The Past, Present and Future of Law Enforcement
Select one of the components of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts, or corrections).
Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you evaluate past, present, and future trends of the criminal justice component you select. Discuss the budgetary and managerial impact that future trends will likely have not only on the component you select, but also on the other components of the criminal justice system. Be sure to include current research data (qualitative and quantitative) in your analysis.
Include at least five peer reviewed references.
Format your paper according to APA guidelines
The Past, Present and Future of Law Enforcement
Introduction
Over the years, the criminal justice system’s main purpose has been protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty as a way of reducing and stopping criminality. The system works in support of the three major components the law enforcement, correction and the court (Longstaff,et,al.,2015). The three components represent the three processes involved in exercising justice. The paper seeks to discuss the past, present and the future of law enforcement.
Past
Law enforcement has evolved over the years. In the early sixteenth century, law enforcement was referred to as the “watch” system where volunteers could watch over the community mostly at night. Later, most states developed a day watch, which began in eighteen century where Network implemented the first-day watch in 1844. The watch system consisted of law enforcement officials and constables allowed to evaluate weights and measures and act as land surveyors (Bowling, et, al., 2016). In 1830, the states developed the first centralized police department inclusive of police forces. The state of Boston and New York were the first states to establish a police force that is now considered the modern police. The police force worked under permanent and fixed rules and regulations, worked full-time, report to the central government, and the process of police recruitment was continuous.
The police force’s first formal obligation was to conduct a slave patrol that maintained order among slave workers and supervised laborers while working in agricultural farms. The United States grew over the years, leading to a more centralized and bureaucratic police system. IN the early and middle nineteenth century, urbanization was taking place hence increasing the rate of public disorder, such as prostitution and drunkards (Bowling, et, al., 2016). Since the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, the police force main objective became responding to public disorder. In the nineteenth century, the bureaucratic police system grew and was supported by people with political and economic interest known as the mercantile interests. Due to economic interest, law enforcement became disorganized where since today, the law enforcement department is still working on having a stable workforce and promote social control. In the past, the police officers were considered brutal and corrupt, where most were in control of local political leaders.
The political leaders lured and allowed police officers engaged in corrupt acts, allowed illegal activities such as gambling and drinking during campaigns. Additionally, the police officers took part in organized political violence, ballot-box stuffing, and buying political leaders’ votes (Bowling, et, al., 2016). The law enforcement department in the past did not give genuine promotions but sold promotion opportunities. The early law enforcement department faced issues, such as the use of force, the need to wear a police uniform and weather police officers should carry firearms since possession of firearms inflicted fear on the public and gave the officers excess power.
Present
Today, the blue uniform police officers represent the modern law enforcement in the United States. Earlier, police officers were watchmen and constable, who practiced both formal and informal law enforcement duties. Today, police officers involved men and women in service of the public by conducting patrols in major cities and towns and investigating crime and arrest offenders. The law enforcement department now consists of various officers, such as investigative police officers, patrol police officers, sheriffs and others (Bowling, et, al., 2016).
Law enforcement is not only involved in making arrests but also various activities and in different circumstances. For instance, respond to civil emergencies and accidents, investigate crimes, safeguard the infrastructure and management of roads and power in case of an accident. Today’s law enforcement requires intervention and development of other important services, such as the fire and ambulance services hence required to operate day and night. The law enforcement department us working at exercising good policing, which does not include harsh treatment and excessive punishment like in the past. Good policing involves maintaining public and social order and cooperation between the public and the police.
The current law enforcement is influenced by the new technology, which has positively and negatively impacted the department. 86% of agencies have implemented technology, such as car cameras and 68% social media platforms, and 81% of law enforcement agencies are currently using the geographical information systems in their practices (Zhang,et,al.,2020). The law enforcement conducts the main activities, collecting information also known as investigation, analyzing the collected information to identify the criminal and evaluating the information to enable the court process the three activities has been influenced by the new technology where police officers utilize the new technology such as the use of DNA in conducting investigations. Additionally, law enforcement uses electro-detective technology to conduct investigations such as thermal imagery technology to detect marijuana (Bowling, et, al., 2016). The new technology has Helped and improved the way the current law enforcement department carries out its activities. The use of technology has also minimized excessive use of force where police officers have less contact with the public than in the past.
