How IT has Improved the Efficiency and Productivity of Criminal Justice Agencies (Essay Sample)

How IT has improved the efficiency and productivity of criminal justice agencies
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Information technology has proved important in criminal justice agencies. With technology, work has become easier for all criminal justice agencies. Technology improves communication, transportation, devices, firearms and even programs. Technology has made it easier for criminal agencies to share information. Technology has also changed the way crimes and criminals are handled. Crime rate has also reduced since; technology has the ability of alerting agencies on possibilities of crime occurrence.
Advancement in technology in the world today affects controls and how the criminal justice system operates at various levels. A variety of technologies have proved functional in support of justice systems operations. Examples of technologies that are currently used by the criminal justice system include, computers, telephony, automobiles, database management systems and weapons. Technology does not only aid services but also streamlines policies and practices (Hekim & Gul, 2013).
According to Byrne & Marx, (2013), technology has allowed development of communications systems same case to transportation technologies. For instance, the police response capabilities have been greatly improved and besides, information can easily be shared between agencies. The society can effectively depend on technologies to get quick access to police emergency services. The subject on this paper analyses how the criminal justice systems has been improved by advancement in technology. Advancement in technology has also impacted the society negatively hence leading to high crime rate (Hekim & Gul, 2013).
The criminal justice systems have identified measures to examine and control online activities. This means that technology plays an important role in improving the services of the criminal justice system (Byrne & Marx, 2013). Common examples of technologies used at the criminal justice systems include, in-car camera systems, Photo enforcement systems, Thermal imaging, radios, lacers, crime lights among others. The in-car camera systems have the ability to record video of events of the public from a patrol car. This technology makes it easier to identify criminal activities and make arrests (Neubauer & Fradella, 2013).
Byrne & Marx, (2013) asserts that the photo enforcement systems have the ability of showing red light violations. This is particularly useful on the roads to identify speeding motorist. Thermal Imaging is used to locate either a person missing or, a criminal that escaped from custody. Lacers are especially important in handling terrorism for instance it has the ability to identify the chemicals within a substance. Crime lights come in a variety of wavelength that is designed to detect fibers, body fluid and hair thoroughly at crime scene. Language translators break through barriers of communication. These services are available through telephone and sometimes through handheld devices (Neubauer & Fradella, 2013).
Hekim & Gul, (2013) argues that information technology assists criminal justice agencies to improve criminal record keeping. Records of this kind assist agencies to keep statistics for administrative and investigative use. Criminal records describe history of crimes, offenders and offenses. Byrne & Marx, (2013) adds that technology assists in storage of information regarding criminal activities and indefinable attributes such as finger prints and notations of arrest. The criminal justice agencies also keep criminal justice repository and a system of retrieving information. The repository keeps records obtained from all criminal justice agencies such as courts, law enforcement, police, crime investigating agencies, and prosecutors. Other criminal records may contain information relating to protection orders, offender registries and contacts of the criminal justice (Neubauer & Fradella, 2013).
Information technology has also proved useful in a way that promotes accuracy, completeness, timeliness. When a crime is committed, information technology devices assist in identification of the offender immediately. Information technology also allows criminal agencies to make important decisions regarding crime and offenders. For instance, it is easier to make decisions such as terminating sentence, pretrial release, responsibility regarding children and, correctional assignments (Hekim & Gul, 2013).
Information technology also comes in form of programs designed to assess criminal justice operations. The Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is a program that provides technical assistance to the states in terms timely accessibility of information. These programs are successful when databases from all criminal justice agencies are linked. The program is also designed in a way that ensures that accessibility needs are met (Byrne & Marx, 2013).
The Information Technology and Communication Department within the criminal justice system is in charge of all automation systems. The department is useful to both the criminal services and the non-criminal usage. The department works closely with the Public Safety Data Center to ensure efficien...