Administration of Justice Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years 1997-98 (Letter
Report, 03/01/97, GAO/IAP-97-3).

GAO presented its Administration of Justice issue area plan for fiscal
years 1997 through 1998.

GAO plans to assess: (1) federal law enforcement's response, in
partnership with state and local governments, to violent crime, drugs,
and other major threats facing society; (2) the efficiency and
effectiveness of the federal courts and corrections systems, given the
increasing demands placed on them and current budgetary constraints; (3)
the Immigration and Naturalization Service's ability to effectively and
efficiently enforce immigration laws and enhance service delivery; and
(4) the U.S. Customs Service's effectiveness in implementing its drug
interdiction and investigative missions and fulfilling its trade
enforcement mission.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  IAP-97-3
     TITLE:  Administration of Justice Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years 
             1997-98
      DATE:  03/01/97
   SUBJECT:  Law enforcement
             Federal/state relations
             Drug trafficking
             Crimes or offenses
             Federal courts
             Correctional facilities
             Immigration and naturalization law
             Illegal aliens
             Customs administration
             International trade regulation
IDENTIFIER:  North American Free Trade Agreement
             ONDCP High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program
             NAFTA
             
**************************************************************************
* This file contains an ASCII representation of the text of a GAO        *
* report.  Delineations within the text indicating chapter titles,       *
* headings, and bullets are preserved.  Major divisions and subdivisions *
* of the text, such as Chapters, Sections, and Appendixes, are           *
* identified by double and single lines.  The numbers on the right end   *
* of these lines indicate the position of each of the subsections in the *
* document outline.  These numbers do NOT correspond with the page       *
* numbers of the printed product.                                        *
*                                                                        *
* No attempt has been made to display graphic images, although figure    *
* captions are reproduced. Tables are included, but may not resemble     *
* those in the printed version.                                          *
*                                                                        *
* A printed copy of this report may be obtained from the GAO Document    *
* Distribution Facility by calling (202) 512-6000, by faxing your        *
* request to (301) 258-4066, or by writing to P.O. Box 6015,             *
* Gaithersburg, MD 20884-6015. We are unable to accept electronic orders *
* for printed documents at this time.                                    *
**************************************************************************


Cover
================================================================ COVER


General Government Division

March 1997

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE ISSUE
AREA PLAN - FISCAL YEARS 1997-98

GAO/IAP-97-3



Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV


FOREWORD
============================================================ Chapter 0

As the investigative arm of Congress and the nation's auditor, the
General Accounting Office is charged with following the federal
dollar wherever it goes.  Reflecting stringent standards of
objectivity and independence, GAO's audits, evaluations, and
investigations promote a more efficient and cost-effective
government; expose waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in federal
programs; help Congress target budget reductions; assess financial
information management; and alert Congress to developing trends that
may have significant fiscal or budgetary consequences.  In fulfilling
its responsibilities, GAO performs original research and uses
hundreds of databases or creates its own when information is
unavailable elsewhere. 

To ensure that GAO's resources are directed toward the most important
issues facing Congress, each of GAO's 32 issue areas develops a
strategic plan that describes the significance of the issues it
addresses, its objectives, and the focus of its work.  Each issue
area relies heavily on input from congressional committees, agency
officials, and subject-matter experts in developing its strategic
plan. 

The Administration of Justice issue area covers the Department of
Justice, the Department of the Treasury's investigative agencies, the
judicial branch of the federal government, and several independent
agencies.  GAO's work in the justice area generally seeks to improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of the justice system.  The
principal issues in the justice area are

  federal law enforcement's response, in partnership with state and
     local governments, to violent crime, drugs, and other major
     threats facing society;

  the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal courts and
     corrections systems, given the increasing demands placed on them
     and current budgetary constraints;

  the Immigration and Naturalization Service's ability to effectively
     and efficiently enforce immigration laws and enhance service
     delivery; and

  the U.S.  Customs Service's effectiveness in implementing its drug
     interdiction and investigative missions and fulfilling its trade
     enforcement mission. 

In the pages that follow, we describe our planned work for fiscal
years 1997 and 1998 relating to these issues. 

