IN-CJ hosted the first live discussion of 2022, on the role of ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Criminal Justice System.’ With a panel of experts and a live audience, the conversation asked what changes AI is bringing, and how is Artificial Intelligence already impacting criminal justice practice? Topics covered in the discussion include: what are the values and ethics of AI in criminal justice practice? Are practitioners ready for the changes that are coming?  What are the challenges presented by AI, and will they be a positive benefit for future services?  What will be the impact of AI for service users, and where will AI take us in the coming years? In a round table conversation, contributions were made by * Dr Victoria Knight, De Montfort University, United Kingdom * Prof Mike Nellis, University of Strathclyde, Scotland * Pia Puolakka, Smart Prison Project, Finland * Matt Rowland, Technology Innovation Consultant for Criminal Justice, United States * Steven van de Steene, Smart Corrections, Belgium. Contributors Victoria Knight: Dr Victoria Knight is Associate Professor in Research for the Community and Criminal Justice Division in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University. Victoria has expertise and research experience across two core areas: 1) digital technologies use in prisons and 2) emotion and criminal justice. Victoria employs a range and mix of methodologies including qualitative and quantitative. Victoria has extensive research experience for engaging ‘hard to reach’ groups in a range of settings: both community and prison. She strives to adopt an ‘appreciate approach’, taking on board people’s situations and difficulties. Victoria has led and managed a number of research projects and evaluations with respect to basic skills interventions for young offenders. Victoria’s research and scholarship contributes to ongoing thinking and responses to the design and implementation of digital technologies in prison settings. Mike Nellis: Prof Mike Nellis is Emeritus Professor of Criminal and Community Justice in the Law School, University of Strathclyde. Formerly a social worker with young offenders in London. Mike has a PhD from the Institute of Criminology in Cambridge, and was long involved in the training of probation officers at the University of Birmingham. Mike has written widely on the fortunes of the probation service, alternatives to imprisonment and particularly the electronic monitoring (EM) of offenders. Mike was actively involved between 2005-14 in the organisation of the CEP EM conferences, and between 2011 and 2013 acted as an expert adviser to a Council of Europe committee which drew up an ethical recommendation on EM. Mike co-edited ‘Electronically Monitored Punishment: International and Critical Perspectives’, with Belgian colleagues Kristel Beyens and Dan Kaminski in 2103, and served on the Scottish Government’s EM Working Party 2014-16. Mike is the international editor of the Journal of Offender Monitoring. Mike teaches a Master’s degree course on “surveillance, technology and crime control” at Strathclyde. Pia Puolakka: Pia Puolakka has been working for the Criminal Sanctions Agency, Finland since 2012. She started as a prison psychologist. Since 2017 she has been working in the Central Administration. There, she first worked as a senior specialist responsible for rehabilitative services including programme work, family work, and psychological and spiritual services in prisons. In 2018 she was appointed as the project manager of the Smart Prison Project. Her current post includes developing digital services for rehabilitative purposes and leading the implementation of the smart prison system. In 2020 she started as the project manager of the RISE Al project that is developing artificial intelligence (Al) application for client work and counselling in the Criminal Sanctions Agency.

The International Network for Criminal Justice hosted our second international webinar on the topic of Decolonisation, Cultures and Communities. De Montfort University is among the universities that is recognising that our approaches to learning, teaching and research commonly assume western, European or Anglo-American perspectives which can represent an incomplete or even distorted understanding of topics and the ways in which they might be explored. This is the second seminar on this subject and, as in the first seminar (recording available online), these matters are to be discussed by an international panel who will bring perspectives from other countries, precisely in accord with the aspiration to decolonise. The programme includes presentations from colleagues in Canada, Nigeria and Romania. Each presentation is followed by questions from the audience. In answering these questions, the presenters are joined by a panel, chaired by Professor Rob Canton, Presenter(s): * Denis Bracken, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba * Don John Omale, Professor of Criminology, Federal University Wukari Taraba State, Nigeria * Iuliana Carbunaru, CEP Board Member Confederation of European Probation

Today we hosted our international webinar on the topic of Decolonisation, Cultures and Communities in Criminal Justice. De Montfort University is among many universities that has recognised that our approaches to learning, teaching and research commonly assume western, European or Anglo-American perspectives, which can represent an incomplete or even distorted understanding of topics and the ways in which they might be explored. This is the first of two seminars in which we are hosting a discussion with an international panel, who bring unique perspectives from other countries, precisely in accord with the aspiration to decolonise. This podcast includes presentations from colleagues in UK, Malaysia and Australia. Each presentation is followed by questions from the audience. ‘In answering these questions, the presenters are joined by a panel, chaired by Rob Canton (Professor in Community and Criminal Justice, DMU). Presenter(s): * Kaushika Patel (Interim Deputy PVC for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, DMU). * Jason Pandya-Wood (Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham, Malaysia). * Brian Stout (Dean of Arts and Social Sciences and Professor of Social Work, Western Sydney University).

Covid-19 has brought many challenges for the administration of criminal justice systems, both in relation to incarceration, and probation and restorative justice. In this discussion John Scott continues his series of conversations about the challenge for leaders around the world as they seek to meet the demands of the pandemic. Joining John are three representatives of the International Corrections and Prisons Association. ICPA president, Peter Severin, Hans Meurisse vice-president, and Manon Bisson, executive director.

In this session of the IN-CJ newsdesk, Lieke Veldhuizen, who is based at University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, considered to what experiential peer-support means in practice, and what is known about the added value of this approach through recent research? Lieke discussed how this approach is perceived by the people who are actually targeted by this approach in practice, and what the prospects are for this approach? * Lieke’s Bio * ‘Experimental peer support and its effects on desistance from delinquent behaviour: protocol paper for a systematic realist literature review.’  https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-019-1036-2 * ‘I (really) know what you mean’. Mechanisms of experiential peer support for young people with criminal behaviour: a qualitative study’  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0735648X.2020.1848608

This session from the IN-CJ newsdesk was coordinated by Iuliana Carbunaru and Professor Ioan Durnescu, it brought together professional staff from the Rumanian Prisons and Probation services with people who have served or are serving custodial sentences, and considers the challenges of maintaining effective prison and probation services that make a tangible difference to the individuals.

This session from the IN-CJ newsdesk was coordinated by Chelsey Narvey and brings together probation professionals and service users to talk about the innovative work of drugs courts and the role of activist judges as an alternative to proscriptive sentencing.

In this session from the IN-CJ newsdesk we discussed how the Nigerian criminal justice services have adapted to the pandemic with the use of alternative approaches to incarceration. Contributing to this session were Professor Don John Omale (Twitter), Criminology and Restorative Justice and Victimology Expert. Dr. Uju Agomoh (Executive Director of PRAWA), Mr. Kevin Ugwuoke (Deputy Superintendent of Corrections). * African Forum for Restorative Justice * Dr Uju Agomoh’s bio.

This session was coordinated by Governor Frances Daly and discussed the effective hygiene practices within Irish prisons during the lockdown. Working with the Irish Red Cross, the prison service responded to the lockdown by focussing on how infection control, with pioneering collaborations by prison and education staff, and by prisoners, through a peer-led programme to support wellbeing champions.