What is the overlap between criminal justice and cybercrime? How does this overlap relate to the other disciplines discussed in this class?

Cybercrime remains a relatively new avenue of crime in America, with the first cybercrime law being passed in Florida in 1978. Due to the relative uneasiness and unfamiliarity around cybercrime, other disciplines can assist in defining the phenomenon and the best ways to approach it. Therefore, there is a large overlap between criminal justice and cybercrime, such as defining the phenomenon, recognizing its victims, analyzing potential offenders, and creating laws that prevent and adequately address cybercrimes. Since cybercrime cannot be contained within countries and borders, it can be difficult for cyber scientists to define it alone, this is where criminologists’ expertise is applied. There are many angles through which cybercrime can be defined, such as ethics, harm done, and white-collar crime orientation. A better understanding of the harm done and whether the behavior was actually illegal or ethically unfavorable helps better define laws against cybercrime. Criminologists can use statistics and surveys to assess which individuals and organizations are more likely to be victims of cybercrime, as well as being able to determine potential offenders.  There are also multiple facets of cybercrime such as hacking and fraud, therefore criminal justice can help interpret laws as they relate to cybercrimes. Since cybersecurity is an interdisciplinary field, several disciplines overlap into cybersecurity. One of these fields would be Criminology, which focuses on how to define cyber crimes, offender demographics/motivations, and appropriate consequences. Sociology, the study of society and the interactions within different social groups, also has an impact on cybersecurity. Sociology can help determine how different social groups can cause cybercrime and how different social circumstances can affect cybercrime. Other disciplines would include engineering, information technology, and computer science. As technology continues to advance and become more prevalent in our everyday lives, it is pivotal that different disciplines use their combined expertise to better understand and prepare for cyber threats.