Justice Secretary David Lammy is set to announce significant reforms to the justice system in a major speech this week. While he will look to modernise courts by integrating AI to address the backlog crisis, Mr Lammy has reassured judges that human decision-making will remain paramount. A Ministry of Justice source said the Justice Secretary “is determined to bring the courts system into the 21st century.” Proposed changes include reducing jury trials for minor offences, which could halve the number of cases going to juries from 3% to 1.5%. Mr Lammy is also expected to back prison vans using bus lanes to speed up transportation from jails to courts, as well as increasing the number of court sitting days. It is noted that in his recent review Of the court system, Sir Brian Leveson said: “It is my view that judges need to embrace the adoption of AI across the courts and tribunals, provided the necessary safeguards are in place for judicial decision-making.” Brett Dixon, the Law Society’s vice president, said: “We support modernising the justice system and adopting new technology, provided it enhances access to justice, is reliable, and ensures fairness,” adding: “AI is not, however, a silver bullet to improve the justice system. It might help to ease some administrative pressures, but it is not a replacement for much-needed investment in the court estate and additional court staff.”
