Ministry of Justice plans AI tools for Crown Courts to address case backlog

The Ministry of Justice will introduce artificial intelligence tools to Crown Courts across England and Wales to address a growing backlog of cases. The plan will first be tested in controlled settings before wider use. Judges are expected to receive an AI system that identifies trial-ready cases and groups similar hearings together.

Probation officers will also gain access to a tool that records and transcribes meetings with offenders.

Background on court delays The Crown Court waitlist reached more than 80,000 cases earlier this year, more than double the 38,108 cases recorded in 2019. Freedom of information data showed 2,600 trials not listed until at least 2028 and 29 cases not scheduled until 2030.

Reactions from legal groups The Law Society welcomed the ministry's focus on legal and ethical use of AI but called for public release of evaluation results. Its chief executive said robust safeguards are needed to protect access to justice. The Criminal Bar Association vice chair said routine tasks could be handled more efficiently with AI but stressed the need for training and human oversight in criminal cases.