Department of Justice FY 2012 Budget Request

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 budget proposal totaling $28.2 billion for the Department of Justice identifies $2.0 billion in efficiencies and savings while providing resources to strengthen national security, preserve the department’s traditional missions, maintain prisons and detention, and assist our state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. The request represents a 1.7 percent increase in budget authority and an increase of 2,905 positions over the annualized FY 2011 Continuing Resolution (CR) level.

“The President’s budget request demonstrates a dedication to protecting our national security and a commitment to using every instrument of power to fight terrorism and keep America safe.  This budget upholds the department’s historic role in fighting crime, protecting civil rights, preserving the environment, and ensuring fairness in the marketplace, while responding to new challenges such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” said Attorney General Holder. “Given the current economic climate, this budget also identifies savings and efficiencies, while assuring that our resources will be devoted to our most critical mission areas.”    

The $28.2 billion budget request funds base operations and activities for all DOJ components, and includes $1.4 billion in program enhancements and $2.0 billion in administrative efficiencies, programmatic savings, and rescissions from balances. The budget provides critical funding for the department’s essential national security programs, as well as supports continued robust efforts to crack down on financial and health care fraud. The budget also maintains core law enforcement functions, including support for efforts along the Southwest border. In addition, the budget addresses the federal prison population and associated long-term costs through sentencing reform and expanded re-entry programming, while continuing to strengthen state, local and tribal criminal justice programs. In order to eliminate redundancies and target resources, the budget streamlines programs and redirects funding to improve the capabilities of Department of Justice law enforcement agents. The budget proposes to save an additional $301.0 million by streamlining operations and consolidating duplicative programs. Due to fiscal constraints, important trade-offs were also necessary in local and state grants, which are reduced $588.0 million from the 2010 enacted level. In addition, the budget includes $62.0 million in savings achieved through efficiencies and consolidations in the department. 

The Department of Justice’s key priorities include:

·         $128.6 million increase to strengthen national security;

·         $57.4 million increase to preserve traditional missions;

·         $461.4 million increase to maintain prisons and detention;

·         $786.4 million increase to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement;

·         $2.0 billion in administrative efficiencies, programmatic savings and rescissions from balances.

Strengthen National Security

Preventing, disrupting, and defeating terrorist acts before they occur remains the Department of Justice’s highest priority. The FY 2012 budget requests a $128.6 million increase, including 170 new positions (71 agents and 5 attorneys), to strengthen national security and counter the threat of terrorism. With national security threats constantly evolving and adapting, additional resources are required to counteract new national security challenges. Likewise, increasing global access to technological advancements has also resulted in new vulnerabilities that must be addressed. The requested FY 2012 budget program increases provide essential technological and human capital to detect, disrupt and deter threats to our national security.

The administration supports critical national security programs within the department, including the FBI and the National Security Division (NSD). The requested national security resources include $122.5 million in program increases for the FBI. This figure includes $48.9 million for the FBI to expand national security related surveillance and enhance its Data Integration and Visualization System; $40.0 million for the FBI’s Operational Enablers program and Weapons of Mass Destruction/Render Safe capabilities to deploy render safe assets throughout the country to diffuse, disrupt or destroy weapons of mass destruction; and $18.6 million for the FBI’s Computer Intrusion Initiative to increase coverage in detecting cyber intrusions.

To address the growing technological gap between law enforcement’s electronic surveillance capabilities and the number and variety of communications devices available to the public, $17.0 million in program increases are being requested to bolster the department’s electronic surveillance capabilities.

For more information, view the Strengthen National Security Fact Sheet at www.justice.gov/jmd/2012factsheets/

Preserve Traditional Missions

It is the mission of the Department of Justice to enforce the law and ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. Accomplishing this mission requires resources to both investigate and litigate on behalf of the American people and the government as a whole. The FY 2012 budget requests a $57.4 million increase, including 189 new positions (68 agents and attorneys), to expand the department’s enforcement litigation capacity and ability to protect vulnerable populations. In order to further the mission of defending vulnerable populations, $1.5 million in program increases is requested for the Community Relations Service to increase prevention activities for hate crimes.

The FY 2012 budget also supports the continued efforts to crack down on financial fraud. From August through December 2010, the Attorney General’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force brought charges against over 500 criminal and civil defendants for fraud schemes that have harmed more than 120,000 victims throughout the country, involving more than $8.0 billion in estimated criminal losses and more than $2.1 billion in estimated civil losses. In addition, the FY 2012 budget requests $3.0 million of program increases for the Criminal Division for transnational enforcement of intellectual property law.

