Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what process is used by his Department to monitor the use of algorithms by community rehabilitation companies.

The Ministry of Justice assesses the quality of alternative risk assessment tools proposed by Community Rehabilitation Companies and sets a number of conditions for approval including a requirement for ongoing research and evaluation to ensure the tool is fit for purpose. Under our proposals for future probation arrangements responsibility for undertaking risk assessment processes will sit with staff in the National Probation Service.

We are still at the early stages of using algorithms in the criminal justice system, primarily as decision support tools to aid professional judgement. We have internal process in place to ensure we develop and roll-out algorithmic models appropriately and responsibly and are working with The Alan Turing Institute to make sure use of these models is ethical, safe and fair

These tools are one element of a number of measures for assessing the risk of re-offending: offender managers make robust risk assessments based on their professional expertise. The most complex cases, and those with the highest assessed risk of re-offending or causing harm, will attract the most intensive intervention. In all cases, the professional judgement of the offender manager is a key factor in deciding what measures are needed to manage an offender and prevent re-offending.