In-depth analysis of the contemporary criminal justice issue- Online Hacking: Effects on Delivery of Criminal Justice

An extension from the following- Online Hacking: Effects on Delivery of Criminal Justice

The internet hastens processes across a variety of human activities. Both individuals and
organizations benefit from how the internet removes geographical and time constraints.
Unfortunately, the internet has also spawned a myriad of problems, one of which is online
hacking. By its very nature, hacking involves the unauthorized access to sensitive information.
This virtual intrusion can eventually make sensitive information fall into the wrong hands. For
that reason alone, hacking is similar to trespassing, except that the crime is done in the online
world.
Hacking is an issue in criminal justice mainly because it results in losses that can be on a
massive scale and because the perpetrators cannot be easily brought to justice. Indeed,
identifying the perpetrators is a difficult task right at the start. This is because hackers typically
hide their tracks on the internet in order to evade possible prosecution. With data breaches
leading to millions of dollars of losses combined with the challenge of pinning down the hackers,
hacking is undoubtedly a grave social concern, especially since the world has rapidly become
digitally wired via the internet. To the extent that hacking is a bane to society, there is every
reason to address it. Otherwise, society stands to lose so much. People and businesses will no
longer engage in online banking. No database, whether from the government or private
institutions, will be spared.
Hacking sees its inception alongside with the growth of the internet during the 1990s
(Gunkel, 2000, p. 811). The internet back then was not as complicated as it is now. However,
since the early 2000s, cases of hacking have steadily increased (Inan, Namin, Pogrund & Jones,
2016, p. 31). As more sensitive information became stored in databases that can be accessed
online, the threat of hacking likewise increased. Hacking itself had to evolve due to the increase
in the capabilities of database security systems. For instance, in 2011, Aaron Swartz allegedly
connected to the network of MIT and downloaded millions of academic documents stored in the
online database JSTOR (Gitelman, 2014, p. 78). In the same year, Andrew Auernheimer and
Daniel Spitler obtained countless email addresses of AT&T iPad users without proper
authorization (Inan, Namin, Pogrund & Jones, 2016, p. 31). In more recent years, the online
hacking group Anonymous has defaced countless of websites across the world. To this day, most
of the hackers remain beyond the reach of criminal justice. In all of these, the criminal justice
system itself has to constantly improve in terms of identifying the culprits in order to bring
hackers to justice.
In the early years of the internet, hacking was as not as big a concern as it is today.
People back in the 1990s rarely ever had access to the internet, so it was reasonable to expect
that hacking was beyond their immediate worries. But as the internet expanded its social reach
and as more people gained internet access, the public started to realize how the information that
they provide online can be accessed by others under certain circumstances (Carle & Perritt, 2006,
p. 45). Indeed, the threat has grown to the extent that it can no longer be ignored that the
government has to pass legislation that will prosecute cases of hacking (Carle & Perritt, 2006, p.
45). With the passage of such laws, it may be said that the public perception shifted greatly.
People now take hacking as a very serious concern. Several infamous cases of hacking
throughout the past decade have also increased the public?s wariness towards hacking.
In the face of online hacking, the criminal justice can be delivered best if there are
mechanisms in place that will enable the swift identification of perpetrators hiding behind the
veil of online anonymity. In that sense, criminal justice must take into account how the internet
evolves and continues to evolve. The point is for criminal justice to adapt to the changing online
landscape so that it will continue to be relevant and fully functional in the context of hacking.
**NEW Guidelines
For this assignment, you will submit your in-depth analysis of the contemporary criminal justice issue that you have selected. This analysis will identify factors contributing to the issue by examining the criminological theories behind it. Specifically, what criminological theory forms your understanding of the issue? Indicate the impact of this issue on the criminal justice system. For example, how does the issue impact law enforcement, the courts, and corrections? Address the negative impacts of the issue on the criminal justice system, the general public, and specific populations. Then, identify the strategies to influence change.

Issue Analysis
A. Select a criminological theory that informs your understanding of the issue, justifying your selection.
B. Identify factors contributing to the issue, justifying your identifications with the selected criminological theory. In other words, what are the factors contributing to the issue? How is the identification of these factors supported by the selected theory?
C. Describe how the issue impacts the criminal justice system, providing specific examples of how the branches of the criminal justice system are affected by the issue. For example, how does the issue impact law enforcement, the courts, and corrections?
D. Describe how the issue impacts the general public, providing specific examples. Does the issue affect specific populations?
E. Determine the key stakeholders of the issue, identifying both the key people impacted by the issue, as well as those with the power to influence change. Justify your selections.
F. Describe strategies that are currently employed to address the issue. These strategies may be used in the community with the issue, or in a different community with the same issue.
G. Assess the effectiveness of the previously identified strategies in addressing the issue, justifying your assessment. How effectively do the strategies combat the issue, and where are there gaps?
H. How does your previous assessment impact the specific branches of the criminal justice system? Justify your response. In which branches are the strategies most and least effective?