Thread by @Headsnipe011

Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Justice - 2018

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oig.justice.gov/challenges/201…

Attached to this memorandum is the Office of the Inspector General’s 2018 list of top management and performance challenges facing the Department of Justice (Department), which we have identified based on our oversight work, research, and judgment.

We have prepared similar lists since 1998. By statute, this list is required to be included in the Department’s Agency Financial Report.

This year’s list identifies nine challenges that we believe represent the most pressing concerns for the Department:

 Advancing National Security, Protecting Sensitive Information, and Safeguarding Civil Liberties

 Enhancing Cybersecurity with Emerging Technology and Collaboration

 Managing an Overcrowded Federal Prison System in an Era of Declining Resources

 Building Productive Relationships and Trust Between Law Enforcement and Communities

 Coordinating within the Department and Across Government to Fulfill the Department’s Mission to Combat Crime

 Administering and Overseeing Contracts and Grants

 Effectively Applying Performance-Based Management to Inform Decision Making and
Improve Outcomes

 Filling Mission Critical Positions Despite Department CHALLENGES AND DELAYS in the ONBOARDING PROCESS

 Ensuring Adherence to Established Department Policies and Procedures

This year, eight of the nine challenges are issues the OIG identified in last year’s memorandum. For the first eight challenges in the list above, we discuss the Department’s progress in meeting the challenges and also discuss new and ongoing areas of concern.

A persistent theme throughout the challenges we identified is the threats caused by emerging technologies -- from the development and distribution of synthetic opioids, to increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks,

to drone technologies that threaten the physical security of federal prisons. For each emerging technology, the Department must have a workforce capable of responding to the threat,

and the ability to recruit and retain professionals in each of these fields creates its own challenge for the Department. The new challenge identified in this year’s memorandum is an ongoing concern, but one that was highlighted persistently in the OIG’s work this year.

This is the need for all Department employees to adhere to established policies and procedures. As noted in recent OIG reviews, the actions of a few, especially individuals in leadership positions,

can undermine the Department’s reputation for professionalism, impartiality, and fairness when policies and procedures are not consistently followed.

We hope this document will assist the Department in its efforts to improve program performance and enhance its operations. We look forward to continuing to work with the Department to analyze and respond to these important issues in the year ahead.