The field of criminal justice is broad and focuses on a plethora of crimes and crime typologies. As time as gone on, and technology has evolved, the need for a criminal justice focus on cybercrime and its consequences has continued to grow. Initially, there might not seem to be any overlap between them, but they are much more closely related than is assumed. To begin with, the most obvious relation is in the legal response to cybercrime. Criminologists and scholars are vital to understanding, developing, and interpreting laws to respond to such crimes. Cyber crime is distinct from other crimes in the way that it often crosses borders and frequently involves other offenders. However, there exists plenty of overlap with other crime types, such as white-collar, property, and international crime.
Computer scientists and engineers, in conjunction with criminologists and scholars, can develop stronger guardianship strategies by not only focusing on technology, but also incorporating a criminological understanding. Human behavior is a key component in the development of cybersecurity and criminologists provide added perspective. Criminology scholars could also become future cybersecurity experts, specializing in overseeing operations, again helping develop better cybersecurity methods. They can also contribute to research. The same can be said in reverse: cybersecurity scholars who do criminal justice work have new perspectives to consider when creating technologies to help fight cybercrime.
Naturally, the overlap between these two fields is not a shock. Throughout this course, we have seen the way cybercrime is important in every field. From information technology to small business to crucial infrastructure, cybersecurity plays an important role in keeping the world safe while cybercrime places such organizations at risk. Technological advancement does not seem to be on the decline. For this reason, criminologists and scholars must focus on cybercrime and the impact it has on criminal justice. If criminal justice is slow to respond, cybercrime will run rampant, collecting victims and costing billions.
Payne B. & Hadzhidimova L., Cybersecurity and Criminal Justice: Exploring the Intersections. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences.