Adjusting to Terrorism with Additional Definitional Clarity

The nations headlines are replete with increasing reports of international and domestic terrorists of all ilk. Indeed, many experts argue that terrorism in general and domestic terrorism in particular represent the greatest threat facing the country today. To identify effective paths forward, the purpose of this paper is to provide a description of an administrative change that would make a criminal justice agency more effective in combating this type of terrorism more effectively. In addition, a description of the prior situation and the main reasons for the proposed administrative change is followed by a discussion concerning the anticipated positive results or potential negative consequences of the change. Finally, a description of the resources that would be necessitated by the proposed change and the corresponding changes in management support that would be required to implement and administer it is followed by a summary of the research and key findings concerning the proposed change in the conclusion.

Describe the prior situation

Federal and state criminal justice agencies that are tasked with combating terrorism are faced with multiple challenges, of course, but some of them are fairly straightforward to remedy, requiring only some additional definitional clarity in existing laws to improve enforcement and prosecution. In this regard, Laguardia (2020) reports that, Recent years have seen an increase in right-wing extremist violence within the United States, which has highlighted the disparities in law enforcements...

37). A useful working definition of each type of terrorism provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is provided below:

International terrorism?: Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored).

Domestic terrorism: Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature (What we investigate, 2022, para. 4).

Taken together, it clear that...

…organizations of nebulous origins which are likewise constrained.

Identify the resources the change would require or make availablefinancial resources, human resources, and training dollarsand the management support the change would need.

Assuming that the Justice Department is currently optimizing its resources for investigating and prosecuting domestic terrorist individuals and organizations, it is reasonable to posit that few additional financial resources will be required to implement and administer the proposed change. In fact, by streamlining the focus on domestic terrorists or international terrorists, the Justice Department may be able to save tens of millions of dollars in administrative costs.

Conclusion

The proposed change to 18 U.S. Code 2331 Definitions to better distinguish between domestic and international terrorism is timely and valuable for investigating and prosecuting these criminal individuals and organizations. By more clearly defining each type of terrorism, the Department of Justice can better focus its investigatory and prosecutorial resources. Moreover, beyond the initial printing costs that are involved, few additional federal resources would be required to implement and administer this…