News Release
Internet Technology Could Aid Police, Courts and Prisons; Resolving Privacy Issues Key to Future Use
Aug 17, 2015
RAND conducted an expert panel on the criminal justice community's need to take advantage of (and mitigate threats from) emerging web technologies. This report outlines the technologies that were considered, the needs developed, and the overarching themes that arose during the panel proceedings.
Does not include Appendix.
Format | File Size | Notes |
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Format | File Size | Notes |
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PDF file | 0.4 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Future World Wide Web technologies commonly labeled as being part of Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 could substantially change how the criminal justice enterprise operates. These notably include Semantic Web technologies, intelligent agents, and the Internet of Things. In September 2014, RAND conducted an expert panel for the National Institute of Justice to discuss how the criminal justice community can take advantage of (and reduce the risks from) these emerging technologies. The top unifying theme from the panel was to leverage web technologies to improve information-sharing and protection across the criminal justice enterprise, and to address challenges that the new technologies raise. Another major theme was improving practitioners' knowledge of web technologies. Priorities included general education on key web technologies, and model policies and procedures for using them. A third theme was to improve the networking infrastructure needed to support web technologies (and other applications), especially for courts and corrections. Fourth, several needs became apparent related to leveraging wearable and embedded sensors (part of the Internet of Things), with an emphasis on using sensors to improve officer health and safety. Finally, panelists frequently noted the importance of civil rights, privacy rights, and cybersecurity protections in using the emerging technologies for criminal justice. While there were few needs about these topics specifically, panelists noted that more than half of the needs raised security, privacy, or civil rights concerns, or had implied requirements on these topics.
The research reported here was conducted in the RAND Safety and Justice Program, a part of RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
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