How can the justice system use technology to become better-connected?

The police, prosecution, courts, prisons and probation services across the UK are under intense pressure: they’re facing increasingly complex case types, managing lengthy case backlogs that built up during the pandemic, and they’re striving to deliver better experiences for citizens and victims to meet citizen expectations. All the while, they’re having to balance tight budgets and deliver better justice outcomes across the system and not just within their own agencies. In reality, to quote Sir Brian Leveson, ‘the criminal justice system is not, in reality, a single system’ – it is a series of systems made up of each of the different agencies, all of whom have different priorities, financial imperatives and performance indicators.

So how can the CJS move towards a better-connected justice system end-to-end? We believe this can be achieved by:

1. Adopting integrated technology using a platform approach to deliver a seamless customer-centric experience for CJS users and citizens;
2. Enabling staff with joined up data and insights needed to make informed decisions, and
3. Delivering time and cost efficiencies throughout the process.

Taking a look at each of these points a bit more closely:

1. Adopting integrated technology to deliver a seamless experience

Adopting integrated technology across criminal justice partners is essential to deliver a seamless experience for employees as well as for citizens, victims and witnesses. One way of achieving this involves developing a single digital case file that covers a case’s journey from start to finish through the justice system and gives all parties access to the same information.

Without a Digital Case File, it can make the experience of reporting a crime feel disconnected, as people fill out the same information at various stages of the process.  And it seems like it is a challenge that public sector leaders are grappling with around the world. Recent Accenture research suggests that only 5% of people feel that they can start a public service process using one channel and then complete it using a different one without having to start from the beginning. Multi-channel processing of individual cases is essential for ‘digital justice’ to provide an accessible and empowering crime reporting process for victims.

The power of digital justice extends even further, touching on the issue of recidivism. This end-to-end digital case file and insight can also extend beyond court systems and judicial processes, touching wider stakeholders such as social service entities, charities, and other support mechanisms designed to help keep people out of the criminal justice system.

2. Enabling staff with joined-up data

Without a shared view of the data in the system, justice agencies at local, regional and national level can struggle to track cases from event to outcome. This makes it difficult to improve justice outcomes across the system.

One way of aligning agencies, as well as to increase transparency to the public, is through more joined up data. Making this happen requires police, prosecutors, courts, prisons and probation agencies to collect and share data with each other – safely, securely, and with all of the necessary ethical controls in place – so that performance across the end-to-end justice system can be tracked. System-wide data-driven performance monitoring helps agencies to collaboratively identify problem areas, agree on collective interventions that will improve the whole system, and then measure the impact of their actions. The result? Better decision-making, more collaboration and greater public trust.

3. Delivering time and cost efficiencies

A shift towards a more connected justice system should also bring the benefit of time and cost efficiencies. For example, justice agencies can use digital case files in conjunction with other technologies like automation, AI or digital tools that automatically redact sensitive data before evidence is presented in court, significantly reducing manual effort.

Another example is Video Enabled Justice. Video Enabled Justice reduces the need for physical gatherings to bring judges, prosecutors, defence solicitors and probation officers together virtually. This can help boost efficiency and reduce backlogs. Critically, it also helps cut costs and can deliver better experiences – whether that is a solicitor who no longer needs to travel to various courts across a county to attend their hearings, or a defendant who can have their 15-minute remand hearing from prison, reducing disruption to their prison regime. It is important, however, that the authority and formality of the court is still retained in a virtual setting. You can read more about our work to transform the experience of criminal justice in the UK through video enablement here.

Conclusion

Like with any transformation, a key success factor in delivering more connected justice is cross-agency buy-in and support. It is vital to get all parties concerned on board before introducing technology to alleviate blockages further down the line. Early proofs of concept and pilots are an effective way to start small and prove the value, before making the investments needed to scale a solution. This is essential to being able to clearly articulate the benefits and case for change across the system.

This content represents the individual opinions of the author and is provided for general information purposes. It is not to be used in place of consultation with Accenture’s professional advisors. This document refers to marks owned by third parties.  All such third-party marks are the property of their respective owners. No sponsorship, endorsement or approval of this content by the owners of such marks is intended, expressed or implied.