The justice secretary is set to meet with tech companies today to discuss how revolutionary tech could be used to tackle violence in prison, better monitor offenders in the community and improve risk assessments of offenders.
30 companies including Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google will come together for the event, as new research shows that curfew tags, which keep offenders at home and off the streets during certain times, can reduce reoffending by 20 per cent.
The meeting will be chaired by James Timpson, the prison and probation minister, and opened by Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood.
Mahmood said: "We inherited a justice system in crisis, with prisons close to collapse and staff overburdened and under pressure.
"We need bold ideas to address the challenges that we face – supporting our staff, delivering swifter justice for victims, and cutting crime.
"Today, we have an analogue justice system in a digital age.
"The UK has a world-leading and growing tech sector, and I know our tech firms have a huge role to play in delivering our Plan for Change to make streets safer."
This is the first time key players in the UK’s tech ecosystem will meet with justice ministers to discuss some of the challenges that courts, prisons and the probation system face.
The discussion will look at the potential for even more effective tracking of offender movement, using data to aid probation officers to perform better risk assessments and whether digital platforms can help offenders rehabilitate and integrate back into society, cutting reoffending.
The meeting has been organised in partnership with techUK.
techUK CEO, Julian David OBE said: "We’re honoured to be hosting this roundtable discussion with the Ministry of Justice – It presents an excellent opportunity for the tech sector to highlight the transformative role that technology is playing in modernising our criminal justice system.
"techUK and our members believe that collaboration and open dialogue are essential to fostering innovation and driving meaningful reform - particularly in how offenders are rehabilitated - and that digital tools can be a powerful force in sustaining this positive impact across society."
