What is an example of technology that has impacted the criminal justice system?

How does this technological advancement enhance/challenge the effectiveness of communication(s) within the various areas of the criminal justice system? What would happen if most/all methods of communication within the criminal justice system were paperless? Explain the overall impact.
One example |regarding technology which I feel has had the most significant influences on the criminal justice system in the past several years in the use of DNA technology. Since the usage of DNA technology has advanced, the precision of DNA use has helped with overturning the convictions of several not guilty people that were mistakenly incarcerated. Prior to the process was refined within what it is today, this used to take between 6 to 8 weeks to examine a DNA sample, also it took several years before individuals who had been appealing his or her cases which had DNA evidence available to be freed from imprisonment. Currently, it only takes a couple of days to test a sample of DNA to develop a profile. Just about all types of communication are and have been a vital part of the criminal justice system, and also the |desire for clear, concise, as well as effective communication is important. Regardless of the advancement of technology nowadays, composing reports continues to be a necessity. These reports are required to supply information from one area to another, or from one lab to another to be able to completely evaluate most available evidence. Without a completely detailed and reliable report, the end result of a case could possibly be drastically compromised. I am on the fence concerning the thought of proceeding paperless within the criminal justice system. Some areas of the criminal justice system would be okay with going paperless without jeopardizing anything. However, I believe the criminal justice system must continue both electronic and report records. While paper records do run the chance of getting missing much easier compared to if it was electronically placed, should something happen to the primary servers where all the reports and information are stored, and there is no hard copies of the information written down on paper, all of that information runs the risk of being lost forever.

Give an example of a new technological advancement that has increased the effectiveness of communication within the criminal justice system. How would the criminal justice system react if this new technology was removed effective immediately? What recommendations would you make for this new technologys replacement? Explain.
One example of a new technological advancement that has increased the effectiveness of communication within the criminal justice system is what is known as AFIS, which stands for Automated Fingerprint Identification System. AFIS is a national database that contains the fingerprint data and criminal history of hundreds of thousands of known criminals. This system

responds to requests on a daily basis to help all levels of law enforcement solve crimes and capture the criminals responsible for those crimes. It also provides several various search capabilities such as automated fingerprint search, latent fingerprint search, electronic image storage, and an electronic exchange of fingerprints and responses between departments. It also corresponds the fingerprints in the database with criminal history, mugshots, identifying marks such as tattoos and scars, aliases, and identifying physical characteristics (height, weight, eye color, etc.). AFIS also contains the fingerprints of all U.S. military and federal government employees. All the information gathered into this database is submitted on a voluntary basis by agencies from all levels of law enforcement. If this new technology was removed effective immediately, I believe the criminal justice system would be highly disappointed. This technology is used to spread data on criminals quickly, and without it, criminals could easily cross state lines and be gone again by the time the information was relayed to all law enforcement agencies via older means of communication. I'm not sure if there would be a viable replacement for such an advanced form of technology should it be removed. Law enforcement would have to go back to how it was done before, and it would take longer to solve crimes again, if they get solved at all.

What databases are used in the various areas of the criminal justice system? How do these databases impact the overall communication efforts within the criminal justice system? How well do these databases meet the criteria set forth by criminal justice organizations with regard to effective and efficient communication?
There are numerous databases that are utilized within the criminal justice system. Some of these databases include AFIS - Automated Fingerprint Identification System, CODIS - Combined DNA Index System, NCIC - National Crime Information Center, NCVS - National Crime Victimization Survey, and NIBIN - National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. The application of these databases within the criminal justice system is crucial to the success of the criminal justice system. Especially AFIS, which is a system that is utilized throughout the nations criminal justice agencies to contain the information of all

fingerprint and documented criminal history of various individuals. AFIS has the ability to be accessed at any and all times to aid all levels of law enforcement in their daily tasks. AFIS works so efficiently that it is on of the largest biometric databases in the world. It contains the criminal histories and fingerprints of over 66 million individuals as well as over 25 million government employee fingerprints. Every one of these databases are vital to the success of the criminal justice system, and are indispensable means of verification and documentation. Each of their functions is able to be utilized congruently within the communications of the systems.