Events in the justice area tend to move swiftly.  Therefore, we
designed a flexible planning process that will allow us to respond
quickly to emerging issues.  If you have any questions or suggestions
about this plan, please call me at (202) 512-3610. 

Norman J.  Rabkin
Director, Administration of
 Justice Issues


CONTENTS
============================================================ Chapter 1


   FOREWORD
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1

1


   TABLE I:  KEY ISSUES
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2

4


   TABLE II:  PLANNED MAJOR WORK
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3

6


   TABLE III:  GAO CONTACTS
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:4

7


TABLE I:  KEY ISSUES
============================================================ Chapter 2

Issue                         Significance
----------------------------  --------------------------------------------------
Law enforcement: How can      Crime is one of the foremost concerns of the
federal law enforcement,      American public. To address this concern, Congress
working with state and local  has made many crimes involving drugs and firearms
governments, better respond   federal offenses and increased the budgets of the
to crime?                     Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of
                              the Treasury to investigate and prosecute them.
                              Congress also has made billions of dollars
                              available to states and localities to help them
                              combat violent crime, drugs, terrorism, and
                              juvenile delinquency in their communities. In
                              addition, the President has called for a federal,
                              state, and local partnership to address the crime
                              problem. In the aftermath of the World Trade
                              Center and Oklahoma City Federal Building
                              bombings, Congress has further enhanced the
                              authority of federal agencies to address the
                              increasing threat of domestic and international
                              terrorism and has increased funding to support
                              counterterrorism activities.



Adjudication and              The increased scope of federal crimes and DOJ's
corrections: How can the      resources to investigate and prosecute them has
efficiency of federal courts  created tremendous demands on the federal
be improved and correctional  judiciary and corrections systems. For example,
costs be better contained?    criminal trials in district courts have increased
                              about 25 percent since 1989, federal death penalty
                              prosecutions have grown from 1 to 116, and
                              prisoner appeals have grown 50 percent. The
                              Federal Bureau of Prisons' inmate population now
                              exceeds 106,000 and includes more women, more
                              inmates over age 50, and more inmates with drug or
                              mental health problems. Probation officers
                              supervise another 85,000 offenders. On the civil
                              side, 1996 bankruptcy filings are expected to
                              exceed 1 million for the first time. Questions are
                              being raised about how efficiently the courts and
                              prisons are operating in light of these
                              challenges.



Immigration: What actions     The effects on this country of legal and illegal
can strengthen enforcement    immigration continue to be of major public and
of immigration laws and INS'  congressional concern. INS' fiscal year 1997
system of internal            budget is $3.1 billion, an increase of 16 percent
controls?                     over fiscal year 1996. Major legislation to curb
                              the influx of illegal aliens was enacted at the
                              end of fiscal year 1996. The Illegal Immigration
                              Reform and Responsibility Act of 1996 contains
                              numerous provisions aimed at strengthening the
                              enforcement capabilities of INS. INS is under
                              increasing scrutiny from Congress for its alleged
                              instances of deception and wrongdoing, its ability
                              to effectively use the additional resources, and
                              its ability to carry out its new legislative
                              mandates.




Customs: Is the Customs       The U.S. Customs Service is charged with enforcing
Service effectively           the nation's trade laws by ensuring that illegal
performing its drug           goods do not enter the United States while legal
interdiction and trade        trade flows unimpeded. Customs faces increased
enforcement missions?         demands from recent trade agreements (NAFTA and
                              GATT), its involvement in drug interdiction
                              activities, and pressure from domestic and foreign
                              businesses to facilitate the movement of goods and
                              people across U.S. borders. In addition, Customs
                              has committed to enhance its export control
                              activities. The traditional focus of Customs has
                              been directed toward movement of goods coming into
                              the United States. However, indications are that
                              the attractiveness of the international black
                              market makes enforcement efforts for outgoing
                              goods increasingly important.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives                               Focus of work
---------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------
ï¿½ Assess federal progress in             ï¿½ Assess progress of federal drug and
implementing certain major crime         firearms control efforts.
control initiatives and enforcement      ï¿½ Assess FBI's role in carrying out the
programs.                                President's counterterrorism strategy.
                                         ï¿½ Evaluate efforts to stem laundering
ï¿½ Review federal implementation and      of money derived from illegal drug
states' use of selected categorical      activity.
grants for crime control to provide      ï¿½ For specific programs and activities,
information on their outcomes and        such as community policing and drug
impacts.                                 courts, assess federal law enforcement
                                         agencies' progress in implementing
                                         legislatively required plans and in
                                         establishing goals and performance
                                         measures.





