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Audit

Audit  Audit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services

This audit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) examines the Commonwealth's process for determining if a criminal defendant is indigent. The audit examines the period of July 1, 2014 through December 31, 2016.

Organization: Office of the State Auditor
Date published: February 28, 2018

Executive Summary

In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) for the period July 1, 2014 through December 31, 2016. This audit was initiated to determine whether (1) CPCS had established an effective Audit and Oversight Department in accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 211D of the General Laws, (2) CPCS management verified work performed and approved vendor billings in compliance with established policies and procedures, and (3) the Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP) had established policies and procedures to ensure that the process of determining and reassessing indigency complied with Section 2A of Chapter 211D of the General Laws.

Below is a summary of our findings and recommendations, with links to each page listed.

Finding 1

CPCS improperly processed a vendor payment of $7,205.

Recommendations
  1. CPCS should inform all vendors, at the time services are performed, of the proper procedures for processing V-Bills.
  2. CPCS should not allow a vendor to be paid for services if s/he does not provide required supporting documentation.

Finding 2

Required documentation was missing from some case files.

Recommendation
 

OCP should establish monitoring controls over the indigency determination process to ensure that the required documentation is maintained in case files.

The PDF version of the audit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is available here.

List of Abbreviations

A&O

audit and oversight

CPCS

Committee for Public Counsel Services

CPO

Chief Probation Officer

DCF

Department of Children and Families

MPS

Massachusetts Probation Services

NAC

Notice of Assignment of Counsel

OCP

Office of the Commissioner of Probation

OSA

Office of the State Auditor

Table of Contents

Contact

Phone

Main (617) 727-2075

Online

Auditor@MassAuditor.gov

Fax

(617) 727-3014

Address

Massachusetts State House
Room 230
Boston, MA 02133
Directions 

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