Tech-Driven Rehabilitation: A New Frontier in Justice Reform

Abstract

The prison system in our society is set up on the humanistic principle which inscribes that even if an individual commits a crime, he does not cease to be a human and therefore his human rights must be protected against infringements and violations with the exception of procedures established by law. Introduction of persuasive technologies like self-service or smart kiosks in the prison premises challenges the criminogenic needs of offenders which are in turn pitted in alignment to their recidivistic behavior. This smart rehabilitation which acts as a non-consensual neuro-interventions aimed to alter criminal minds sits at the core of this paper’s ethical debate. This paper shall aim at studying the need for introduction of technological interactions with the offenders to provide them a right against digital exclusion once they are placed back in the society; how technology contributes to reformative justice in a globalizing world and its effects on recidivistic nature of offenders; and how the global trend of sociopolitico narrative has shifted to having a humanistic approach to advocate for the offenders’ right to a second chance in tandem with right to be forgotten.