When speaking of social media and criminal evidence, Social media is in the form of electronic communication such as websites for social networking and blogging through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, private messages, and other things like videos for example. Social media are online technology platforms focusing on synchronous and asynchronous human interactions with a local and global reach unprecedented in human history (Garcia, 2016). Criminal evidence is any verbal or physical evidence that is presented for the purpose of proving a crime. This evidence can take many different forms such as a testimony from a witness or an expert or even confessions made by the defendant. Social media has made a big influence …show more content…
With new technology being created it’s no wonder that that social media has been a great impact as far as criminal evidence. Social media has solved crimes such as the Walter Scott case for example in North Charleston, SC back in April 2015, where former Officer Michael T. Slager was accused of firing eight rounds of fire in the back of Mr. Scott as he was fleeing the scene and he was also unarmed. Officer Slager of the North Charleston Police department made in his first statement that him and Mr. Scott was tugging for his weapon and that the suspect or victim took his Taser which caused him to shoot Mr. Scott. At a later date a witness posted a video on social media and then later turned it into officials and the video showed what really happened between the two men. If it wasn’t for the witness recording the crime on his phone and posting to social media the officer would have not been charged for his actions. The video that was recorded was enough evidence for the prosecutors to seek charges in this case and they are many examples of this type of evidence. The media has a profound effect on public opinion of crime in general and more specifically, the job of the police (Jefferies, …show more content…
Social media has been a source of most evidence for the Prosecutors and defense teams that use media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat videos to make their cases and to discredit witness and to find evidence that is needed. Crime itself has increased and it’s the social media platform that helps put away bad people. Patterns of crime and punishment in the United States moved in opposite directions, disrupting social life, distorting political institutions, and roiling race relations. Violent crime surged, and rates of murder and robbery exploded, particularly in large cities, for a quarter century (Adler, 2015). Most social sites and those who commit crimes post on their pages of the crimes they’ve committed and they brag about them and post weapons and drugs and other activities and these things can be used as evidence against them. For an example social media such as Facebook and chatrooms are outlet where investigators would locate child sex predators and child pornographers who lurk the web contacting and abusing children and law enforcement uses these many social media outlets to locate and apprehend them as a result of their activities online. All activities captured on social sites most are used as evidence in most cases and are reported as a result of being posted or shared by an
Department of Justice has investigated the police forces of several large cities for systemic police misconduct, including, harassment of racial minorities, false arrests, and excessive use force. (“Police Brutality”); however this can often be difficult when the media come into play can often misinterpret facts about a case. This is media’s way of using their power to add on even more pressure on U.S. Department of Justice to the pressure that they are already under to make sure to victims get justice. The first thing the U.S. Department of Justice have to do is investigate and a majority of complaints against of police are thrown out upon further investigation. For examples A 2006 Justice Department report, stated that only 2,000 of the more than 26,000 citizen complaint of police brutality filed nationally in 2002−less than 8 percent−were found credible("Police Brutality"). The U.S. Department of Justice also have find evidence which includes testimony, documentary evidence, and physical evidence. The media can often twist people in to saying thing that are not true, and twist videos into only show what they want people to believe. In recent new, In South Carolina a female student was slammed on the ground and throw a cross the classroom. The media didn’t display the entire video where the teacher tells the girl to leave, then the assistant principal, and the officer tells her to leave. When she doesn’t leave he tries to grab
“… if not for bystander Feidin Santana’s video casting doubt on office Michael Slagers version of events, he may not have quickly been charged with murder…” Imagine if this man would have been set free only to think getting away with murder is easy. Seeming that a person is an employee of the law, jurors’ do not expect them to lie. All they need to say is that they felt in danger or claim they were put in a tough situation. “when the cop story first came out, he said he was in a tussle,” said Virgil Delestine…”but the video told what really happened.” With body cameras at the scene this will help increase honesty in policemen because they know they are being recorded. In addition, I feel it would be very effective in building community trust if the police force would broadcast the tapes. By keeping everyone up to date, this will encourage people that law enforcements are not being sneaky and are putting reinforcement in place cops who do wrong.
Over the past fifteen years, the use of social media by both the general public and by the business world has expanded dramatically. Social media is one of a number of social technologies - any technological device or technique that can be used to facilitate communication between individuals. Social technology includes everything from the telephone to Wikipedia. Social media, on the other hand, is the use of media platforms which were specifically create to connect users with other users and give them a peak into each other's lives by allowing them exchange information, messages, ideas, pictures, and other personal communication. However, it’s been known to abuse this rapidly growing technology.
