Criminal justice and cybercrime overlap in several key areas. One of which being the investigation of cyber crime. Law enforcement agencies ,like the police or FBI, all have specialized units that investigate cybercrime, and they typically work together to hunt down cyber criminals, analyze digital evidence, and gather information from online platforms and networks.
Another way the two overlap is through the prosecution of cybercrime. Things like hacking, identity theft, cyberstalking, or cyberbullying are all punishable under criminal law. Digital evidence is gathered and used by prosecutors, which helps them build cases on cybercriminals. They also work with law enforcement agencies to identify and locate suspects, in addition to coordinating with international law enforcement agencies to capture cybercriminals who are in foreign countries or overseas.
They overlap in areas of punishment for cyber crime. Offenses lead to punishments such as imprisonment and fines. For example, in the United States, the Computer fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) prohibits unauthorized access to computer systems and networks. If someone were to violate the CFAA, they can be imprisoned for up to 20 years and face a fine of up to $250,000.
Another area where the two overlap is in terms of prevention and education. Law enforcement agencies and governments work together to raise awareness about cybercrime and provide education and training on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of cybercrime. Sometimes they work with businesses and organizations to develop cybersecurity protocols and strategies to prevent cybercrime.
This overlap relates to several topics discussed in this course, such as computer science. Computer science engineers study computers and computational systems, in addition to making computer software. Computer science is important to cybersecurity because computer science can help us understand how cybercriminals exploit systems. Another topic that relates is digital forensics. Digital forensics is the recovery, investigation, and analysis of material found in digital devices that is involved in computer crime. Digital forensics would be the appropriate term for what was discussed above, about how law enforcement agencies investigate cybercrime and also how they gather information to track down cyber criminals.