Technology has changed every facet of policing and the emerging technology trends in the criminal justice arena continue to impact communication and reporting greatly. The emerging tech trends help law enforcement agencies through the help of machine learning and artificial intelligence to make informed decisions regarding punishment, detention, and prosecution that all contribute to comprehensive and efficient report writing. This report will investigate and discuss four contemporary technology trends in the criminal justice arena that have impacted report writing and also explore the impacts of technological advancements on the future of criminal justice report writing.
The first technology that the criminal justice system such as the police utilizes is the “dash camera” or “car video camera” due to a large number of complaints regarding racial profiling. This technology provides police and other law enforcement agencies with an effective tool that preserves the chain of evidence, improves public opinion and officer training, resolves complaints, and improves agency professionalism and leadership. The dash camera system impacts officers’ safety as they can analyze their own actions through recorded videos that help improve officer safety practices and improve social skills while emphasizing suitable behavior and operations. Secondly, body-worn cameras are another technology that provides accountability and transparency to the officers regarding what happens during encounters. The idea of having a body-worn camera restricts an officer and acts as a strong motivator that helps to govern how force is being used by the officer in the majority of crime incidents (Mawby, 2010).
Furthermore, machine learning and artificial intelligence with the advent of big data analytics have made the operation of the criminal justice system and report writing highly sophisticated. The AI technology with the addition of machine learning is applied in criminal justice application systems for gunshot detection, criminal identification, crime forecasting, image analysis, document review and recognition, and DNA analysis (Dupont et al., 2018). Lastly, automated report writing systems through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning focuses on computer-aided dispatching systems, the use of translated forms, and automation of report writing. These systems help law enforcement agencies save time and resources while using smart management and reporting tools to create and share organizational reports in specific real-time. Automated report-writing systems through AI and machine learning improve the quality of reports and insights that lead to informed data-driven decision-making and increased creative output.
In a nutshell, contemporary and emerging technology trends have been offering a significant role in the criminal justice report writing arena as they can enhance public safety and improve the efficiency of reporting and communication in the criminal justice system. In future, the criminal justice field through predictive policing driven by machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics can identify and predict areas where crimes are likely to occur. However, there is a potential risk that predictive policing algorithms can perpetuate existing bias in the report writing which can lead to unfair treatment among different members of society (Hollywood et al., 2018). The benefits of technology trends are sure to play a vital role in the criminal justice arena more effectively with each passing day in the future. To achieve that, the concerned authorities should ensure the ethical use of technological systems in the field of criminal justice report writing that would not lead to unintended consequences.
References
Dupont, B., Stevens, Y., Westermann, H., & Joyce, M. (2018). Artificial intelligence in the context of crime and criminal justice. Available at SSRN 3857367.
Hollywood, J. S., Woods, D., Lauland, A., Jackson, B. A., & Silberglitt, R. (2018). Addressing Emerging Trends to Support the Future of Criminal Justice. RAND Corporation.
Mawby, R. C. (2010). Police corporate communications, crime reporting and the shaping of policing news. Policing and Society, 20(1), 124–139.
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