Cybercrime and the Judicial System: Assessing the Needs of North Carolina State Prosecutors' Offices

• NCJ Number: 202418
• Journal: Forum Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: July 2003 Pages: 1,5,8
• Author(s): Douglas L. Yearwood
• Date Published: July 2003
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey; Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports on a study designed to determine the specific needs of North Carolina district attorneys with respect to the prosecution of cybercrime in the State.

Abstract

The research sought to determine the preparation of the State's prosecutors for handling such cases; the types of equipment, training, and personnel needs of prosecutors' offices in prosecuting cybercrimes; and prosecutors' perspectives on the future of cybercrimes in the State. This study also estimated the nature and extent of cybercrime in North Carolina. A four-part, 26-item questionnaire was designed to solicit information on both the strengths and weaknesses of the district attorneys' offices in dealing with cybercrime. The questionnaire was mailed to each of the State's 39 district attorneys, with follow-up phone calls made due to a low return rate. A total of 51.3 percent of the offices returned usable questionnaires. Responses were received from all three major geographical areas of the State, representing urban and rural jurisdictions. Survey findings indicate that the State's district attorneys' offices are not capable of managing and prosecuting cybercrime cases at the same level of effectiveness and efficiency they demonstrate with other types of criminal cases. Only 35 percent of the offices were able to provide case statistics specific to cybercrime. Sixty percent of the responding offices reported that their current personnel lack the specialized knowledge needed to manage and prosecute cybercrime cases. Eighty-one percent of the respondents predicted a significant increase in both the number of anticipated cybercrime cases and their projected impact on the prosecutors' offices. This report recommends that cybercrime training become a priority, with basic to advanced levels of instruction being available; that equipment procurement and computer upgrades for the State's prosecutors be a top priority; that a legislative study commission be established to investigate cybercrime as it intersects e-commerce and e-government operations; and that existing case management information systems be improved or expanded to enable prosecutors to extract relevant cybercrime data.