Government launches first AI Action Plan for Justice

The Ministry of Justice has today published its inaugural AI Action Plan for Justice, charting a three-year strategy to embed artificial intelligence across courts, tribunals, prisons, probation services, and victim support.

The document sets out the Ministry’s intention to make justice services simpler, faster, and more tailored to public needs, while upholding fairness, transparency, and accountability.

In his foreword, James Timpson, the Ministry’s lead on AI, hailed the plan as “first-of-its-kind” and affirmed that it reflects the Prime Minister’s vision of “a more productive and agile state  - one in which AI and technology drive better, faster, and more efficient public services.”

He emphasised that the Ministry intends to focus on strengthening its foundations, embedding AI across services, and investing in a capable workforce. Since joining the Ministry in July 2024, Timpson said he has observed “real opportunities for AI to improve the working lives of our frontline staff and colleagues - and clear evidence of where it is already making a difference.”

His foreword concluded that the document represents “a crucial first step” in delivering the ambition for the MoJ to lead responsible, impactful AI adoption across government.

A central pillar of the plan’s ethical approach is the newly launched MoJ AI and Data Science Ethics Framework, co-developed with the Alan Turing Institute’s Public Policy Programme.

This framework is expressly designed to guide project teams through each stage of the AI or data science lifecycle, offering “processes, tools and guidance to support a responsible ecosystem” of data‑driven technologies. Its companion blog describes how the Framework enables MoJ teams to innovate “safely, responsibly and fairly”.

At the heart of the Ethics Framework lie the SAFE‑D principles - Sustainability, Accountability, Fairness, Explainability, and Data Responsibility - each defined by a set of core attributes to clarify their meaning for criminal justice applications.

The Framework includes activity booklets and structured questionnaires for each project phase - design, development, and deployment - supporting teams to identify risks, refine ethical considerations, and engage stakeholders actively.

Sapna Sanghvi, Chief Data Scientist in the MoJ Data Directorate, described the framework as “crucial for our teams as it ensures that our work is aligned with ethical principles and societal values,” noting that it establishes a foundation for “transparency, fairness, and accountability in all our projects”.

To date, the framework has been used by MoJ teams, including on the Violence in Prisons Estimator, a tool predicting violent incidents per offender over a year. Will Miller, Lead Data Scientist for Prison Safety, said the structure provided by the framework enabled the team “to evaluate the full range of ethical considerations” and produce monitoring plans to ensure the tool remains ethically robust throughout its lifecycle.

The Ministry clarifies that ethical principles like SAFE‑D serve as goals and prompts rather than prescriptive rules. They are “designed to maximise the benefits of a project while minimising risks and harms” and to foster ongoing reflection and discussion, rather than rigid constraints.

The Justice AI Unit, established in 2024, is charged with delivering the action plan and overseeing ethical adoption of AI across the justice system. The Framework and embedded SAFE‑D approach reaffirm the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring all AI deployment is transparent, fair, explainable and upholds public trust.