디지털 콘택트 시대의 범죄와 형사사법적 대응 전략

Covid-19, a pandemic which has hit the world, is affecting not only people's daily lives and the society as a whole, but also crime and criminal justice system in many countries. For example, government's power of compulsory disposition has been increased, and punishment on the prevention and management of infectious diseases has been strengthened. In addition, regulations and sanctions on cornering and hoarding of face masks and hand sanitizers have been refined or introduced to set in motion. Some also predicted that, as social distancing becomes the norm, cybercrime and domestic violence would increase, while interpersonal crime in real life situation would decrease. More importantly, as the spread of infectious diseases in detention facilities, such as prison and correctional institution, becomes a problem, measures to resolve the issue of overcrowding prison system are being sought. In order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in prison, it is necessary to suspend general hearing and trial services, and instead to promote digitalization of the criminal procedures. It is more so than ever, since cybercrime is increasing as more and more people get connected via or to the internet to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. Recently, for example, video-teleconferencing hijacking so-called ‘ZOOM-BOMBING’, has emerged as a new threat. With the accelerated digital transformation due to the Covid-19, it should be critically considered whether the current criminal laws are sufficient enough to protect the people's legal rights and interests properly. In this context, the current paper aims to examine the effects of Covid-19 on crimes and the criminal justice system, and discuss the occurrence of cybercrimes in the digital contact age, along with some potential countermeasures to cope with them.