Victims of domestic violence are finding aid and comfort in an unexpected place – digital cameras.

Since the introduction of digital cameras to New York City police, criminal convictions for domestic violence charges have risen noticeably, in some areas dramatically – even where the victims recant by the time of trial.

Prosecutors can extract more and deeper evidentiary values from digital images than from traditional “Polaroid” pictures.

Digital evidence can be processed much more rapidly, and catalogued faster for easier retrieval.

And digital images carry greater impact for the judge and/or jury, at every stage of the case.

Digital photos are even credited with increasing the odds of incarceration pending trial and of higher bails where defendants are released pending trial.

Even willingness to enter plea bargains faster is attributed to digital “snapshots”.

Last but not least, digital images may even spare traumatized victims from having to re-tell their stories at trial.

Because a picture is worth a 1,000 words … and many convictions.

Read more in this New York Times article: In Domestic Abuse, Digital Photos Can Say More Than Victims.