The power of technology is constantly growing

The power of technology is constantly growing. It is constantly enabling us to consume more data, find simpler and more innovative ways of doing things, and puts the power in our own hands. There are so many instances where technology can be our greatest asset, and the justice system doesn’t need to be any different to that.

Throughout the whole journey of justice, technology now has a major role. We have to find ways to empower victims, realising that what they have experienced is difficult to comprehend, harder to come to terms with and even more challenging to overcome. From beginning to end, they need to feel as though they have a say, are kept informed and respected.

The Crime Survey of England and Wales estimates that 50% of all victims never report the crime they suffer. This rises to 63% in cases of domestic abuse and to 84% in the case of sexual offences. For a number of crimes, particularly those mentioned above, many victims delay reporting. Some organisations even state that someone may suffer up to 50 instances of abuse before seeking effective help. In this time, evidence may be lost, deleted, expired or forgotten. So how can we give people the opportunity to store evidence securely until such time that they are ready to do something about it?

Referring back to the digital age in which we live, it is incredibly uncommon now to be in a room of 100 people where more than 15 wouldn’t have a smart phone. That means the vast majority have a camera, a recorder, an instant messenger and access to the internet right in their pocket. Empowering victims to use something incredibly familiar to them as a way of securely and privately storing any available evidence they have is the future.

Isn’t this already happening? Well, yes. But often not in ways that provide best evidence. Those who know they’ve been wronged might take a photo to prove their side of the story, or screenshot a message. For some victims who unfortunately are no stranger to abuse from their partner, relatives or neighbour might even subtly film or voice record an encounter. But just keeping it on your device has its downfalls. A victim of abuse who has managed to leave their situation with evidence on their camera roll may have to delete it for safety reasons if they return to that household or relationship. Someone with messages on their phone from somebody who assaulted them or harassed them cannot lose that device for risk of not being able to retain that evidence. They can’t afford to get it wet, damaged or stolen.

An app like kulpa enables users to upload and securely store evidence of all kinds; any file of any size. With the evidence safe on the kulpa cloud, losing a phone or deleting a file isn’t the end of that piece of evidence. They can simply re-download the app or log on via the website and access all of their data as they left it.

What is even more powerful is having that evidence verified with all of the metadata preserved so that if the user chooses to submit it to the police or send it to a lawyer, it is immediately usable and legally admissible. No longer will a victim who has been brave enough to approach the police need to have their devices downloaded and their entire lives exposed so officers can verify the validity of a few images or documents. In the cases of physical abuse, victims and their supporters can now use technology on a smartphone to take scaled images of visible injuries, making them admissible as forensic evidence. It removes the need for victims to act quickly, perhaps even before they’ve had time to come to terms with what has happened to them or seek safety, because their evidence can be kept secure and admissible until they are ready.

A simple secure web portal for forces allows them to receive a single package of immediately usable and verified evidence that can be presented to the accused at pace. Initial interviews will change from having to gather limited historic evidence, to perpetrator-led investigations where officers can act swiftly to safeguard the victim and wider community.

If you’re looking for a way that technology is being used to create a simpler, faster and better justice system for the user – and for the bodies enforcing the law – you don’t need to look any further than Kulpa.