CCJ and RAND announce launch of "Task Force on Artificial Intelligence" to examine AI in CJS

As detailed in this press release, the "Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), in partnership with RAND, today announced the launch of a national task force to develop standards and evidence-based recommendations for the integration and oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) in the criminal justice system."  Here is more from the start of the press release:

Chaired by former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence includes 14 other leaders, from AI technology developers and researchers to police executives and other criminal justice practitioners, civil rights advocates, community leaders, and formerly incarcerated people. (See list of members [at this link].)

The work of the Task Force will span the four major sectors of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, courts, corrections, and community organizations. Over the next 18 months, the group will:

• Develop consensus principles to guide the safe, ethical, and effective use of AI in criminal justice settings;
• Translate the principles into specific, operationalized standards for AI products and procurement that can be used by agency leaders, policymakers, and community groups alike; and
• Publish high-quality, accessible research for policymakers, agencies and organizations, key individuals, and the field at large.

“Artificial intelligence is developing at breakneck speed, delivering technological advancements unlike any we have seen before, and presenting both significant opportunities and formidable challenges for the criminal justice system,” Hecht said. “This Task Force will meet the urgent need for credible guidance to help policymakers and practitioners navigate a complex and rapidly evolving landscape in ways that maximize benefits, minimize harms, and improve justice.”

The group’s work will be supported by Task Force Director Jesse Rothman — who has worked as a researcher, educator, policy analyst, and funder across the criminal justice and emerging technology landscape — as well as researchers at RAND, a leading research organization with extensive expertise in criminal justice and emerging technologies. RAND will conduct original research on the safe, ethical, and effective integration of AI into criminal justice agencies and processes.

“AI brings powerful tools to affect public safety and efficiency in the criminal justice system,” said Jason Matheny, RAND’s president and chief executive officer. “RAND’s strength is in objective research and rigorous analysis — and that’s how we’ll contribute most, by ensuring that policymakers at all levels have clear, informed guidance.”

I am quite excited to see what this new Task Force may produce, and especially because AI tools of all sorts (and our understanding of AI potential and risks in criminal justice systems) are certainly going to evolve over the next 18 months.  As but one sentencing example, the use of an AI version of a deceased victim in an Arizona sentencing hearing was big news last month, but it could readily become old hat by December 2026.