ï¿½ Report periodically to Congress on     ï¿½ Assess status of selected Judicial
judiciary initiatives and other changes  Conference recommendations for
that could increase efficiency.          efficiency.
                                         ï¿½ Assess bankruptcy workload and
ï¿½ Identify strategies for containing     judiciary's efforts to match resource
cost growth in the corrections system.   distribution to workload.
                                         ï¿½ Assess state practices that may be
                                         applicable to federal prison
                                         operations.
                                         ï¿½ Evaluate BOP's effort to cost-
                                         effectively meet the needs of a
                                         changing inmate population.





ï¿½ Identify ways to improve immigration   ï¿½ Assess the implementation of the
enforcement efforts against illegal and  border strategy and its effects on
criminal aliens.                         illegal entry.
                                         ï¿½ Assess the implementation and results
ï¿½ Identify ways INS can improve          of expedited procedures to remove
internal controls over its management    aliens who attempt to enter the country
information system.                      without proper documents.
                                         ï¿½ Evaluate the process for identifying
                                         and removing criminal aliens.
                                         ï¿½ Assess the strengths and weaknesses
                                         of INS' management information system
                                         for budgetary and management
                                         decisionmaking.
                                         ï¿½ Review aspects of INS' Citizenship
                                         USA program.

ï¿½ Determine the effectiveness of         ï¿½ Evaluate Customs' drug interdiction
Customs' drug interdiction and           and investigative efforts.
investigative efforts.                   ï¿½ Assess Customs' cargo compliance
                                         measurement program, in-bond transfers,
ï¿½ Determine the effectiveness of         and other trade enforcement efforts.
Customs' cargo and trade enforcement     ï¿½ Assess Customs' export control
efforts.                                 efforts.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TABLE II:  PLANNED MAJOR WORK
============================================================ Chapter 3

Issue                    Planned major job starts
-----------------------  -------------------------------------------------------
Law enforcement          ï¿½ Assess the operations of High Intensity Drug
                         Trafficking Area task forces.
                         ï¿½ Assess the use of money laundering data in
                         enforcement efforts.
                         ï¿½ Review the status of the "instant check" system
                         required by the Brady Act.
                         ï¿½ Review the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms'
                         efforts to detect criminal sources of firearms.
                         ï¿½ Review FBI's use of funds provided for
                         counterterrorism activities.

Adjudication and         ï¿½ Assess implementation of judiciary initiatives with
corrections              the most promise for reducing costs.
                         ï¿½ Assess judiciary's management of its rising
                         bankruptcy workload.
                         ï¿½ Provide options for managing cost effectively special
                         needs populations in prisons.
                         ï¿½ Assess cost containment strategies of selected state
                         prison systems.

Immigration              ï¿½ Review border enforcement efforts along Southwest
                         border.
                         ï¿½ Review expedited removal procedures at ports of
                         entry.
                         ï¿½ Assess the quality of INS' data used for its
                         management information system.
                         ï¿½ Assess internal controls over criminal background
                         checks of naturalization applicants.

Customs                  ï¿½ Analyze Customs' efforts to interdict drug smugglers
                         traveling via air and land transportation.
                         ï¿½ Assess Customs' efforts to detect export of such
                         contraband items as currency, firearms, and stolen cars
                         at major land ports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TABLE III:  GAO CONTACTS
============================================================ Chapter 4


      DIRECTOR
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.1

Norman J.  Rabkin (202) 512-3610


      ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.2

James M.  Blume (202) 512-8643
Danny R.  Burton (214) 777-5741
Darryl W.  Dutton (213) 830-1086
Daniel C.  Harris (202) 512-8720
William O.  Jenkins, Jr.  (202) 512-8757
Weldon McPhail (202) 512-8644
Eva L.  Rezmovic (202) 512-2580


*** End of document. ***