Putting users first in digital justice

Meeting the needs of the user is a key principle at the heart of good service design. But in a justice context this can sometimes mean responding to some very different questions than in other sectors. How do you design services for some of the most challenging times in people’s lives? And how do we give prisoners the tools they need to integrate back into society before they leave the prison gates?

Delivering enhanced citizen experiences

Demands on public service are changing, but often not in the same ways as for private sector companies. Recent Accenture research found that 75% of people globally interact with government services two or fewer times a year. This makes it particularly important that services are intuitive, that people can access them when they want and via the channels they want, and that they feel their time is yielding results.

This is particularly important for justice agencies. Interacting with justice systems is often a last resort for citizens and victims, so justice agencies should make interactions simple, understandable, and as positive as possible.

A big part of achieving that goal is about anticipating and mitigating the impact of trauma. I’ve seen how citizens’ and victims’ satisfaction with the justice system can be driven by how they feel they’ve been treated, rather than just the trial outcome. Treating victims well and giving victims a voice is, therefore, a vital part of maintaining public trust in judicial institutions and ensuring that people aren’t reluctant to interact with them.

This is particularly important in sensitive cases, such as those involving rape and other serious sexual offences, or with vulnerable victims. Simple measures can make a huge difference. For example, allowing vulnerable victims to submit evidence via video recordings, streamlining the digital evidence gathering process, or reducing the likelihood of victims being cross-examined by alleged perpetrators in family courts.

At the heart of this is focusing on how we can empower victim control in the process and support them to feel like they are not under investigation themselves through new process design coupled with digital tools. This could help reduce victims’ anxiety about going to court and increase victim trust and confidence in the criminal justice system (CJS) by giving them a greater voice.

Equipping prisoners with tools to leave prisons job ready

However, we should also look at how to transform the experience of the other major participants in the CJS - prisoners.

One of the most effective ways to reduce reoffending in the long term is to equip prisoners with the skills they need for life on release, enabling them to re-enter the community match fit. This involves providing prisoners with education and training opportunities that will support them to find suitable employment.

One example of this is to provide an immersive training experience that prisoners can engage in ahead of release. In the US, Accenture partnered with a social enterprise called Goodwill to create a Virtual Reality training experience designed to help equip people with criminal backgrounds with the skills they need to obtain employment and become more productive members of society.

As these individuals transition into the workforce, they need to be able to achieve their education and employment goals. The project uses VR to give users a 3D-immersive experience in a mock interview with an HR manager and a coaching session with a career counsellor. This experience is based on realistic scenarios often encountered by individuals who were formerly involved with the justice system. Additionally, six individuals who were impacted by the criminal justice system share their real-life journeys to finding employment.

The programme uses a branched narrative approach to these dialogues, with the capacity to create millions of unique combinations of how the training can play out — all depending on the individual user’s choices. The goal is to assist people with finding employment by helping them speak comfortably about their imprisonment during their job-hunting process, while also learning to use modern technologies in a low-risk environment.

Putting users at the heart of design

Few people choose to interact with the justice system, but when they do their experience is essential. For many, these are life changing interactions, so putting their voices and needs at the heart of process design should be the starting point for any transformation.