Resolved: The US Federal Government should significantly reform its Criminal Justice System (Policy)

In an age where computers, cellphones, and even new calculators have cameras, it is a wonder that the criminal justice system has not fully caught up in technology: especially the federal government. The lack of technology and archaic methods of investigation in the federal government is an issue brimming with opportunity, and potential. Because the criminal justice system has potential that is being unused, I stand firmly: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its criminal justice system by recording interrogations Let’s examine two terms that will be used frequently in today’s debate round. Definition 1. Custodial interrogation “Custodial Interrogation" means an interview which occurs while a person is in custody in a Place of Detention For the purposes of this round, I will be defining a place of detention as a federal agency’s interrogation room. Definition 2. Electronic recording “Electronic Recording" means an audio, video or digital recording of a Custodial Interrogation, beginning with a law enforcement officer's advice of the person's constitutional rights and ending when the interview has completely finished.” With the definitions in mind, let’s move on to… The criterion, or the way I would ask you to weigh this debate round, is net benefits. Interviews are not recorded. Although federal courts are tentatively starting to record, and many state police departments are recording interrogations, Thomas P. Sullivan, stated that “Federal investigative agencies do not routinely record custodial interviews. Rather, agents still make handwritten notes and later prepare typewritten summaries. This practice is sorely out of date.”[1] Because the practice of handwritten notes is sorely out of date, I propose the following plan to enhance the federal criminal justice system. Agency and Enforcement: The United States Federal government Mandate 1: Mandatory Recording Congress will pass a law mandating that all federal custodial interrogations performed by federal agencies are electronically recorded. Mandate 2: Inadmissibility Handwritten notes will no longer be accepted as evidence. Mandate 3: Exceptions The following is a set of permissible reasons to provide handwritten notes: 1) If the suspect request that he not be recorded. This statement should be recorded. 2) Equipment malfunction. 3) If the federal officer reasonably believed that recordation would risk disclosure of classified information, and recorded an explanation of the basis for this belief. Funding: Funding will be appropriated by each federal agency as necessary. The estimated cost for this plan is 110 million dollars. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice would be paying for most of this, and they have extremely large budgets. In fact, this plan would cost .00001 times their budgets. [2][3] Timeline: Implementation will begin immediately after an affirmative ballot. Recording will be mandatory in two years. This plan would not only solve the problems with the status quo, but would also create several distinct advantages. Advantage 1. Officers and Suspects Protected One of the many problems with handwritten notes was the amount of arguments about whether or not the police officer used improper tactics to coerce a confession. Thomas P. Sullivan testifies to the usefulness of recording interrogations. “Recording custodial interviews is a tremendous benefit to the criminal justice system. A permanent record is created of what was said and done, how suspects acted, and how officers treated suspects. Officers are no longer subjected to unwarranted allegations about abusive conduct; those who may be inclined to use improper tactics cannot do so because their actions and words are being recorded.”[4] Advantage 2. Decreased possibility of wrongful convictions One of the most important advantages to this plan is that false confessions are easier to detect. Richard f. Ofshe, professor of sociology in the university of California, states that “Taping also allows third parties to resolve the courtroom "swearing contests" that arise when the suspect and the police offer conflicting testimony about what occurred during interrogation. In disputed confession cases the discrepancies between police officers' and defendants' accounts clearly indicate that one of the parties is either lying or mistaken. Of course, interrogators are sometimes falsely accused of deviant conduct. In the usual case, however, the police officer's testimony is treated as far more credible than the citizen's, whose reputability is compromised by his status as a criminal defendant. In many of the cases documented in this article, however, the interrogator claimed that the confessor supplied information that only the perpetrator could have known--only to have the suspect subsequently proven innocent and his ignorance of the crime facts revealed. To more accurately resolve whether the interrogator used coercion, whether the suspect knew the facts of the crime, and/ or whether he was made to confess falsely, one conclusion is inescapable: interrogations must be recorded in their entirety. "[5] Advantage 3. Efficiency Another benefit of recording custodial interrogations is that the whole system becomes more efficient, time-wise and accuracy wise. The Justice Project and Pew Charitable Trusts wrote in 2007: “By preventing wrongful convictions, electronic recording of custodial interrogations benefits the criminal justice system as a whole by increasing reliability and efficiency. Fewer wrongful convictions helps increase public confidence in the system. Recordingalsoleads to greater efficiency. in that an objective record of the interrogation would reduce the need for and duration of pre-trial hearings on suppression of confessions, as there would be a clear and comprehensive record for the judge or jury to review.This saves attorney, judge, and court personnel time and expense.”[6] Advantage 4. Money Saved Even though this plan would cost at maximum 110 million dollars at the front-end, money would actually be saved in the long run. Thomas P. Sullivan stated: "Most costs come on the front end, and they diminish once the equipment and facilities are in place and training has been given to detectives. In contrast, savings continue so long as electronic recording continues. "[7] This evidence supports the fact that in the long run, as a taxpayer your money would be saved. Advantage 5. Improved Interrogation The police officer’s concentration is improved by recording. This is confirmed by Thomas P. Sullivan: “Without the need to make detailed notes, officers are better able to concentrate on suspects' demeanors and statements. They no longer have to attempt to recall details about the interviews days and weeks later when recollections have faded.”4 Advantage 6. Increased prosecution evidence The Supreme Court Special Committee on Recording Custodial Interrogations found that: “Even if the defendant does not provide a confession, recordation of the entire interview allows the jury to see consistencies or inconsistencies or the evolution of a defendant’s responses to police questions.”[8] In the end, we see that switching from old-fashioned, hand-written notes to electronic recording will benefit the criminal justice system as a whole, providing a comparative advantage. Because the potential in interrogations is limited by our current system, I ask you to support reforming the criminal justice system, and do so by enacting our plan. CITATIONS HERE: http://pastebin.com...Note: I am sorry for bad formatting, this speech is already done in microsoft word