CRIMINAL JUSTICE TECHNOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY (4th Ed.)

The fourth edition of Criminal Justice Technology in the 21st Century comes just about five years after the COVID-19 pandemic when technology took a more prominent role in our everyday lives and, more importantly, in the criminal justice system. Ideas that once were mere thoughts from academics pondering the future have become everyday realities. While most areas of life came to a standstill as the pandemic ensued, the criminal justice system could not stop. Crime adapts more seamlessly than other aspects of society, and as such, the criminal justice system needed to adapt as well. The contributing authors were asked to consider the pandemic and its impact on evolving technology and advancements to address crime. Likewise, other societal concerns focusing on law enforcement and its questionable use of force, at times, have escalated the need for technology to ensure that “over-policing” in minority neighborhoods and accountability is established (or not) to deescalate violence, whether police brutality or protester police violence. The impact of technology remains to be seen, but there is real hope that such technology can begin to shed light on what is happening in these volatile situations. Either the current contributors have updated their chapters from the Third Edition, or there are new contributors focusing on the abovementioned issues. This fourth edition, with more than 20 contributors, highlights the most current thinking about criminal justice technology. The book is longer than the previous editions but has fewer chapters. This is the result of paring down what is included in this new edition. The hope is that these chapters will be the most relevant and useful to both the expert and the neophyte. Criminal justice technology will continue to advance, and we must keep abreast of new trends.