financial Management
· DOD Business Systems Modernization
· DOD Approach to Business Transformation
· DOD Contract Management
Financial Management at DOD has been on the list for roughly 30 years. GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro told Senators that staffing is a key issue in that risk area.
“Their financial systems are not reliable in a number of cases, they don’t have good internal controls over their property over their inventory systems,” Dodaro said. “They also don’t have the full type of skills in their workforce that they need in those areas.”