First research users of the Data First: Cross-Justice System dataset gain secure access
9 December 2024
ADR UK is delighted that the latest Data First: Cross-Justice System – England & Wales dataset is now available for accredited researchers to apply to access. The first two users of the linking dataset are two ADR UK Research Fellows who recently began their projects.
The dataset connects Ministry of Justice data from the civil and family courts with different areas of the criminal justice system, including the most recently announced Offender Assessment dataset. This linked data presents new opportunities for researchers to explore cross-cutting questions about how justice system users interact across different jurisdictions of the system. It has been developed by Ministry of Justice Data First and funded by ADR UK.
Alexy Buck, Chief Social Researcher at the Ministry of Justice said: “This is a huge milestone for Data First and for researchers in the justice space. It is the first time administrative data from across all jurisdictions of the justice system has been linked and made available. It promises powerful new insights into people’s needs, their journeys through the justice system, and outcomes across a range of justice services.”
About the data
The Cross-Justice System linking dataset is composed of several distinct datasets:
- magistrates’ courts defendant data
- Crown Court defendant data
- family court data
- civil court data
- probation data
- prisoner custodial journey data
- offender assessment data.
It uses a cross-justice system linking dataset which acts a lookup to connect de-identified records that refer to the same person across the different MoJ datasets.
Data is available on an individual person- and case- level, from the start of criminal prosecutions in the magistrates’ courts and Crown Court, through to periods spent in prison custody or under supervision of the probation service. It also now also includes assessments carried out to understand the risks and needs of adult offenders. This data is linkable to information on parents and children involved in public and private law family court cases, as well as people (and companies) involved in civil cases as claimants or defendants. All data has been carefully de-identified and is held securely in the ONS Secure Research Service.
Potential for good
This dataset will enable insights on user journeys across the criminal, family and civil justice systems, and help explore how people interact across the different parts of the system. Examples of research questions that may be possible with the data include:
- What works to improve outcomes across the justice system? For example, how do different sentencing options impact upon the likelihood of reappearing in the justice system?
- Who are the ‘repeat’ users of the justice system? Does involvement in other areas of the justice system influence criminal (re-)offending?
- What are the links between people’s cases in the civil and family courts, and their interactions with the criminal justice system?
- How can we better understand how problems interact and reinforce each other, and how this impacts people’s journeys through different parts of the justice system?
How to access the dataset
This dataset is available through the ONS Secure Research Service. To access this data, researchers must be fully accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017). To become accredited, complete the application form through the ONS Research Accreditation Service.
Accredited researchers can apply to access this dataset by submitting an application form to the MoJ: Data First secure access to data - GOV.UK. You will also need to submit an application to the Research Accreditation Service: Apply for an accredited research project – ONS. Contact srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk with any questions.
Read more about the cross-justice system Research Fellows’ projects. You can also hear more about the Data First project on the new ADR UK Podcast: Connecting Society.