The department also maintains substantial responsibilities with respect to immigration, including enforcement, detention, judicial functions, administrative hearings and litigation, among others. The FY 2012 budget requests $15.0 million for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to support increasing workload generated by increasing immigration enforcement activities at the Department of Homeland Security and to expand the Legal Orientation Program to improve efficiencies in immigration court proceedings for detained aliens by increasing their awareness of the overall process.

Finally, Title II of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-347), reopens the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, extending eligibility for compensation associated with physical harm stemming from debris removal and extending the deadline for claims associated with harms not discovered before the fund’s original deadline. The act makes available up to $2.8 billion for settlement of new claims.

For more information, view the Preserve Traditional Missions Fact Sheet at www.justice.gov/jmd/2012factsheets/

Maintain Prisons and Detention

The department has always prioritized maintaining secure, controlled detention facilities, and providing the necessary resources to accommodate a growing inmate population. The FY 2012 budget request maintains this commitment, providing $224.0 million in prison and detention adjustments to maintain current services and $461.4 million for program increases to ensure offenders are confined in secure facilities and improve inmate reentry and recidivism rates.

The FY 2012 budget requests a total of $8.4 billion to maintain prison and detention operations. This funds over 800 new correctional officer and 1,200 existing vacant correctional worker positions in our facilities, and adds more than 7,200 prison beds. Of this amount, $6.8 billion is requested for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and $1.6 billion is requested for the Office of the Federal Detention Trustee. The program increases are essential for ensuring the secure detention of a growing inmate population. Increases for BOP include $140.4 million to begin activation of three prisons, including the secure female Federal Correctional Institution Aliceville, Ala., which will reduce crowding levels at secure female facilities from over 50 percent to 13 percent. The budget request also includes $22.2 million for Second Chance Initiatives to enhance inmate re-entry, specifically vocational training, education and drug treatment programs. Further, $156.6 million in program increases is requested for federal detention to offset increases in the average daily detainee population and inflationary increases for detention related costs such as transportation and medical care.

For more information, view the Maintain Prisons and Detention Fact Sheet at www.justice.gov/jmd/2012factsheets/

Assist State, Local and Tribal Law Enforcement

The FY 2012 budget requests $3.0 billion in total for state, local and tribal law enforcement assistance, which represents 11 percent of the department’s total budget authority. These funds will allow the department to increase support to state, local and tribal police agencies that fight violent crime, combat violence against women and support victim programs.

The department requests a total of $1.9 billion for the Office of Justice Programs.

This request includes $120.0 million for a new performance-based Race to the Top-style Juvenile Justice System Incentive Grant Program; $30.0 million for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program; $30.0 million to continue implementation of the Adam Walsh Act of 2006 to protect children from exploitation; $25.0 million to assist children exposed to violence; and $10 million for a smart policing initiative.

T he department requests a total of $454.9 million for the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) in order to provide communities with resources to combat sexual assault and violence against women. This request includes a total of $50.0 million for the Legal Assistance for Victims Program; $35.0 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program; and $14.0 million for an OVW Consolidated Youth Oriented Grants Program that will enable OVW to leverage resources for maximum impact on communities by funding comprehensive projects that include both youth services and prevention components.

The department’s request includes an additional $302.0 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services hiring program, bringing total hiring program funding to $600.0 million. These funds, in the form of competitive grants, will enable state and local police agencies to increase the number of officers available for targeted patrol and other proven strategies designed to prevent and reduce crime.

In addition, the FY 2012 budget proposes $250.0 million in mandatory funds for states to reform their laws on medical malpractice.

For more information, view the Assist State, Local and Tribal Law Enforcement Fact Sheet at www.justice.gov/jmd/2012factsheets/

Promote Savings and Efficiencies

The FY 2012 budget funds DOJ’s critical missions in a fiscally responsible manner. As such, the FY 2012 budget includes $2.0 billion in rescissions and program and management offsets that we will reinvest in our highest priority missions. These offsets include items such as task force and space consolidations, component-specific program savings, Information Technology project management efficiencies, reductions to less effective grant programs, and rescissions of prior year balances. For example, the department is proposing to eliminate the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Mobile Enforcement Teams (saving $39 million), reduce and refocus the National Drug Intelligence Center (saving $19 million), and revise the way Good Time Credit is calculated for federal prison inmates (saving $41 million).

For more information, view the Savings and Efficiencies Fact Sheet at www.justice.gov/jmd/2012factsheets/