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An Audit Report on the Collection Improvement Program at the Office of Court Administration

November 2013

Report Number 14-011

Overall Conclusion

The Office of Court Administration's (Office) Collection Improvement Program (Program) provides training and consultation to counties and cities to improve the collection of court costs, fees, and fines imposed in criminal cases, as required by statute , rules, and the Office's own policies. The Office should strengthen the assistance it provides by:

- Ensuring that it provides sufficient opportunities for training to all counties and cities that are required to participate in the Program.

- Surveying counties and cities more frequently about the effectiveness of the Office's assistance.

- Identifying counties and cities with model collection programs to serve as resources for other counties and cities.

Additionally, the Office should strengthen its processes and related controls to help ensure the accuracy and completeness of Program information that counties and cities submit to the Office. While the Office conducts collection rate reviews and audits of counties' and cities' compliance with Program requirements, it should conduct audits to verify the Program information that counties and cities submit to the Office, as required by Article 103.0033 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Verifying that information could increase the value of the Office's analysis and reporting about the Program and enhance its ability to ensure that counties and cities comply with Program requirements.

The Office also should improve its process for selecting the counties and cities at which it will conduct compliance audits, and it should better ensure that the counties and cities have provided information on all relevant cases for the time period that it audits.

Auditors communicated other, less significant issues to the Office separately in writing.

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