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Agency Budget Summary
The Federal Judiciary
I. Resource Summary
II. Methodology
- The drug portion of the Judiciary's budget is estimated by applying the percentage of drug related activity experienced in each appropriation to the current appropriation or requested funding. The percentages are developed by analyzing the workload of each component of the Judiciary's budget, estimating the amount that is attributed to drug-related crime, prosecution, treatment, or corrections and then rounded to the nearest five percent before application. The percentages are updated each year to reflect the most recent drug workload information available.
III. Program Summary
- The Federal Judiciary is organized geographically into 12 Judicial Circuits and 94 Districts, each with supporting offices, such as the Office of the Clerk of the Court, Central Legal Staff, Probation and Pretrial Services Offices, and Bankruptcy Courts. The courts receive administrative support from the Administrative Office of the U. S. Courts and research and training services from the Federal Judicial Center and the United States Sentencing Commission. In addition to personnel and court operating expenses, Judiciary costs include payments to jurors, payments to defense attorneys for indigent defendants, court reporting and interpreting, and court facility security.
- The Judiciary drug resources support Goal 2, "Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence" of the Strategy as described below:
- The Judiciary plays a unique role in the criminal justice continuum. The resources identified with this goal represent an estimate of the Judiciary's resources associated with drug cases, trials, defendants, and associated costs. Further, the costs associated with Goal 2 provide for court ordered drug testing, drug treatment, and supervision of federal defendants, probationers, parolees and supervised releasees.
IV. Budget Summary
1999 Program
- The total 1999 enacted level of $647.2 million includes increases for inflation, pay increases, additional representations, and the increased costs of ongoing activities to support Goal 2, by providing adjudication of federal laws, representation for indigent individuals accused under these laws, and the supervision of offenders and defendants. Drug related workload is identified by the types of cases being heard as well as the offenses of the individuals needing counsel or under supervision. The funding supporting Goal 2 is used by the probation and pretrial services offices for the drug testing and treatment of federal defendants and offenders.
- The Judiciary's resources will be used to support the following drug control activities:
- Salaries and Expenses: provides salaries, benefits, and other operating expenses of judges and support personnel for the United States courts of appeals, district courts, and bankruptcy courts, and probation and pretrial services officers and staff.
- Defender Services: provides effective representation for any person financially unable to obtain adequate representation in federal criminal and certain related proceedings.
- Fees of Jurors and Commissioners: includes funding for jurors sitting on drug cases. Drug-related resources required depend largely upon the volume and length of jury trials for parties to criminal actions and the number of grand juries being convened by thecourts at the request of the U.S. Attorneys.
- Court Security: provides security for judicial areas at courthouses and in federal facilities housing court operations. The Marshals Service acts as the judiciary's agent in contracting for security and guard services and the purchase, installation, and maintenance of security systems and equipment for all court locations.
- Administrative Office of the United States Courts: provides professional support, analysis, program management, and oversight for the federal judiciary.
- Federal Judicial Center: provides education and training for judges, probation and pretrial services officers, and other federal court personnel, and performs independent research to improve the administration of justice in the federal courts.
- United States Sentencing Commission: covers costs related to the establishment, review, and revision of sentencing guidelines, policies, and practices for the criminal justice system.
- Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund: provides resources to implement the provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.
- Pretrial Drug Testing of All Federal Defendants:
- The President signed an executive memorandum dated December 15, 1995 directing the Attorney General to develop a universal policy for drug testing of all federal defendants. During FY 1997, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Judiciary established a pilot program in twenty-four districts to determine the feasibility of full implementation of this initiative. The DOJ is funding the pilot project under a memorandum of understanding between DOJ and the Judiciary. This initiative will continue in FY 1999, with twenty-three districts participating at an estimated cost of $3.4 million, with continued DOJ funding of the costs.
2000 Request
- The total FY 2000 drug control budget request is $730.8 million, an increase of $83.7 million over the FY 1999 enacted level. The request does not include any specific drug program or workload enhancements. Rather, the request reflects increases to maintain current services.
V. Program Accomplishments
- During FY 1998, the Judiciary achieved a number of significant accomplishments in their drug control program. These include:
- Expanded implementation of the Simplified Procurement Procedures for drug treatment services to sixty districts. This enables probation and pretrial services offices to procure a wider array of services from a larger pool of vendors. The expected result is a lower cost of drug services, making treatment available for more of the federal defendant and offender population. Trained an additional 120 probation and pretrial services personnel on the new procedures.
- Trained eighty personnel in administration of drug treatment contracts.
- Delegated authority to probation and pretrial services offices to procure drug treatment services in excess of $100,000.
- Implemented the National Treatment Database, a central automated system that brings together locally maintained information on defendants/offenders and their treatment plans, referrals, expenditures, and outcomes. This database provides the capability to assess substance use and re-arrest outcomes for up to six months after completion of the period of supervision, categorized by defendant/offender characteristics and the type/cost of treatment services delivered. Sixty-two percent of the districts are currently reporting to the database.
- Implemented nationwide use of the Sweat Patch, which detects illicit drugs through perspiration. Positive results from this testing technology have been approved for use in revocation proceedings.
- Facilitated the placement of non-instrumented (hand-held) urine testing devices and the Sweat Patch on the GSA schedule.
- Awarded a five-year national urine testing contract for probation and pretrial services offices. This contract is primarily used for verification of locally administered urine tests that resulted in positive, or "dirty" readings.
- Awarded a five-year substance abuse testing quality control contract.
- Issued a Request for Proposals to supply reagents to support a pilot test of a Regional Drug Testing Laboratory. The laboratory will be located in the pretrial services office in the Eastern District of Virginia; and in addition to its pretrial population will test probationers from that district and for the District of Columbia.
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