Introduction
In recent years, the emergence of new technology has drastically changed the administration of criminal justice, not only in the courts but also in correctional facilities where offenders serve their jail terms and get rehabilitated for re-integration back into society (Cole 95).
It has become common practice for most correctional facilities in the United States to adopt new technology to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in justice delivery (Murphy 722), with available literature demonstrating that technological adoptions are so institutionally ingrained in the country’s police services, courts and correctional services that they are considered a fundamental component of the criminal justice system (Skogan & Hartnett 402). Against this backdrop, the current paper seeks to expand on how technology is used to effectively manage the nation’s correctional systems, the positive outcomes occasioned by the adoption of technology, and how improvements in forensic science continue to impact the criminal justice system.
Technology & Management of Correctional Systems
From an information perspective, it is clear that new technologies, such as the use of iris recognition solutions, can assist in the effective and efficient management of correctional systems since these facilities are predominantly information-centric and, consequently, any form of technology that can assist in information and intelligence gathering within and outside the confines of these facilities may be regarded as a critical component of our criminal justice system (Cole 98).
Expounding more on the information perspective, it is indeed true that some emerging technologies such as the internet assist correctional facilities to share information through wide area networks on a wide array of issues, which include: best practices in facility management; prisoner information; prison exchange programs; library services, and; rehabilitation programs (Murphy 725). The use of web-based protocols to exchange information has not only increased cost efficiencies of the connected correctional facilities (Cole 100) but also ensured that prisoners have quality time during incarceration and that they can easily enroll in available rehabilitation programs, including those administered through videoconferencing (Stevenson, Ben & Roblyer 328).
Consecutive studies in criminal justice demonstrate that some emerging technologies, such as iris recognition, biometric scanning, and electronic location tracking, have greatly assisted correctional facilities not only to manage detainee and inmate populations inside the facilities but also in tracking and ensuring the released offenders do not go back to crime (Murphy 721).
These are essential components of management in that they do not only manage the activities of the offenders while in incarceration but also what these offenders engage in upon their release from jail. Most correctional facilities in the US share biometric data of terrorism offenders to guard against possible attacks, while in the UK, most facilities have succeeded in taming potential rapists through the use of electronic location tracking devices (Skogan & Hartnett 410).
New technologies in prisons and detention facilities have also received much acclaim for reducing inmate processing time and improving the safety of officers, inmates, and the general public (Cole 101). For instance, some electronic devices such as metal detectors and access control scanners can screen inmates and ensure they do not own harmful weapons upon entry into a correction facility. Such screening not only reduces processing time but significantly addresses safety concerns while ensuring that the prisoners are treated more humanely.
Lastly, it has been noted in the literature that new technological developments in forensic DNA typing have not only enabled the development of large databases which holds critical genetic information on criminals but has also significantly reduced cases of incorrect trials and convictions, which were earlier precipitated by traditional techniques such as fingerprinting.
Indeed, according to the extant literature, proponents of these powerful new forensic technologies such as DNA typing praise the methodologies “…for helping to exonerate those wrongly accused, and for exposing the failings of a criminal justice system that previously relied too readily upon faulty forensic evidence like handwriting, ballistics, and hair and fiber analysis” (Murphy 721). Such functionalities occasioned by emerging technologies will revolutionize how correctional facilities across the country deal with offenders.
Positive Outcomes from Increased use of New Technologies
From the discussion, it is evident that correctional facilities stand to benefit from the adoption of new technologies in numerous ways. For example, emerging technologies enable the institutions to share prisoner information and rehabilitation materials cost-effectively, not to mention that these technologies enhance the safety of the prisoners, officers, and the general public (Cole 102).
Crime levels have gone down due to the use of electronic location tracking devices, implying that correctional facilities can release more resources – financial or manpower – to be used in other sectors of the economy while still maintaining safe neighborhoods and communities (Skogan & Hartnett 409). Many prisoners are now able to attend online classes and counseling sessions made possible through videoconferencing, implying that they now have access to more information and services that could be productively used to enhance their rehabilitation and reintegration back into the community once they complete their jail terms (Stevenson & Roblyer 330).
In addition, the new technologies have made it possible for offenders to be treated in a more humane and morally upright manner while being processed to join the various correctional facilities, and also while being guarded within the precincts of the facilities. Today, a prisoner does not have to undress as a comprehensive body scan can be done using scanners. Lastly, cases of wrongful conviction arising from overreliance on faulty traditional techniques have been on the decline owing to the use of state-of-the-art forensic technologies such as DNA typing and data mining (Murphy 721). Overall, correctional systems are now, more than ever before, capable of providing efficient and effective services.
Improvements in Forensic Science & Criminal Justice System
Accounts of powerful new forensic technologies, which include DNA typing, data mining and warehousing, biometric scanning, videoconferencing hearings on bail decisions, and electronic location tracking, have catapulted the criminal justice system to new heights in terms of revolutionizing how the different cogs in the system investigate, try and deal with criminal cases (Murphy 721). These technologies have not only brought improvements in information and intelligence gathering on possible culpability or involvement of an offender in committing a crime but have ensured minimal time is wasted in trials through their capacity to avail uncompromised evidence.
For instance, a highway robber recorded live on a police CCTV may waste minimal resources when it comes to prosecution since the police will use the CCTV tape to convict the offender. Similarly, a repeat sexual offender may not escape arrest and subsequent prosecution if an electronic location tracking device was secured on his body upon release for the first offense. These two scenarios exemplify the twin facts that improvements in forensic science not only enable justice to be dispatched efficiently and cost-effectively on offenders but also ensure that justice is discharged immediately to the victims as justice delayed is justice denied (Murphy 780).
The police, which is a critical component of the criminal justice system, have benefited greatly from improvements in forensic science (Skogan & Hartnett 405). For instance, through data mining and data warehousing, police can have up-to-date information on dangerous people who could pose a significant security threat to the country, such as terrorists, murderers, child traffickers, and drug smugglers. This scenario, therefore, implies that improvements in forensic science have considerably lowered crime levels by making it harder for criminals to commit some forms of crimes without putting their lives and their identities in jeopardy (Murphy 722).
Lastly, improvements in forensic science have made it possible for the equal administration of justice among various ethnic and socioeconomic groups and have also significantly reduced the chances for erroneous convictions (Cole 104).
Conclusion
From the discussion, it is clear that the criminal justice system needs to enhance the uptake of newer technologies and modern forensic science to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the administration of justice; reduce crime levels; rehabilitate offenders; manage detainee and inmate populations; ensure the safety of officers, offenders, and the public; reduce inmate processing time, and ensure equal and timely delivery of justice to offenders and victims. The government, therefore, needs to allocate more resources to the criminal justice system to enhance the adoption of these technologies, and to ensure crime levels remain down.
Works Cited
Cole, Simon A. “How much Justice can Technology Afford? The Impact of DNA Technology on Equal Criminal Justice.” Science and Public Policy. 34.2 (2007): 95-107. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Murphy, E. “The New Forensics: Criminal Justice, False Certainty and the Second Generation of Scientific Evidence.” California Law Review. 95.3 (2007): 721-797. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Skogan, Wesley G., & Susan M. Hartnett. “The Diffusion of Information Technology in Policing.” Police Practice & Research. 6.5 (2005): 401-417. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Stevenson, Ben & M.D. Roblyer. “Technology-Based Strategies to Change Drug-Related Attitudes and First-Time Offenders.” The Journal of Correctional Education. 57.4 (2006): 327-340. Academic Source Premier. Web.