OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL DETENTION TRUSTEE

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The Office of the Federal Detention Trustee (OFDT) was established in the Department of Justice by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft on March 6, 2001.

The mission of OFDT is to provide oversight of detention management, and improvement and coordination of detention activities, including the effective and efficient expenditure of appropriated funds, to ensure that Federal agencies involved in detention provide for the safe, secure, and humane confinement of persons in the custody of the United States.

The major functions of OFDT are to:

• Refine and improve detention operations, including detention transportation, to be more cost-effective.
• Direct and coordinate the Department’s budget and strategic planning submissions on detention to ensure that they are internally consistent and free of unnecessary duplication.
• Investigate and develop new approaches to acquisition of detention resources.
• Collect and analyze critical data and provide accurate, long range projections of detention needs.
• Develop comprehensive, Department-wide detention planning capabilities.
• Oversee the procurement of detention resources.
• Participate in the management of the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System.

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