The United States is in the middle of a period of profound social, economic, and technical change, which is likely to promote a greater controversy concerning the role of law and the courts in our society. While it is difficult to predict the specific nature of these changes, there is every indication that certain transformation will occur. Our society is growing more complex each year; this will have profound sociological effects on future generations. Ultimately the societal changes will require the courts to alter the ways in which they respond to community needs. Changing lifestyle will redefine patterns and responsibilities in the family, compelling the courts to play an increasing role in mediating disputes and dealing with changes in crime pattern. Accordingly, technological advances, to be precise, will present numerous opportunities to improve efficiency and at the same time will force the courts to respond to new and evolving legal issues. In other words, technology advances will accompany both positive and negative impacts
Technology promises to increase effectiveness, reduce cost, and improve the safety of officers and the public. Without a doubt, technological advances will be essential to our future system of criminal justice. However, in some cases, this promise can lead to misplaced enthusiasm. In other cases, technological innovation is met with enthusiasm because it is widely recognized that failures of technology can have negative effects ranging from inconvenience to catastrophe. Failures involving technology may stem from the limitation of the technology itself or our limitations (Weisburd & McEwen, 2015). While many may think of human error regarding mishandling or improperly operating technology, human limitations include intentional and unintentional errors of omission and commission in the policies and practices that are established from technology.
Positive Impact
There is no doubt that the desire for efficiency and effectiveness will lead to continued efforts to create new technologies and refine existing technologies to assist the police in their tasks. One can easily envision increased access to information through computers, better surveillance cameras and body scanner, and expanded use of GPS devices. Also, there will be continued development and from those being developed by the United States military including devices that rely on heat or light or even sound to incapacitate threatening individuals.
In light of financial problems affecting state and local correlation budgets, there will inevitably be efforts to refine and expand the use of surveillance and monitoring technology to reduce the costs associated with confining lesser offenders. For example, the future will likely see the expanded use of ignition interlock system for convicted drunken drivers. In this system, drivers blow into a tube set up in their car, and the engine starts only if they have not consumed alcohol (Weisheit & Donnermeyer, 2000). This can help prevent drunken driving without relying so heavily on incarceration for first offenders. New and expanded use of surveillance and control mechanism may also improve official’s ability to monitor probationers, parolees and other offenders under correctional supervision in the community.
Additionally, police vehicles pursuits may be all but eliminated by remote vehicle stopping technology. High definition surveillances cameras integrated with biometric facial recognition software and criminal intelligence databases will rapidly scan crowds and identify "suspicious" or criminal activity. Law enforcement and correction officer will be equipped with technological tools to monitor continuously locations and health status within structures and outside in urban and rural environments. Some have gone further and extrapolated from existing technology to portray a possible more distant future
Negative Impacts
Technology has had many direct and indirect effects on the criminal justice system. The introduction of the automobile into our society is an excellent example. The automobile allowed police agencies to increase the efficiency of patrols. Yet autos became major social control problem for the criminal justice system to deal with. Expanding or improving the automobile will no doubt increases the range of operation for thieves as seen in previous events. The high price of automobiles and auto parts makes them valuable items to steal and resell to shop outlets. Such criminal activities will heavily if future inventions are improved. Also several states have banned the use of cell phones by vehicle drivers, from using cell phones while driving is thought to distract drivers and create a potential traffic hazard.
Another technological concern relates to DNA with the potential for future reuse of DNA sample for reasons other than why they were collected. DNA is sometimes regarded to as a "genetic fingerprint"; however a fingerprint is a two-dimensional image that can be used to identify someone, whereas DNA samples include an individual’s entire genetic code (Singer & Adya, 2007). Potential foreseeable uses of the DNA data bank include research on predispositions for disease, physical traits, or behavioral dispositions. Critics have noted multiple possible misuses including research seeking to identify genetic markers for aggression, substance addiction, criminal tendencies, and sexual orientation. Such inquiries are views as a slippery slope towards discriminatory policies based on genetic makeup. To reduce the potential for misuse, some have proposed policies for regulating access to these databases for purposes other than identification.
Addressing Future Technology
The federal and private investments in technology development lead to pilot testing and coordination with innovators and early adopters in the criminal justice community. These early adopters spread the word across their professional networks and promote the early findings that help identify technologies as promising (Maxfield, 2015). Technology review committee and professional associations should help set standards for review and threshold for acceptance prior to acquisition and deployment of technology among early and late majority adopters.
Professionals from related science such as medicine or biology comment on the contributions of their fields to the application of the technology. Practitioners weigh in on operational policies to maximize effectiveness. Legal analysts and ethicists frame arguments that address regulation, liability and priority issues. State and federal legislators pass laws that authorize and provide resources for technology. Throughout this process, public interest periodically spikes –typically in reaction to a high-profile event.
Conclusion
While there is an undeniable fascination in what new technology may await us in the future, it is more valuable for criminal justice professional to examine the nature and origins of contemporary technology policy, thus informing our ability to make effective decisions in the future. Indeed, knowledge of future technologies may not be a prerequisite to understanding principles for improved decision making on such questions as whether to acquire technology or what standards of practice and operation to apply. Therefore, the combined effects of technology influences make for a complicated and uncertain process for technology policy in criminal justice. However, the better criminal justice professional understand this process, the better they will be able to use it as a system of checks and balances that lead to the most effective and efficient technology in advancing criminal justice.
References
Maxfield, M. (2015). Basics of research methods for criminal justice and criminology. Cengage Learning.
Singer, J. A., Miller, M. K., & Adya, M. (2007). The impact of DNA and Other Technology on the Criminal Justice System: Improvements and Complications, The. Alb. LJ Sci. & Tech., 17, 87.
Weisheit, R. A., & Donnermeyer, J. F. (2000). Change and continuity in crime in rural America. Criminal Justice, 1, 309-57.
Weisburd, D. L., & McEwen, T. (2015). Introduction: Crime mapping and crime prevention. Available at SSRN 2629850.
