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16 December 2022 / Roger Smith
Issue: 8007 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Legal aid focus
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Justice in Numbers: a work in progress

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The Ministry of Justice’s ‘one-stop shop’ for data is a promising start, but nowhere near a finished result, says Roger Smith

In October, previous Lord Chancellor Brandon Lewis and continuing permanent secretary Antonia Romeo proudly turned to Twitter. They were announcing ‘Justice in Numbers’, an ‘innovative new tool’ (Romeo) which provides a ‘one-stop shop for key statistics on prisons, probation and our courts’ (Lewis). Justice in Numbers comprises a digital package of information available on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) website and a couple of PDFs for those who prefer printable information.

As perhaps is ever the case, clarity of information just opens up further questions. The MoJ does not expressly seek comment or commit to an interactive process of future development. However, it will surely be assisted by the thoughts of those outside government for whom this information is presumably provided.

So. Go to the website; form your own judgement of its usefulness; and inform a grateful department of your thoughts. Here are mine.

Honest data

First, the good news. The MoJ has taken, reasonably enough,

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