The non-ministerial department responsible for prosecuting criminals has worked on a series of exploratory trials, which it wants to use as a basis for a broader strategic and investment plan

As the spending review process kicks into gear, the Crown Prosecution Service is seeking to flesh out a strategy and investment case to support plans to ramp up the organisation’s use of artificial intelligence technology.

In a statement to parliament on Monday, chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed that government has formally started a spending review process to set departmental budgets for the coming years. Funding plans for the 2025/26 year will be announced alongside Reeves’ first Budget, to be delivered on 30 October, with the results of the full year multi-year spending review to be confirmed in the spring of 2025.

As it prepares to engage with HM Treasury to review, CPS has released commercial documents revealing that it hopes to make the case for money to invest in “the opportunities presented by AI in enhancing its business processes”.

“The increasing number of arrests, the increasing volume of data and growing live caseload is putting considerable pressure on the criminal justice system,” CPS said, in a recently published contract notice. “We need to develop new ways of working if we’re to build public confidence in the system.”

The organisation added that it has already “developed a small number of proofs of concept to demonstrate to senior leaders what’s possible through AI”.

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These demonstrative exercises include “using Microsoft Copilot to support back-office productivity, to provide legal advice to prosecutors, to support the drafting of letters to victims of crime, and to enable prosecutors to explore case material submitted by police officers”.

CPS added that “we now need to translate this [work] into a strategy to transform our business model”.

To help it do so, the agency is seeking to work with a consultancy that can support the creation of such a strategy over the course of a three-month contract, scheduled to come into effect around the mid-August. The competitive process is being held via Crown Commercial Service’s Artificial Intelligence framework and potential suppliers have until 2 August to submit bids.

The chosen provider will support CPS in creating a strategic plan that can make the argument for technological investment.

“To pursue AI at scale, the CPS needs to make a compelling business case to the Treasury, as part of the spending review process,” the contract notice says. “This will give CPS the resources it needs to deliver its core functions over the next three years. There has been a strong focus on increasing productivity in public services, which we expect to form part of what is prioritised in the spending review. We believe that a compelling business case for investment in AI can enable the CPS to transform.”

CPS, which employs about 6,000 people and operates as a non-ministerial government department, is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases across England and Wales. The organisation also decides whether or not a case should be prosecuted and can assist police forces in determining which charges should be pressed, as well as providing support to victims and witnesses.