Crime—an Overview - The Federal Government's Role

Federal spending accounts for only about 10 percent of all law enforcement resources. State and local governments have always played the central role in controlling crime. The federal government is required to enforce only laws within its jurisdiction, such as forgery and espionage,

TABLE 1.7
Arrests by race, 2002

	Total arrests					Percent distribution 1
Offense charged	Total	White	Black	American Indian or Alaskan Native	Asian or Islander Pacific	Total	White	Black	American Indian or Alaskan Native	Asian or Pacific Islander
Total	9,797,385	6,923,390	2,633,632	130,636	109,727	100.0	70.7	26.9	1.3	1.1
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	10,099	4,814	5,047	115	123	100.0	47.7	50.0	1.1	1.2
Forcible rape	20,127	12,766	6,852	240	269	100.0	63.4	34.0	1.2	1.3
Robbery	77,280	34,109	41,837	471	863	100.0	44.1	54.1	0.6	1.1
Aggravated assault	338,850	214,992	115,789	4,069	4,000	100.0	63.4	34.2	1.2	1.2
Burglary	205,873	144,958	56,647	1,992	2,276	100.0	70.4	27.5	1.0	1.1
Larceny-theft	843,066	572,515	246,946	10,345	13,260	100.0	67.9	29.3	1.2	1.6
Motor vehicle theft	107,031	64,625	39,114	1,156	2,136	100.0	60.4	36.5	1.1	2.0
Arson	11,808	9,067	2,537	100	104	100.0	76.8	21.5	0.8	0.9
Violent crime2	446,356	266,681	169,525	4,895	5,255	100.0	59.7	38.0	1.1	1.2
Property crime3	1,167,778	791,165	345,244	13,593	17,776	100.0	67.7	29.6	1.2	1.5
Crime Index4	1,614,134	1,057,846	514,769	18,488	23,031	100.0	65.5	31.9	1.1	1.4
Other assaults	919,691	610,946	286,787	12,201	9,757	100.0	66.4	31.2	1.3	1.1
Forgery and counterfeiting	82,882	57,125	24,148	458	1,151	100.0	68.9	29.1	0.6	1.4
Fraud	232,336	157,763	71,538	1,431	1,604	100.0	67.9	30.8	0.6	0.7
Embezzlement	13,379	9,153	3,959	64	203	100.0	68.4	29.6	0.5	1.5
Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing	91,150	53,535	35,986	611	1,018	100.0	58.7	39.5	0.7	1.1
Vandalism	198,139	150,437	42,757	2,804	2,141	100.0	75.9	21.6	1.4	1.1
Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc.	118,148	73,140	42,810	879	1,319	100.0	61.9	36.2	0.7	1.1
Prostitution and commercialized vice	58,659	33,650	23,455	364	1,190	100.0	57.4	40.0	0.6	2.0
Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution)	67,761	50,378	15,745	680	958	100.0	74.3	23.2	1.0	1.4
Drug abuse violations	1,101,547	728,797	357,725	6,848	8,177	100.0	66.2	32.5	0.6	0.7
Gambling	7,525	2,033	5,136	38	318	100.0	27.0	68.3	0.5	4.2
Offenses against the family and children	97,393	66,440	28,180	1,266	1,507	100.0	68.2	28.9	1.3	1.5
Driving under the influence	1,017,504	893,395	99,548	15,460	9,101	100.0	87.8	9.8	1.5	0.9
Liquor laws	462,215	405,275	41,204	11,397	4,339	100.0	87.7	8.9	2.5	0.9
Drunkenness	412,735	345,448	55,598	9,563	2,126	100.0	83.7	13.5	2.3	0.5
Disorderly conduct	481,932	321,117	149,393	7,883	3,539	100.0	66.6	31.0	1.6	0.7
Vagrancy	19,669	12,223	6,888	419	139	100.0	62.1	35.0	2.1	0.7
All other offenses (except traffic)	2,599,658	1,751,450	778,558	37,377	32,273	100.0	67.4	29.9	1.4	1.2
Suspicion	7,647	4,130	3,128	108	281	100.0	54.0	40.9	1.4	3.7
Curfew and loitering law violations	103,054	70,738	29,717	1,083	1,516	100.0	68.6	28.8	1.1	1.5
Runaways	90,227	68,371	16,603	1,214	4,039	100.0	75.8	18.4	1.3	4.5

and to operate prisons for those convicted of federal crimes. Yet the federal government at times has responded to increased public concern over violent crime (like after the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001) by expanding its law enforcement role. Federal agencies can encourage cooperation among state and local governments and act with foreign governments to curb threats such as the spread of terrorism, drug-related crime, and organized crime. The federal government is better able than the states to collect national crime statistics and give out information. It also develops and promotes new technologies, such as crime databases, fingerprint facilities, and DNA-testing laboratories, to serve both national and local needs.

2002 Federal Budget

The Federal Budget for fiscal year 2002 allocated a proposed $4.2 billion to assist state and local governments in fighting crime. Although this level of spending was $1 billion less than in fiscal year 2001, federal assistance to state and local governments for criminal justice expenditures increased by 500 percent from 1992 to 2001.