Police investigations of shooting that involve officers are based on facts not opinions. Detectives with years of experience investigate the case and the information is then turned over to a prosecutor. The problem with news coverage and the media is they let emotions get a hold of them for views. Whether a video depicting the shooting was shown or not it is not their job to decide who was in the wrong. Attitudes about the prevalence of racial profiling are susceptible to the way the media construct incidents of police misconduct (Graziano, Schuck & Martin
According to Rose and Fox (2014), 'widespread use of social networking sites [...] has changed the way individuals engage with news, political institutions and society' (p. 774); as a result, the public perception of social issues, understanding of crime, and assumptions about criminal justice are challenged by a new digital and online interactive environment. Therefore, given the present-day critique of the established news media and their institutionalised misrepresentation, new ways of looking at crime pose a threat to the hegemonic cultural production of information. This essay is going to discuss this potential problem for news outlets, drawing on examples from the Black Lives Matter justice movement and its reliance on citizen journalism. Firstly, it will be shown how the contemporary media environment changes, and what alternatives to the mainstream are available through online platforms. On the other hand, the text will consider complexities embedded in online communication networks, and ways in which citizen journalism affects representations of criminal justice. The final analysis will examine impacts of the unregulated digital culture on social discourses in general, and public activism within criminal justice in
New types of technology have made it easier to track down and catch criminals. Then also made it easier for prosecutors to gather and present more credible information. Some new technology that has made it easier to track down criminals or help provide more reliable and supportive evidence is things such as DNA testing, computer technology, fingerprinting, and GPS tracking devices. “The main strengths of technology in the criminal justice system lie in the provision of databases which allow better and more efficient records to be stored and retrieved” (Bean 370). Prosecutors now in sense have “…an infallible test of truth, a foolproof method, of determining the accuracy and reliability of evidence and hence of convictions” (Pallaras 72). These 4 technological advancement...
All cases of police brutality and corruption are very hard to read. In one case after 2.5 million views the video had technical difficulties and the public thought that social media was covering up what some officers can really do. In one case a young woman recorded her boyfriend getting shot in front of their daughter, in the video: “he was shot while reaching for his identification. The video went viral on Facebook and other social media platforms. Although the graphic video disappeared briefly after 2.5 million views, supposedly due to a technical glitch, it reappeared after public outcry and accusations that Facebook had purposely removed evidence of police officers killing African Americans” (Social Media 2). The content on the video may be hard to watch for some people,
...it is the advent of television media that have sparked debate over the integrity of reliable news making. Print media was factual, although sometimes sensational, while electronic media made use of the technologies, such as videotapes and live footage to enhance and exaggerate the drama of the event even further. Many research studies have been conducted to show the effects of the media coverage on crime and how it influences the publics of fear of crime. Mass media has perpetuated a notion that crime is on the increase by portraying events and tragedies in the headlines that are sensational. The public buys into that idea, despite statistical accounts that reflect stable or low crime rates. The more stories people read and watch about crime, the more likely they are to think that crime is out of control. Politicians may then enact legal reforms to sooth the public’s outcry for crime control and prevention. As easy as it may be to hold the media accountable for barraging us with images and ideas that affect our views and beliefs, it important that the public take responsibility for the information that we consume. After all, there is always the “off” button on the remote control.
And videos are said to increase convictions and eliminate false claims made by defendants, providing documentary support to police officers and their associated actions in an incident
Social media is a fascinating and compelling form of interaction between people all over the world. It allows us to dispatch information to the public swiftly but unlike broadcasting through radio or television, there is no gatekeeper. Information that is put on the Internet never really goes away and because of its instantaneous feed to the public, it can cause irreparable damages. These damages include a rising growth of defamation cases involving online content found on social networks. Social media has become a hotspot for potentially libelous statements.
Technology has opened new encounters and opportunities for the criminal justice system. There are so many new practices of criminal activity, such as computer crimes. There are different types of computer crimes that many people become victims of every day. Computer crime is any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target ("Computer Crime: Chapter 2: What Are the Crimes?", n.d.). Crimes such as data diddling, pump and dump, social engineering and spoofing are computer crimes. Even though these crimes are difficult by privacy issues, the new technology has made investigations and prosecutions well organized and effective. Though views are different on the pros and cons of specific technological changes in the criminal justice system, there is an agreement the system has changed affectedly ("Effects of Technology in Criminal Justice | eHow", n.d.).
Social media is quickly evolving in front of our eyes, and it is almost impossible to reject and hide from this new form of media. Not only is it an important part of socialization within peer groups, but now it is used to market and motivate people to become a part of a larger community. It is undeniably changing the way one communicates and how one finds and shares information. Most websites offer communication through the use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and many other blog formats. With new apps on smartphones and photography and video made digital, media can be created, edited and shared quickly and once it is in this new digital cloud it is not yours anymore.
Over the past few weeks, I have been analyzing articles on crime from newspapers and a variety of news websites. I noticed three main trends. The first trend is that the crimes chosen to be broadcasted were mostly violent and drug crimes. I saw very few articles about property crime or white collar crime. Secondly, I noticed that the media magnifies the number of violent crimes and the nature of the crimes.
Everyone and their dog it seems like have a social media account. As technology continues to make advancements, people are required to make advancements to support technology. It is almost impossible to keep up with everything, especially crime. One major group of people who are just now catching up with the social media trends are those men and women in law enforcement. With millions of active daily users, the threat of crime can be spotted in advance and stopped, the citizens can be alerted and informed of what is going on in their community and stay safe. Law enforcement now is able to use the internet to help; analyze social media, identify threats, reach out, and involve the community. Being able to analyze or “snoop”
For example, if you are chatting with a person that you’ve never been in your friendlist or only recently become friend, have no mutual friends, the scanning program will look for certain phrases found in previously obtained chat records found in criminals, the relationship analysis and phrase material have to add up before a Facebook employee actually looks at communications and makes the final decision of whether to ping the authorities (cnet.com).However, Facebook was referenced in investigations of murder, rape, child sex offences, assault, kidnap, death threats, witness intimidation and fraud; in some cases, argument behavior on the site led to “ real world” violence, while in others paedophile use it in an attemp to groom children who use facebook out of parent’s