NCJ Number
65801
Date Published
1978
Length
67 pages
Annotation
AN ASSESSMENT OF MICROCOMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN TERMS OF ITS BENEFITS TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES IS PRESENTED, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF MICROCOMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, A SURVEY OF POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
Abstract
DISCUSSION FOCUSES FIRST ON MICROCOMPUTER COSTS. IT IS NOTED THAT SYSTEMS BASED ON MICROPROCESSOR CHIPS, COSTING AS LITTLE AS $300, ARE CAPABLE OF PERFORMING A WIDE RANGE OF USEFUL TASKS. DESCRIPTIONS ALSO ARE PROVIDED OF MICROPROCESSORS, INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICES, MASS-STORAGE DEVICES, MICROCOMPUTER SOFTWARE, AND THE TYPES OF MEMORY USED WITH MICROCOMPUTERS. THE IMPACT OF MICROCOMPUTERS ON MEGACOMPUTER AND LARGE MINICOMPUTER MARKETS IS EXAMINED. THE ADVANTAGES OF USING MICROCOMPUTERS INSTEAD OF THESE LARGE MODELS, AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES IN THE FIELD, ARE REVIEWED. A SUMMARY OF COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY IN 1980 FORECASTS THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW FEATURES SUCH AS MEMORY PARTITIONING FOR SIMULTANEOUS PROGRAM OPERATION, NETWORKS THAT PERMIT 15 TO 20 TERMINALS TO OPERATE WITH TRUE TIME AND PROGRAM SHARING, AND OTHER TRENDS. FOUR CATEGORIES OF MICROCOMPUTER TECHNOLOGY USES ARE APPLICABLE TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES--COMPUTERS ON A BOARD, INTELLIGENT TERMINALS, STAND-ALONE SYSTEMS, AND HOST COMPUTERS. A SPECTRUM OF POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS UNDER THESE CATEGORIES IS DESCRIBED, RANGING FROM AUTOMATIC VEHICLE LOCATING TO FILE SEARCHING. A LOOK AT SOME ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPERATIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF USING MICROCOMPUTERS FEATURES SUCH ISSUES AS PRIVACY AND SECURITY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING INVOLVED, AND SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAMMING DELIVERY. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR AGENCIES PLANNING TO USE MICROCOMPUTERS, AND NUMEROUS FEDERAL POLICIES TO FACILITATE THE SUCCESSFUL USE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY BY JUSTICE AGENCIES ARE PROPOSED. GRAPHS, TABULAR DATA, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED. A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND A GLOSSARY OF MISCROCOMPUTER TERMINOLOGY ARE APPENDED. (WJR)