How has technology affected the practice of criminal justice in America during t

One hundred years ago, American police officers walked beats or rode horses and communicated by whistles and shouts. Criminal investigation was less scientific than intuitive, court cases were often resolved more on the popularity of the defendant than on the weight of the evidence, and American prisons were bleak edifices immersed in the industrial prison era. Today, American police officers walk beats or ride horses—or automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, boats, or aircraft. They have instant communication with other patrol members, their leaders at the precinct or departmental headquarters, the mayor, the governor, the Pentagon, or the president, if necessary, via an incredible communications network using satellite or computer communications. All manner of forensic and scientific resources remove guesswork from criminal investigations. Court cases are far more informed by precedent and constitutional considerations than ever before, but they are also often strongly influenced by the economic status of the accused.

Criminal Justice Today
An Introductory Text for the 21st Century