Technology is harnessed to promote efficiency, accuracy, and accountability in all manner of professions. But even as it introduces new benefits, it can bring a variety of new concerns and controversies. Such is certainly true of the recent technological advances in policing.  

Here we’ll discuss a few types of technology used in the modern criminal justice system and outline both their merits and some of the potential problems that have accompanied their implementation. 

Technology Used by Law Enforcement 

Body-Worn Cameras  

These devices, also called “body cameras,” are worn by police while on duty and record their interactions with the public. 

Pros: 

Body-worn cameras increase accountability by helping to confirm whether an officer’s response, e.g., using a weapon, was appropriate to the circumstances. They can also help engender positive attitudes toward police among the community, documenting dramatic scenes that demonstrate their heroism and occupational risks, such as rushing to free a trapped individual from a flaming car. 

Cons: 

While body camera footage has been instrumental in some legal cases, many suggest these devices violate the public’s privacy and paint an incomplete, biased picture of police incidents. Cost can also hinder their widespread use. 

Predictive Policing Software 

Predictive policing software programs use “algorithms to analyze massive amounts of information in order to predict and help prevent potential future crimes,” a scenario that echoes the 1956 novella (and later film) “Minority Report.” 

Pros: 

This technology uses real-world data to identify high-crime areas with extreme accuracy. It may make policing more cost-effective and efficient by guiding law enforcement to direct their efforts where crime is most likely to occur.  

Cons: 

Concerns about predictive policing software range from inadequate transparency from law enforcement agencies to the potential for racial bias influencing police actions. The Los Angeles Police Department is one prominent agency that suspended use of these programs due to complaints. 

Facial Recognition  

Facial recognition captures images of faces, often in places such as public streets, and compares them to images in crime databases to identify potential suspects. 

Pros:  

Facial recognition can be used to identify criminals and terrorists in large crowds.  

Cons:  

Many people—not just criminals—object to being captured on camera without their consent. Some agencies that use the technology lack policies that protect the public’s civil liberties. Further, facial recognition can be outsmarted by those who know the techniques. And when the technology misidentifies a suspect, the negative consequences can be lasting for the wrongly accused, such as these three men who were jailed. 

Tasers  

In use since the 1990s, these gun-like instruments shoot darts that penetrate the skin or clothing and deliver an electric shock to the recipient. They remain on the radar of civil rights advocates in the 21st century. 

Pros: 

Tasers provide police officers with a nonlethal way to subdue violent or problematic suspects. 

Cons: 

There have been documented incidents of Tasers harming and even killing suspects, including one man who died of a heart attack. The coroner’s report characterized the cause of death as homicide. In some cases of an individual acting strangely or not cooperating police with officers, the issue is not criminality but potentially a mental health crisis. Yet these encounters can also end in death. 

Without question, technology will continue to drive progress in many fields. Balancing the needs of law enforcement and the civil rights and ethical concerns of citizens will remain major challenges.  

Gain an Insider’s Perspective of Criminal Justice 

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Sources: 
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/research-body-worn-cameras-and-law-enforcement
https://www.axon.com/resources/police-body-cam
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/230414.pdf
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/Pros-and-cons-of-facial-recognition