In a $27.1 billion request for the Justice Department for the next fiscal year, the Obama administration is seeking a $55 million increase for investigation and prosecution of financial crimes and $5 million more for investigation and deterrence of intellectual property crime. The budget proposal, sent to Congress today, also promises “activation of completed but not yet occupied prisons to address population growth.” The overall budget request is down .4 percent below current levels. The White House said “savings are acheived by prioritizing uniquely federal responsibilities and streamlining programs and operations.”
The proposed budget would continue funding of programs to combat violence against women at $413 million per year. It includes $257 million for “first responders” and the hiring and retention of police officers and sheriffs deputies, which the budget said “builds on the $166 million in COPS hiring grants” in the current budget. It also would provide $153 million for prisoner re-entry and jail diversion programs, including $80 million under the Second Chance Act and $52 million for problem solving grants supporting drug courts, mentally ill offenders assistance “and other problem-solving approaches.”