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20 Mar
Question
Criminal Justice System: Technology

The question session in the House of Commons focused on the integration of technology into the criminal justice system to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness. The debate underscored the current initiatives undertaken by government bodies to leverage technological solutions.

  1. Introduction of Technology: The potential of technology to transform the criminal justice system was highlighted, with examples such as the Serious Fraud Office's trial runs to expedite disclosure processes and achieve a 40% efficiency increase over traditional methods.
  1. Regional Concerns: Lee Pitcher raised concerns specific to his constituency, which houses three prisons. His inquiry stressed the need for technological innovations to address prison management challenges.
  1. Application of Technology in Court Processes: The Solicitor General emphasized that technological innovations are crucial for reducing court backlogs and enhancing access to justice. The Government Legal Department's AI centre of excellence was mentioned as a pivotal leader in this.
  1. Localized Crime Prevention: Josh Babarinde cited vandalism in Eastbourne, emphasizing a need for technological solutions to handle crime efficiently. The CPS's commitments to digital solutions, like digital jury bundles, were noted as potential tools.
40%

The increase in speed of document processing achieved by the Serious Fraud Office's trial technology compared to traditional methods.

Outcome: The government reaffirmed its commitment to integrating technology within the criminal justice system, with ongoing trials and pilot programs promising promising efficiency and resource optimization results. These discussions may lead to accelerated adoption of tech solutions, pending further successful trial outcomes.

Statistics with Context:

  • The technology trial by the Serious Fraud Office showed a 40% increase in document processing speed.
  • Mention of AI applications by the Government Legal Department to optimize legal proceedings.

Outcome

The session highlighted the government's ongoing and future technological deployments aimed at reforming the criminal justice system. A clear commitment to expanding successful technological trials was reiterated, potentially signaling future legislative or policy amendments to support these innovations.

Key Contributions

Lee Pitcher
Labour

Questioned the Solicitor General about technological innovations improving court processes and access, particularly in managing caseloads and capacity challenges within prisons of his constituency.

Madam Deputy Speaker
Ms Nusrat Ghani

Facilitated the transition to the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for further inquiries.

Josh Babarinde
Liberal Democrats

Raised concern over vandalism and arson in parks, questioned the deployment of technology to tackle such crimes efficiently, and requested examples of tech-enabled improvements in the judiciary system.

Original Transcript
Lee Pitcher
Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
Lab
Question
UIN: 903324

4. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to use technology to help improve efficiency in the criminal justice system.

The Solicitor General
10:26

New technology has the potential to bring transformative benefits to the criminal justice system, as indeed it does to public services more broadly.

The Government recognise that technology has the potential to radically enhance the way in which public services are delivered to the benefit of all of us and the public purse. For example, the Serious Fraud Office is trialling technology to improve the speed and quality of its disclosure work.

The results have been promising. The tech identifies relevant documents 40% more quickly than traditional methods. I am pleased to say that it will be rolled out to more cases in the coming months.

Lee Pitcher

My constituency is home to three prisons: Lindholme, Hatfield and Moorland.

Given the challenges faced in our local criminal justice system, particularly in managing caseloads in prisons and capacity, will the Solicitor General outline what specific technological innovations are being prioritised to speed up court processes and improve access to justice for victims and defendants?

The Solicitor General

The work to improve our public services has to include the better use of technology.

The Government are taking decisive action to enable law enforcement agencies and prosecuting authorities to harness innovative and cutting-edge technologies to reduce the court backlog, improve efficiency in the criminal justice system and lead to better outcomes for victims.

I am pleased to say that the Government Legal Department is providing leadership in this area through its artificial intelligence centre of excellence, which offers expert support to colleagues across Government.

Madam Deputy Speaker
Ms Nusrat Ghani
10:27

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

The Solicitor General

I am grateful to the hon. Member for his question. As I outlined, tech is incredibly important to help the entirety of the criminal justice system function better.

The CPS, for example, is committed to delivering more technology-enabled ways of working, including piloting digital jury bundles, which will help speed up the court process.

I have already mentioned the Serious Fraud Office, which is trialling technology in a number of different areas, including its case management system, and I have also spoken about the Government Legal Department.

The key is better use of technology to enable better ways of working across the entirety of the criminal justice system, including in the courts, and especially by the CPS, to enable more prosecutions.

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All content derived from official parliamentary records