	Background

The Office of Science and Technology (OST) was created in fiscal year  1995 following a long history of science and technology efforts within the  National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The Act  specified OST’s mission “to serve as the national focal point for work on  law enforcement technology; and to carry out programs that, through the  provision of equipment, training, and technical assistance, improve the  safety and effectiveness of law enforcement technology and improve  access to such technology by federal, state, and local law enforcement  agencies.” The Act defined the term “law enforcement technology” to  include “investigative and forensic technologies, corrections technologies,  and technologies that support the judicial process.” The Act also specified  OST’s duties to include the following, among others:    establishing and maintaining advisory groups to assess federal, state, and    establishing and maintaining performance standards, and testing,  evaluating, certifying, validating, and marketing products that conform to  those standards;   carrying out research, development, testing, evaluation, and cost-benefit  analysis of certain technologies; and   developing and disseminating technical assistance and training materials. Budgetary resources for OST increased  significantly, from $13.2 million in fiscal year 1995 to $204.2 million in  fiscal year 2003 (in constant 2002 dollars), totaling over $1 billion. About $749.7 million, or 72 percent, of OST’s total budgetary resources  was either directed to specific recipients or projects by public law, subject  to congressional committee report guidance designating specific  recipients or projects, or directed from the reimbursements from other  Justice and federal agencies in exchange for OST managing their projects. Range of OST’s Program Responsibilities Has Changed

The range of OST’s program responsibilities has changed over the years  from primarily law enforcement and corrections to include broader public  safety technology R&D. OST’s program responsibilities have also changed to expand the focus on  investigative and forensic sciences. OST Delivers Three Groups of Products Through Various Methods

OST delivers many products, which we categorized into three groups, and  uses various methods to deliver them. These three groups are   (1) information dissemination and technical assistance; (2) the  application, evaluation, and demonstration of existing and new  technologies for field users; and (3) technology R&D. According to OST, as  of April 2003, it had delivered 945 products since its inception. Furthermore, OST identified an additional 500 products expected from  ongoing awards. While OST does not directly commercialize the results of its technology  R&D, it does provide prototypes to local users for field-testing and assists  in linking prototypes with potential commercial developers. OST’s Methods for Delivering its Products

OST delivers its products to its customers through a variety of methods. To help Justice comply with the Government Performance  and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), OST establishes goals and develops  performance measures to track its progress. GPRA, which mandates  performance measurements by federal agencies, requires, among other  things, that each agency measure or assess relevant outputs and outcomes  of each program activity. Outputs count the goods and services produced by a  program or organization. Intermediate measures can be used to show  progress to achieving intended results. We recognize that OST’s task in relation to measuring the results of even  non-basic research is complex in part because of the wide array of  activities it sponsors, and because of inherently difficult measurement  challenges involved in assessing the types of programs it undertakes. This information indicates  how the program is achieving its intended results in addressing unsolved  cases. As stated in our report, we recognize that measuring  results using outcome measures is difficult and may be especially so in  relation to some of the types of activities undertaken by OST. 1. 2. 3.
Why GAO Did This Study

The mission of the Office of Science & Technology (OST), within the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is to improve the safety and effectiveness of technology used by federal, state, and local law enforcement and other public safety agencies. Through NIJ, OST funds programs in forensic sciences, crime prevention, and standards and testing. To support these programs, Congress increased funding for OST from $13.2 million in 1995 to $204.2 million in 2003 (in constant 2002 dollars). GAO reviewed (1) the growth in OST's budgetary resources and the changes in OST's program responsibilities, (2) the types of products OST delivers and the methods used for delivering them; and (3) how well OST's efforts to measure the success of its programs in achieving intended results meet applicable requirements.

What GAO Found

OST's budgetary resources grew significantly in recent years, along with the range of its program responsibilities. From fiscal year 1995 through fiscal year 2003, OST received over $1 billion through Department of Justice appropriations and the reimbursement of funds from other federal agencies in exchange for OST's agreement to administer these agencies' projects. Of the over $1 billion that OST received, approximately $749 million, or 72 percent, was either directed to specific recipients or projects by public law, subject to guidance in congressional committee reports, or directed though reimbursable agreements. At the same time that spending expanded, OST's program responsibilities have changed--from primarily law enforcement and corrections to broader public safety technology. OST delivers three groups of products through various methods. The three groups include (1) information dissemination and technical assistance; (2) the application, evaluation, and demonstration of existing and new technologies for field users; and (3) technology research and development. According to OST, as of April 2003, it has delivered 945 products since its inception. Furthermore, OST identified an additional 500 products associated with ongoing awards. OST makes its products available through a variety of methods, such as posting information on its Web site and providing research prototypes to field users for testing and evaluation. OST has been unable to fully assess its performance in achieving its goals as required by applicable criteria because it does not use outcome measures to assess the extent to which it achieves the intended results of its programs. OST's current measures primarily track outputs, the goods and services produced, or in some cases OST uses intermediate measures, which is a step toward developing outcome measures. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 provides that federal agencies measure or assess the results of each program activity. While developing outcome measures for the types of activities undertaken by OST is difficult, we have previously reported on various strategies that can be used to develop outcome measures, or, at least intermediate measures, for similar types of activities.