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.