Improving rehabilitation in prisons and probation with modern digital services
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is modernising its digital services and technology to reduce reoffending, better protect the public and improve prison capacity.
Our goal
Staff in prisons and probation services in England and Wales will be able to spend more time on face-to-face rehabilitation, with reduced administrative burdens enabled by joined-up digital services.
What this means for you
This initiative applies to services in England and Wales only.
If you work in a prison in England or Wales, you’ll benefit from:
- Improved accuracy and timeliness: prison staff will be able to record information accurately and at the right time using the ‘Digital Prison Services’ single platform, simplifying the management of people in prisons.
If you work in a probation services in England or Wales, you’ll experience:
- Reduced administrative burden: probation staff will experience a significant reduction in time spent on administration via probation platforms.
- Enhanced focus on rehabilitation: the administrative efficiencies provided by the probation platform will give staff more time to focus on their supervisees for valuable face-to-face rehabilitation work.
If you’re a person who lives in England and Wales, you can expect that these services contribute positively to your community because they’re designed to:
- Support release: provide essential assistance to individuals as they transition from prison or probation back into the community.
- Meet needs: ensure that comprehensive rehabilitation needs are identified and addressed.
- Enable contribution: facilitate the successful reintegration of individuals, empowering them to become law-abiding, productive and positively contributing members of society, and reducing the risk of reoffending.
Our progress so far
March 2025: new funding for probation technology
The Chancellor announced £8 million to develop technology that helps probation officers focus on reducing reoffending instead of completing lengthy, time-consuming administration.
May 2025: technology as part of prisons and probation capacity strategy
The Secretary of State for Justice set out how technology can be used to address the capacity crisis in prisons, articulating a vision for a justice system that fully embraces technology to meet the contemporary challenges staff face. Meanwhile the Independent Sentencing Review highlighted the value of technology in reducing administrative workloads in probation.
September 2025: piloted the use of online check-ins for people on probation
As part of a new pilot that took place between September and November, if you’re on probation in the South West, North West, East of England and Kent, Surrey and Sussex, you’re now able to submit online check-ins through a new platform. This pilot will then be considered for further rollout and development.
December 2025: rolled out secure AI assistant for Ministry of Justice (MoJ) staff
If you work in the MoJ, you now have access to secure AI assistants, along with tailored training and support as part of the ‘AI for all’ campaign. These tools will help you work more efficiently, collaborate more effectively with colleagues and focus on the work that matters most.
What we’re planning to do next
2026: continue roll-out of speech and translation AI for frontline probation staff
Throughout 2026, the MoJ will continue to pilot AI transcription and summarisation tools in probation services across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Wales to reduce frontline staff’s administrative load.
More information
For more information about this work, contact:
Service Transformation Group
Ministry of Justice
DGservicetransformation@justice.gov.uk
For more information about AI at MoJ, read the AI action plan for justice.