The department has reduced surveillance and coercion and encouraged the use of force where applicable, such as when warning or offering advice (Zhang,et,al.,2020). The correction department has also developed especially through the electronic monitoring devices meant to monitor individuals released to the public but under police supervision. The current policing is problem and community-oriented, where the department is promoting a good relationship between the public and police. The major challenge encountered is the privacy and use of information technology, where the government is taking videos and photographs when conducting surveillance and daily patrols. For instance, police officers are carrying imaging devices to see through people’s private homes and clothes.
Future
The future of law enforcement is based on the current and existing issues and trends, such as the use of technology. According to statistics, 22% of agencies will continue using technology in the next two years. The technology advancement in law enforcement will enable the department to operate effectively in the future (Schafer,and, Glenn, 2020). The police officers should learn to use technology responsibly and adapt to the new age of technology. For instance, police officers should revise the constitution and implement the laws, such as the fourth amendment while conducting daily activities. Searching using electro-detective technology requires a police officer to have a search warrant. The future of law enforcement will work on ethics and professional conduct of law enforcement while using the advancing technology.
Over the past years, the law enforcement community has faced various challenges that have not yet been solved to date (Bowling, et, al., 2016). Looking back, the evolution of law enforcement and industrialization has influenced the department both positively and negatively. The current age of technology has influenced and affected law enforcement, especially on privacy as according to the fourteenth amendment. Since the advancement in photography, telephones, automobile and photography, policing has improved, especially in investigation and surveillance. The future of law enforcement will rely on technology and science, where military departments will involve absolute paramilitaries (Longstaff,et,al.,2015). Triumph administration is enhancing the law enforcement department by developing a task force to enhance public safety and reduce crime. The use of crime mapping in locating criminality has enhanced patrol and investigation practices.
Additionally, technology such as lie detection systems, such as the remote brain-scan and imaging technology, will Help in easily and effectively carrying out surveillance (Schafer,and, Glenn, 2020). The advanced lie detection technology is advancing to brain fingerprinting, which Helps in determining the state of the present facts in mind. Uncrewed aerial vehicles, DNA, video surveillance, and new training options will determine law enforcement’s future.
The criminal justice system will increase the cost of education among recruits hence re4ducing the budget of other practices to consider the future budget of police training and recruitment (Morris, and LeCount, 2020). Adopting the use of online training will reduce the cost and hence promote reasonable and cost0effective budgets. Future leaders of law enforcement will influence the department where the millennials are now taking over the leadership seats. The new millennial will be conversant with the new technology hence able to conduct police practices effectively (Schafer,and, Glenn, 2020). The leaders should train on managing the department and plan budgets that do not affect the police officer.
The future trends will affect the budget and management of law enforcement by either increasing or reducing the budget based on the use of funds. Training police officers has been a major challenge where the recruitment and training process takes time hence discouraging most potential youths. In the future, the department will use online training services, which will be easier hence encouraging individuals to undertake courses on law enforcement (Morris, and LeCount, 2020). Advancement in communication will enhance international justice where different countries can communicate and agree on various issues, such as discrimination, legal rights of children, terrorism and cybercrimes.
Conclusion
The criminal justice system keeps evolving as the nature of crime changes. Since crimes such as terrorism have transformed, law enforcement is learning and training on how to use technology to respond to such events. It is complex to predict law enforcement’s future, but the future depends on the current and the advancing technology.Additionally, laws keep changing where what was considered illegal is now legal, for example, marijuana. To work effectively in the future, law enforcement should train, learn the constitution, adapt to changes and integrate the new and advancing technology.
References
Bowling, B., Iyer, S., Reiner, R., & Sheptycki, J. (2016). Policing: Past, present and future. In What is to Be Done About Crime and Punishment? (pp. 123-158). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Longstaff, A., Willer, J., Chapman, J., Czarnomski, S., & Graham, J. (2015). Neighbourhood policing: Past, present and future. The Police Foundation, 25-31.
Morris, R. C., & LeCount, R. J. (2020). The Value of Social Control: Racial Resentment, Punitiveness, and White Support for Spending on Law Enforcement. Sociological Perspectives, 0731121419899387.
Schafer, J. A., & Glenn, J. C. (2020). Thinking about the future of policing. Exploring the Future of Crime, Communities, and Policing, 13.
Zhang, M., Bandara, A. K., Price, B., Pike, G., Walkington, Z., Elphick, C., … & Nuseibeh, B. (2020, April). Designing Technologies for Community Policing. In Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-9).
