Preventative Analytics for Youth Justice Advisory Panel: Terms of Reference
The panel will suggest and review proposals for utilising machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics, providing an additional layer of accountability and scrutiny.
Applies to England and Wales
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The principal aim of the youth justice system, as set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, is to prevent offending by children. This places a clear duty on services to act early to support children to avoid entering or becoming further entrenched in the youth justice system.
Advances in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics have the potential to strengthen this preventative aim by enabling earlier identification of need, more accurate understanding of risk, and better targeting of evidence-led support. Used appropriately, these tools may help services intervene sooner, manage risk more effectively, and deploy scarce resources where they can have the greatest impact. In doing so, they offer opportunities not only to improve outcomes for children, but also to enhance public protection and contribute to the prevention of crime by reducing the likelihood of escalation into more serious or persistent offending. The potential to harness these technologies in a way that supports both prevention and public safety therefore warrants careful consideration.