Creating and using better justice data

This project aims to help inform and improve how data is used in the justice system.  

Why this research is important

The justice system plays a role in all our lives, helping to maintain law and order and uphold the rights of individuals and businesses.

Justice is one of the most complicated areas of government policy. Different public sector organisations, government ministries and services are involved in its operation. This complexity has implications for the production and use of data, and data is often not shared among different organisations.  

However, there are examples of system wide reforms or individual actions which have improved the creation, collation, analysis and use of data. This research will be investigating these innovative approaches.

What does the project involve?

1. Hosting two special events as part of the Institute for Government’s Data Bites event series, bringing together people from in and around government with an interest in data.  

2. Pulling together the insights from the special events into a report. The focus will be on the use of data in the operation of the justice system; the use of data within government to understand the impact of the system and improve policy making; and the role external researchers can play when given access to data.   

3. Holding meetings with key decisions makers in the justice system to share recommendations from the report.  

How this project will make a difference

The research will: 

• Draw attention to best practice of the creation and analysis of justice data.  
• Highlight common obstacles to obtaining and using data. 
• Show how barriers can be overcome. 
• Raise awareness of the value of high-quality justice data.  

The final project report will be available to download from this page.