A Taxonomy of AI tools in Criminal Justice
Why Do We Need a Taxonomy?
- To establish a common vocabulary
- To facilitate mapping the landscape, comparing capabilities, and assessing risks
Taxonomy Framework
This taxonomy is based on:
- The mode in which information is inferred from inputs
- The mode of inputs and outputs
Three Modes of Inference
Analysis
Analysis of content (e.g., classify, match, cluster, transcribe)
Examples: Recognise a face or voice, identify a weapon in an image, transcribe from audio to text
Synthesis
Synthesis and enrichment (e.g., combine to predict, profile)
Examples: Profile probability to re-offend, predict spatio-temporal crime hot spots
Generation
Generation of content (e.g., generate from a prompt)
Examples: Summarisation of a statement, generation of questions for a witness interview, RAG (retrieval augmented generation)
Seven Modes of Input and Output
Primary Data
- text
- image
- video
- audio
Structured or Enumerated Data
- enum - Enumerated types (e.g., Yes/No, sentiments, semantic features, points to prove)
Instructions for Generative AI
- prompt - Set of instructions that impacts the result
Formal Syntax
A category in the taxonomy has the form:
Inference(Input_Modes → Output_Modes)
Where:
- Inference = Analysis | Synthesis | Generation
- Modes can be individual items, products (separated by commas), or lists (in brackets)
Example Categorizations
Analysis Examples
| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
Analysis(audio → text) |
Audio to text transcription |
Analysis(audio, audio → enum) |
Speaker recognition (voice recognition) |
Analysis(image → enum) |
Identification of weapon in a scene |
Analysis(text → text) |
Translation from Welsh to English |
Synthesis Examples
| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
Synthesis(text → enum) |
Synthesis of Points to prove from witness statement |
Synthesis(enum, enum → enum) |
Crime hot spot prediction |
Generation Examples
| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
Generation(prompt, text → text) |
Summarise this text |
Generation(prompt, text → [text]) |
Generate a list of interview questions |
Generation(prompt, text → image) |
Generate a suspect image from witness statement |
Criminal Justice Stages in England & Wales
Tools are categorized by the stage(s) of the criminal justice process where they are deployed. Based on the paradigm of England & Wales, we split the criminal justice system in the following stages:
| Stage | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Community Policing and Offender Management | Crime prevention, public protection, identifying vulnerable individuals |
| 2 | Intelligence | Identify offenders and wider networks |
| 3 | Investigation | Gathering evidence, pursuing lines of inquiry, victim protection |
| 4 | Charging Decision or Alternative Disposal | Decision on charging or alternative disposal |
| 5 | Trial or Guilty Plea | Defendant admits guilt or opts for trial |
| 6 | Sentencing | Appropriate sentence decided |
| 7 | Prison and Parole | Management of offenders in custody |
| 8 | Probation | Management of released offenders |
Data Structure
Each AI tool in our database contains the following fields:
- Tool Name - The full name of the tool
- Purpose - A concise statement of the tool's intended purpose
- Description - Fuller explanation of operation, scope, and functionality
- Users - Organizations deploying or trialling the tool
- Deployment Stage - Current stage (Trialled, Deployed, Experimental, Stage unknown)
- Development Type - In-house, Third-party, or Academic collaboration
- Developer/Vendor - Entity responsible for developing the tool
- Criminal Justice Stages - Stages of the process where the tool applies
- Taxonomy - Classification using our taxonomy framework
- Tool Functionality - Brief description corresponding to taxonomy
- Resources - Links to publicly available sources