Summary

GAO reviewed the affirmative action programs within the Department of Justice and each of its seven bureaus for the period from July 1974 through September 1978. Attention was focused on the practices affecting the structure and implementation of the affirmative action programs; employment recruitment, selection, promotion, training, and assignment; and the discrimination complaint process. This is a final report discussing the following aspects of the equal employment opportunity affirmative action programs: attitudes and perceptions involving women and minorities; salary differentials for employees; the model developed to forecast Justice's equal employment opportunity profile; Justice-wide improvements needed in equal employment opportunity programs; and improvements needed in the discrimination complaint system.

Some progress has been made by Justice since GAO began work; however, the programs need strengthening. More leadership and commitment by management could speed up the accomplishment of the equal employment opportunity goals. Forecasting models and questionnaires are tools that provide indicators of program problems, yet Justice had not used modeling techniques to evaluate its programs.