The increased use of social media has transformed various fields, including criminal justice. Individuals in the field have adopted social media use in recent years, changing the face on how investigators and police officers interact with their communities and pursue criminals. Responsible access and analysis of social media hold promise for holding offenders responsible and investigating crimes, identifying and halting criminal threats, and detecting and responding effectively to hazards and emergencies ( Hollywood et al., 2018) . This essay discusses social media’s negative and positive impacts in the field of criminal justice.
Social media usage has considerable benefits in the field of criminal justice. For law enforcement officers, social media sites allow the public and police to communicate in real-time about events and incidents. Social media technologies are essential in police investigations, where authorities post photos from crime scenes as well as their surveillance footage on social media pages of police departments to report open cases and recent crimes (Brzenchek, 2015). Police officers publish content in social media pages to help apprehend offenders and also acquire subpoenas that assist in reviewing private conversations to conduct investigations. Gaining access to social media accounts of suspects enable investigators to build and make cases. Social media also improves community outreach by providing individuals variable content about their jurisdiction, town, or city to allow police officers to build on community policing.
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Social media usage also poses threats to criminal justice. The technology raises concerns about protection for civil rights, individual privacy, and information security ( Hollywood et al., 2018). Activities on social media pose threats to prosecution and fair trial rights through practices such as the creation of hate groups and sharing photos of accused individuals before indictment ( Milivojevic, 2016) . Jurors may also use the platforms to share their opinions on cases. Individuals can also use the platform to expose a victim’s family to secondary victimization.
References
Hollywood, J. S., Vermeer, M. J., Woods, D., Goodison, S. E., Jackson, B. A., RAND, & United States of America. (2018). Using Social Media and Social Network Analysis in Law Enforcement.
Brzenchek, B. (2015, March 20). The Impact of Social Media in Criminal Justice . Peirce Connections Blog | Peirce College for Working Adults. https://blog.peirce.edu/2015/03/the-impact-of-social-media-in-criminal.html
Milivojevic, S. (2016, October 16). Social Media and Crime: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly . The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/social-media-and-crime-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-66397
