Abstract
Since 1990, criminal justice system has received a lot of development regarding advancement in law enforcement technology. Several studies have shown that the development will impact crime prevention in future as well as improve law enforcement in response to crime. With the modern computer technology and advanced software, criminal justice system has been in a capacity to compile data and store it as well as share its analysis with other agencies both in and out of concerned parties in government. Investigation techniques have been made cost effective and the process of prosecution is now fast as there is always easily accessible evidence such as video tapes covered by surveillance cameras.
Advancement on Law Enforcement Technology Since 1990
According to (Carter, 2003), advancement on law enforcement technology since1990 has developed at a very high rate especially regarding the use of computers as well as telecommunication and this has impacted effectively on crime prevention. Data transmissions and graphic interfaces have now become friendly to the law enforcement agencies and more data can be collected and stored as well as be analyzed. Different agencies dealing with criminal justice can now share data in government and even among agencies outside government. However, research has shown that, if there is no efficient integration of this advancement of information technology, some of its aspect may face resistance among staff especially when there is perception of unfair intrusion or any other technical difficulty.
(Carter, 2003) found that, the major imperatives that have lead to the government investing so much in information technology include the need to effectively as well as efficiently enlarge the capacity in storage and processing of data. This is aimed at enhancing intelligence and techniques in investigation where the enforcers can easily access the records involving crime. The law enforcers have also faced high demand in data sharing with other agencies and businesses including insurance companies. Advancement in technology has also been aimed at improving police management as well as their accountability regarding probity. Technology has made the cost of crime investigation to be effective as a result of following regular procedures. Various techniques have been designed to give warning in good time for the police using force complaints. With the recent technology, police are scrutinized through internal management systems of surveillance and watchdog agencies. Therefore, enforcement technology is aimed at policing both citizens as well as police so as to make them improve their service especially in crime mapping as well as information integration. An example of application of technology since1990 has been computer crime mapping which has been used as a tool by agencies of law enforcement. Geographical information system has been merged with mapping software and used with desktop computers in analysis of crime. Research indicates that, this technology is affordable even for police departments that operate on a constrained budget. (Crank, 2006)
How the technology will improve law enforcement’s response to crime
Argues that, advancement in information technology will enable any information of privacy concerns to be stored and if required to be shared electronically across all agencies in criminal justice. This will benefit law enforcement and police in prosecution department as well as defenders in both private and public defense bar. Today, this objective has already began to be realized. However, an efficient information system using this technology must be well coordinated and planned among the concerned agencies to avoid occurrence of technological inconsistencies. With proper planning, the police are able to work closely with the members of the community towards reducing crime as well as creating a safer community. The technology will minimize human administrative roles while at the same time increasing efficiency in management as well as accountability of all officers. In future, city agencies will easily identify and provide solutions to neighborhood problems instead of reacting to a crime long after it has been committed. The goal will easily be achieved through extensive training in order to help the citizen as well as police master kills in the use of services impacting crime as well as techniques in targeting hot spots for criminal activities.
References
Carter A. (2003): Evolution of Higher Education in Law Enforcement: Journal of Criminal Justice Education pp 34-39.
Crank R. (2006): technological Perspective on Policing: Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology pp 24-33.