External Factors that

May Affect Goal Achievement

External Factors that May Affect Goal Achievement

A number of external factors could affect our ability to achieve our strategic goals and objectives. Many ofthese revolve around the sweeping developments in technology that are rapidly changing our everydayworld. As mentioned earlier, these developments are providing both new opportunities and new risks forJustice agencies. Clearly, a major challenge for the Department is both taking advantage of, and ensuring thesecurity of, the information technology infrastructures on which both the Department and the nation as awhole increasingly depend. A number of other external factors relate to the changed international arena inwhich economies are increasingly interdependent; people, goods and capital cross national borders with rela-tive ease; and new security concerns emerge. Here, too, the Department faces the challenge of both anticipat-ing and responding to a radically altered global context.

Social and demographic factors also may affect our success in meeting our goals. Much of what the Depart-ment of Justice does is impacted by societal attitudes and behaviors over which we have little direct influence,such as attitudes toward drugs and alcohol. Finally, the Department’s ability to meet its goals could be signifi-cantly affected by unpredictable events or emergencies that demand our attention and skew our priorities, byshifts in public attitudes toward crime and justice, and by changing statutory responsibilities.

These and other external factors are summarized in the table that follows.

101FY 2000-2005 Strategic Plan • U.S. Department of Justice

102 FY 2000-2005 Strategic Plan • U.S. Department of Justice

TAB

LE

2: E

xter

nal

Fac

tors

Th

at M

ay A

ffec

t G

oal

Ach

ieve

men

t

Go

al 1

Go

al 2

Go

al3

Go

al 4

Go

al 5

Go

al 6

Go

al 7

En

forc

emen

tA

ssis

tan

ceL

egal

Im

mig

rati

on

Det

enti

on

an

dF

eder

al J

ust

ice

Org

aniz

atio

nE

xter

nal

Fac

tors

Rep

rese

nta

tio

nIn

carc

erat

ion

Sys

tem

Exc

elle

nce

Tech

nolo

gy

Adv

ance

s in

hig

h-sp

eed

tele

-◆

◆◆

◆

com

mun

icat

ions

, co

mpu

ters

an

d ot

her

tech

nolo

gies

are

cre

atin

gne

w o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

crim

inal

s,

new

cla

sses

of

crim

es,

and

new

ch

alle

nges

for

law

enf

orce

men

t.

Gro

win

g de

pend

ence

on

◆◆

◆

tech

nolo

gy is

cre

atin

g an

in

crea

sing

vul

nera

bilit

y to

ill

egal

act

s, e

spec

ially

whi

te

colla

r cr

imes

and

ter

roris

m.

Eco

nom

y

Str

engt

h of

U.S

. ec

onom

y an

d ◆

need

for

wor

kers

are

ince

ntiv

es

for

lega

l/ille

gal m

igra

tion.

Pos

sibl

e in

crea

ses

in c

onsu

mer

◆

◆

debt

will

affe

ct b

ankr

uptc

y fil

ings

.

Der

egul

atio

n, e

cono

mic

gro

wth

, ◆

◆

and

glob

aliz

atio

n ar

e ch

angi

ng

the

volu

me

and

natu

re o

f an

ti-co

mpe

titiv

e be

havi

or.

The

inte

rcon

nect

ed n

atur

e of

the

◆

◆◆

◆

wor

ld’s

eco

nom

y is

incr

easi

ng

oppo

rtun

ities

for

crim

inal

act

ivity

, in

clud

ing

mon

ey la

unde

ring,

whi

te

colla

r cr

ime

and

alie

n sm

uggl

ing.

The

inte

rcon

nect

ed n

atur

e of

the

◆

wor

ld’s

eco

nom

y is

als

o in

crea

sing

th

e co

mpl

exity

and

sco

pe o

f ci

vil

just

ice

mat

ters

.

103FY 2000-2005 Strategic Plan • U.S. Department of Justice

Go

al 1

Go

al 2

Go

al3

Go

al 4

Go

al 5

Go

al 6

Go

al 7

En

forc

emen

tA

ssis

tan

ceL

egal

Im

mig

rati

on

Det

enti

on

an

dF

eder

al J

ust

ice

Org

aniz

atio

nE

xter

nal

Fac

tors

Rep

rese

nta

tio

nIn

carc

erat

ion

Sys

tem

Exc

elle

nce

Eco

nom

y (c

ontin

ued)

The

str

ong

U.S

. la

bor

mar

ket

◆

may

mak

e it

diffi

cult

for

the

Dep

artm

ent

to a

ttrac

t/ret

ain

w

orke

rs w

ith t

he r

equi

site

kn

owle

dge,

ski

lls a

nd a

bilit

ies.

Gov

ernm

ent

Cha

nges

in t

he f

isca

l pos

ture

◆

◆◆

or p

olic

ies

of s

tate

and

loca

l go

vern

men

ts c

ould

hav

e dr

amat

ic e

ffect

s on

the

cap

acity

of

sta

te a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

ts

to r

emai

n ef

fect

ive

law

en

forc

emen

t pa

rtne

rs.

Rel

ated

ly,

the

abili

ty a

nd

◆

will

ingn

ess

of s

tate

and

loca

l go

vern

men

ts t

o al

low

fed

eral

us

e of

the

ir ja

il sp

ace

affe

cts

achi

evem

ent

of d

eten

tion

goal

s.

