This publication updates budget trend data provided to the Attorney General in May of 2002. The data show trends in terms of current-year dollars compared to constant 1989 dollars (longer term real growth), and 1993 dollars (real growth during the Bush and Clinton Administrations, respectively). A later trend showing growth in terms of 2002 dollars (growth during the George W. Bush administration) will be added in a future trend book. Trend data reflecting authorized positions from 1975 through 2003 are also presented.
Comparative trend data for three Department of the Treasury law enforcement organizations and the Judicial Branch are included. Trend data for the Criminal Investigations section of the IRS are no longer available, and this series is discontinued in this publication. These data are provided to compare growth trends in other important components of the Federal Justice System, which complement and affect the Department of Justice. Comparative trend data for the Total United States Government are also included.
The data reflect actuals for fiscal years 1975 through 2001, the availability for fiscal year 2002, and the President's request to Congress for fiscal year 2003 as submitted in February 2002, in two data points. The first excludes the Federal Retiree and Health Benefits (FRHB) accruals; the second includes them.
Please note that two sets of Department of Justice totals are provided: (1) Total Department of Justice; and (2) Total Department of Justice Less all Grant Programs. As the reader will see, the inclusion of the Office of Justice Programs, in terms of its predecessor organization the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, tends to distort the real growth of the remainder of the Department of Justice. The Violent Crime Reduction Program and the Crime Victims Fund would have the same effect. It should also be noted that the Department of Justice totals include obligations for the Assets Forfeiture Fund, Independent Counsel, the Crime Victims Fund, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund, and funding for the Detention Trustee, Identification Systems Integration, NarrowBand Communications, Telecommunications Carrier Compliance, the Counterterrorism Fund, and Health Care Fraud, as well as reimbursements from the Antitrust Pre-Merger Filing Fees, the U.S. Trustees System Fund, the Diversion Control Fee, the Immigration User Fee, the Immigration Examinations Fee, the Immigration Legalization account, the Land Border Inspection Fee, Enforcement Fines, Breached Bond/Detention Fund, and the H-1B Fee account. Some organizations include funds from the Interagency Crime and Drug Enforcement appropriation.
The graphics contained in this book allow the reader to visualize trends that have occurred since 1975. Where possible, the graphics contain the value of data points. In all cases, however, data are contained in worksheets that immediately follow the graphic displays for each organization. These worksheets contain the complete set of numerical trend data and can be used to locate the actual amount of growth over time.
No analysis of the data is provided in this publication. We believe the reader can readily perceive, through a review of the trend data, the investment choices made by Presidents and the Congress over the past 28 years relative to the Federal Justice System.