The Emergency Witness Assistance Program
Report Number I-2001-002
| MEMORANDUM FOR: | Mark T. Calloway
Director Executive Office for United States Attorneys |
| FROM: | Glenn A. Fine Inspector General |
| SUBJECT: | Inspection of the Emergency Witness Assistance Program, I-2001-002 |
Attached is the final report on our inspection of the Emergency Witness Assistance Program (EWAP). The inspection reviewed the EWAP in the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) and selected United States Attorneys' offices to determine whether the program is administered properly and whether the program is achieving its purpose.
We found that the EWAP is a low-cost program that provides immediate benefits to witnesses and helps them to participate in the prosecution of federal cases. However, use of the EWAP by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) has resulted in problems that were not envisioned when the program was developed. Some witnesses who cooperated in cases prosecuted by the USAO-DC face longer-term repercussions that require financial assistance and social services that are not covered within EWAP guidelines. We also found that administration of the EWAP should be strengthened. At the time of our review, the EOUSA had not established program goals, performance measures, and associated data collection requirements for the EWAP nor assessed its effectiveness. We made four recommendations that address these concerns.
We sent copies of the draft report to your office on February 9, 2001, and requested written comments on the findings and recommendations. We have attached your comments as an appendix to the final report. On the basis of the written comments we received, we consider Recommendations 1, 2, 3, and 4 resolved and closed. Therefore, the inspection report is closed and no further action by EOUSA is required.
We appreciate the courtesies extended to our inspection staff. We hope the information contained in the attached report will be useful in your efforts to improve and enhance the EWAP.
Attachment
| cc: | David Downs
Liaison Executive Office for United States Attorneys Vickie L. Sloan
|