Why do criminal laws have to change to keep up the changes in technology? What modifications in current laws defining criminal activity might soon be necessary to meet the criminal possibilities inherent in new technologies?
What will be an ideal response?
Criminal behavior evolves as technology evolves. Many offenders use new technologies in order to commit crimes, and often such behaviors have not been previously defined as being criminal. Criminal laws must be changed or created to account for these changes. The Office for Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress notes, “What is judicially permissible and socially acceptable at one time has often been challenged when technology changes.” When agencies of the justice system use cutting-edge technology, it inevitably provokes fears of a future in which citizens’ rights are abrogated by advancing science. Individual rights, equal treatment under the law, and due process issues all require constant reinterpretation as technology improves. However, because some of the technology available today is so new, few court cases have yet directly addressed the issues involved.
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What will be an ideal response?
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).