Crime & Justice
Crime will affect each and every one of us at some point during our lives, and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable groups in our society. It is critical that we understand the conditions that influence crime in the UK.

An effective justice system plays an integral role in the maintenance of a peaceful, fair and cohesive society. Research within this theme attempts to understand the causes and mechanisms at play within the UK justice system and society, and examines issues such as reoffending, rehabilitation and the far-reaching impact of crime.
One of ADR UK’s flagship programmes of work within this research theme, Data First, is an ambitious data-linking programme led by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). It aims to unlock the potential of the wealth of data already created by MoJ, by linking administrative datasets from across the justice system and beyond, and enabling researchers – within government as well as accredited academics – to access the data in an ethical and responsible way.
More in-depth information about the individual data linkage and research projects being undertaken within this theme can be explored below.
Crime & Justice Projects
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ADR Wales themed projects: Social Justice
22 September 2023
This ADR Wales research agenda will cover inequalities in health outcomes, treatment, accessibility to services, opportunities, and education for the population of Wales. It will utilise linked anonymised, individual-level, population-scale data that is routinely collected. This includes demographic, health, environmental, administrative and social data.
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Research Fellows using ADR England flagship datasets
1 September 2023
ADR UK is funding six Research Fellows for 18 months to conduct research and analysis demonstrating the policy impact potential of ADR England flagship datasets. This was the first fellowship opportunity of its kind by ADR UK that...
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ADR UK Research Fellows: Understanding experiences of the family justice system
24 August 2023
ADR UK is funding two Research Fellows to conduct research using the newly available Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First family court – Cafcass linked dataset. Their research, taking place over 15 months, will generate new insights about children and families’ experiences of the family justice system.
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Crime & Justice News
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Ethics in the age of AI: An academic’s perspective
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Express your interest: Showcase of research findings from linked justice system, social care and education data
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New insight into the civil justice system enabled by data shared by Data First
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First two Cabinet Office-funded Evaluation Fellows to use administrative data in evaluating justice services
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Developing trajectories of (re)-offending using UK administrative data
Publications
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Policy briefing: Care experience, ethnicity and youth justice involvement - key trends and policy implications
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Data First Cross-Justice System linked dataset – England and Wales: Key messages from the Data First User Representation Panel
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Data Insight: The outcomes of serious and organised crime cases appearing before the criminal courts in England and Wales
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Ethnic inequalities in the criminal justice system
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Data Insight: The nature, extent and outcomes of serious and organised crime cases prosecuted in England and Wales
Find out more
If you are a researcher interested in working with admistrative data within this theme, or a policymaker interested in how ADR UK work can improve your insights and support your decision making in this area, please get in touch.