A state audit of juvenile prevention programs funded by the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention found that some of the recipients have conflicts of interest because they serve on county councils that award the money.
State Auditor Les Merritt said in a news release that the audit did not find examples of abuse in the program. He said that the department and the county councils need to do a better job of monitoring the community programs they fund, Dan Kane reports.
Some data on the programs that auditors examined was found inaccurate.
The state department provides more than $20 million to county Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils, which then award it to community programs intended to reduce and prevent juvenile crime. Earlier this year, state lawmakers studied the JCPCs to determine if they were working properly before awarding them funding in this year's budget.
The audit found that JCPC council members in 14 counties — none in the Triangle — are also managers and directors of the programs they are funding. "Although our audit did not find abuse, these conflicting duties create the potential for abuse," the audit said.
Merritt said the audit findings are "real opportunities for State leaders and local managers to reinvest in JCPCs and work together to help build stronger communities."
In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, JCPCs funded 499 programs that served more than 34,000 youths.
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Re: Audit finds conflicts in juvenile justice
The fact that 499 programs that served more than 34,000 youths showed no abuse in the allocation of funds to them shows that all the people currently involved are working honestly to better the well-being of the eligible youths of the state. Good for them. They are working for the common good of all.
A potential for abuse should not lead one to pass up knowledgeble and interested participant leaders on the assumption they will cheat the system.