Glo

baliz

atio

n

Issu

es o

f cr

imin

al a

nd c

ivil

◆◆

◆◆

◆◆

just

ice

incr

easi

ngly

tra

nsce

nd

natio

nal b

ound

arie

s, r

equi

re t

he

coop

erat

ion

of f

orei

gn

gove

rnm

ents

, an

d in

volv

e tr

eaty

ob

ligat

ions

, m

ultin

atio

nal

envi

ronm

enta

l and

tra

de

agre

emen

ts a

nd o

ther

for

eign

po

licy

conc

erns

.◆

Pol

itica

l unr

est

or e

cono

mic

tu

rmoi

l in

othe

r co

untr

ies

prov

ide

incr

ease

d m

igra

tion

pres

sure

s.

104 FY 2000-2005 Strategic Plan • U.S. Department of Justice

Go

al 1

Go

al 2

Go

al3

Go

al 4

Go

al 5

Go

al 6

Go

al 7

En

forc

emen

tA

ssis

tan

ceL

egal

Im

mig

rati

on

Det

enti

on

an

dF

eder

al J

ust

ice

Org

aniz

atio

nE

xter

nal

Fac

tors

Rep

rese

nta

tio

nIn

carc

erat

ion

Sys

tem

Exc

elle

nce

Glo

baliz

atio

n (c

ontin

ued)

The

col

laps

e of

the

Sov

iet

Uni

on

◆◆

◆

and

the

emer

genc

e of

new

ly

dem

ocra

tic s

tate

s in

cen

tral

and

ea

ster

n E

urop

e ha

s m

ade

thes

e ar

eas

incr

easi

ngly

sus

cept

ible

to

dr

ug a

nd a

rms

traf

ficki

ng,

orga

nize

d cr

imin

al g

roup

s, a

nd o

ther

ille

gal

activ

ities

tha

t im

pact

on

the

U.S

.

For

eign

pol

itica

l mov

emen

ts,

◆

whe

ther

sta

te-s

pons

ored

or

the

wor

k of

par

ticul

ar g

roup

s or

in

divi

dual

s, m

ay u

se t

erro

r to

ac

hiev

e th

eir

aim

s an

d ta

rget

U

.S.

pers

ons

or in

tere

sts

at

hom

e or

abr

oad.

Soc

ial-D

emog

raph

ic F

acto

rs

The

leve

l of

crim

inal

act

ivity

is

◆◆

◆

influ

ence

d by

soc

ieta

l atti

tude

s to

war

d th

e us

e of

ille

gal d

rugs

an

d th

e ab

use

of a

lcoh

ol.

The

num

bers

of

adol

esce

nts

◆◆

and

youn

g ad

ults

, no

w t

he m

ost

crim

e-pr

one

segm

ent

of t

he

popu

latio

n, a

re e

xpec

ted

to g

row

ra

pidl

y ov

er t

he n

ext

seve

ral y

ears

.

The

Uni

ted

Sta

tes

is a

n ◆

◆◆

incr

easi

ngly

mul

ticul

tura

l and

mul

ti-ra

cial

soc

iety

. T

he e

xten

t to

whi

ch

soci

etal

atti

tude

s an

d pr

actic

es

refle

ct a

con

tinui

ng c

omm

itmen

t to

to

lera

nce,

div

ersi

ty,

and

equa

lity

affe

cts

the

scop

e an

d na

ture

of

our

wor

k.

105FY 2000-2005 Strategic Plan • U.S. Department of Justice

Go

al 1

Go

al 2

Go

al3

Go

al 4

Go

al 5

Go

al 6

Go

al 7

En

forc

emen

tA

ssis

tan

ceL

egal

Im

mig

rati

on

Det

enti

on

an

dF

eder

al J

ust

ice

Org

aniz

atio

nE

xter

nal

Fac

tors

Rep

rese

nta

tio

nIn

carc

erat

ion

Sys

tem

Exc

elle

nce

Soc

ial-D

emog

raph

ic F

acto

rs

(con

tinue

d)

Dem

ogra

phic

and

cul

tura

l ◆

chan

ges

mak

e en

surin

g a

dive

rse

and

repr

esen

tativ

e D

epar

tmen

t w

orkf

orce

a m

ore

chal

leng

ing

and

esse

ntia

l tas

k.

Ach

ievi

ng o

ur g

oals

dep

ends

◆

◆◆

◆◆

◆

on s

tron

g in

stitu

tions

—fa

mili

es,

scho

ols,

chu

rche

s, n

eigh

borh

ood

grou

ps,

and

othe

rs—

that

insp

ire

trus

t, bu

ild c

omm

unity

, pr

omot

e ci

vic

and

indi

vidu

al r

espo

nsib

ility

an

d he

lp s

ecur

e vo

lunt

ary

com

plia

nce

with

the

rul

e of

law

.

The

Unp

redi

ctab

le

The

Dep

artm

ent

is r

equi

red

to

◆◆

◆◆

◆◆

◆

resp

ond

to e

mer

genc

y or

spe

cial

si

tuat

ions

—w

heth

er a

sud

den

influ

x of

per

sons

see

king

asy

lum

, a

com

pute

r at

tack

, a

high

-pro

file

cour

t pr

ocee

ding

, a

scho

ol s

hoot

ing,

or

som

e ot

her

even

t th

at s

trai

ns o

ur

time,

atte

ntio

n an

d re

sour

ces.

Cha

nges

in f

eder

al la

ws

may

affe

ct

◆◆

◆◆

◆◆

◆

our

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

and

wor

kloa

d.

Muc

h of

the

Dep

artm

ent’s

◆

litig

atio

n ca

selo

ad is

def

ensi

ve.

The

Dep

artm

ent

has

little

co

ntro

l ove

r th

e nu

mbe

r, si

ze

and

com

plex

ity o

f th

e ci

vil

law

suits

it m

ust

defe

nd.