Government Official Criticizes Inadequate Utilization of Technology in the Criminal Justice System

The UK's Justice Minister, Damian Green, has highlighted the need for technological advancement in the country's Criminal Justice System (CJS), addressing the unacceptable delays and paperwork that have become a norm.

According to Green, the CJS is failing to utilise the benefits of technology that are commonplace in modern workplaces. He believes that the current reliance on manual processes, such as data entry and photocopying, is causing police officers to waste valuable time that could be spent protecting the public.

To address this issue, Green has plans to implement digital data sharing between key organisations in the CJS, including the police, courts, and prosecution services, by November of this year. This will involve the use of live links, allowing police officers to give evidence remotely and saving over 300 police officer hours, as Green stated.

In addition, Green's vision includes making more police data accessible to the public, which he believes will increase transparency. The online crime mapping service on the police.uk website, for instance, has already recorded over 53 million visits since its launch. This service receives between 200,000 to 300,000 hits daily.

The Ministry of Justice also aims to join up the entire CJS process for digital data sharing, enabling the police, Crown Prosecution Service, courts, defense, and probation to share information digitally. This will eliminate the current hindrance caused by incompatible systems using various formats, which hinder the exchange of case files between these organisations.

Green's vision extends to establishing a truly digital courts service in England and Wales by 2013. This includes the implementation of live video streaming technology in courts, which could save police officers time in court, and the use of tablets and secure email, currently in use by the Crown Prosecution Service, to lawyers acting for the defense.

Moreover, Green wants to extend the use of open data for making policing more transparent. He believes that this will lead to a single case file that progresses electronically from police to court, and then to prison or probation without constant re-keying of information.

However, no specific timeline for the implementation of these changes has been provided by the Ministry of Justice. The organisation aims to build on the progress made so far with digital data sharing, with the ultimate goal of modernising the CJS and improving its efficiency.

Government Official Criticizes Inadequate Utilization of Technology in the Criminal Justice System