Of the $36 billion in the Federal budget proposed for administration of justice in fiscal year 2002, nearly half was allocated for law enforcement. (See Table 1.10.) Some of the law enforcement and crime prevention priorities reflected in the FY 2002 budget included funding to prevent terrorism and support for programs to tighten border and transportation security.

The administration's 2002 budget also proposed new funding for prison construction, modernization, and the activation of newly constructed federal prisons. See Table 1.11 for a detailed look at the allocation of Office of Justice program funds from 1990 to 2001, which shows that budget requests for 2001 were about 5.5 times those for 1990.

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (PL 103-322) included several "get tough on crime" provisions:

• A ban on some semiautomatic assault-style rifles.
• A "three strikes and you're out" provision. This provision requires a mandatory life sentence without parole when an offender has been convicted of at least three serious or violent felony crimes and/or serious or violent drug-related crimes.

TABLE 1.7
Arrests by race, 2002

	Arrests under 18					Percent distribution 1
Offense charged	Total	White	Black	American Indian or Alaskan Native	Asian or Islander Pacific	Total	White	Black	American Indian or Alaskan Native	Asian or Pacific Islander
Total	1,620,594	1,158,776	415,854	20,383	25,581	100.0	71.5	25.7	1.3	1.6
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	972	446	487	23	16	100.0	45.9	50.1	2.4	1.6
Forcible rape	3,355	2,079	1,207	37	32	100.0	62.0	36.0	1.1	1.0
Robbery	17,878	6,895	10,537	91	355	100.0	38.6	58.9	0.5	2.0
Aggravated assault	44,185	26,877	16,217	535	556	100.0	60.8	36.7	1.2	1.3
Burglary	61,754	44,680	15,558	689	827	100.0	72.4	25.2	1.1	1.3
Larceny-theft	248,202	173,910	65,667	3,443	5,182	100.0	70.1	26.5	1.4	2.1
Motor vehicle theft	32,487	18,949	12,428	445	665	100.0	58.3	38.3	1.4	2.0
Arson	5,837	4,711	1,026	48	52	100.0	80.7	17.6	0.8	0.9
Violent crime2	66,390	36,297	28,448	686	959	100.0	54.7	42.8	1.0	1.4
Property crime3	348,280	242,250	94,679	4,625	6,726	100.0	69.6	27.2	1.3	1.9
Crime Index4	414,670	278,547	123,127	5,311	7,685	100.0	67.2	29.7	1.3	1.9
Other assaults	168,641	106,119	58,518	1,942	2,062	100.0	62.9	34.7	1.2	1.2
Forgery and counterfeiting	3,644	2,845	711	33	55	100.0	78.1	19.5	0.9	1.5
Fraud	6,418	4,242	2,051	47	78	100.0	66.1	32.0	0.7	1.2
Embezzlement	1,004	696	287	1	20	100.0	69.3	28.6	0.1	2.0
Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing	18,769	10,612	7,761	134	262	100.0	56.5	41.4	0.7	1.4
Vandalism	75,781	61,373	12,594	919	895	100.0	81.0	16.6	1.2	1.2
Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc.	25,239	16,945	7,751	207	336	100.0	67.1	30.7	0.8	1.3
Prostitution and commercialized vice	1,094	479	597	6	12	100.0	43.8	54.6	0.5	1.1
Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution)	13,857	9,986	3,603	107	161	100.0	72.1	26.0	0.8	1.2
Drug abuse violations	133,494	97,766	33,208	1,152	1,368	100.0	73.2	24.9	0.9	1.0
Gambling	1,114	127	955	0	32	100.0	11.4	85.7	*	2.9
Offenses against the family and children	6,554	4,837	1,541	56	120	100.0	73.8	23.5	0.9	1.8
Driving under the influence	15,155	14,138	628	267	122	100.0	93.3	4.1	1.8	0.8
Liquor laws	105,652	97,372	4,629	2,656	995	100.0	92.2	4.4	2.5	0.9
Drunkenness	13,508	12,155	995	258	100	100.0	90.0	7.4	1.9	0.7
Disorderly conduct	138,847	88,761	47,261	1,708	1,117	100.0	63.9	34.0	1.2	0.8
Vagrancy	1,518	1,147	346	14	11	100.0	75.6	22.8	0.9	0.7
All other offenses (except traffic)	281,184	210,704	62,641	3,261	4,578	100.0	74.9	22.3	1.2	1.6
Suspicion	1,170	816	330	7	17	100.0	69.7	28.2	0.6	1.5
Curfew and loitering law violations	103,054	70,738	29,717	1,083	1,516	100.0	68.6	28.8	1.1	1.5
Runaways	90,227	68,371	16,603	1,214	4,039	100.0	75.8	18.4	1.3	4.5

• Resources for more police, and grants to help involve community organizations in crime prevention programs.

The act also expanded the federal death penalty to apply to more than 50 offenses and provided funding for prison construction projects. A new trust fund—the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund—supported these new programs.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women has distributed more than $1 billion worth of grants since its creation in 1995 to state, local, and tribal governments and community-based agencies to assist in efforts to prevent violence against women. In October of 2003 the President's Family Justice Center Initiative was established to help victims of domestic violence by combining often uncoordinated and disjointed local services into Family Justice Centers where medical, legal, counseling, and other assistance can be offered in a central location.