Artificial Intelligence & Criminal Justice: Cases and Commentary

When I was given the chance to develop a seminar this year at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, I jumped at the opportunity to develop something new and engaging. After brainstorming ideas with students, it quickly became evident that there was substantial interest and enthusiasm for a seminar on the growing integration of artificial intelligence and the criminal justice system. Embarking on this journey has been a steep learning curve for me as my students and I worked together to shape the course along with input from generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, along with open-source materials from the Canadian Legal Information Institute and the Creative Commons search portal. Delving into the case law in Canada and the U.S., reading the critical commentary, listening to podcasts and webinars, and playing around with the latest AI tools has been a lot of fun, but also made me realize how crucial it is at this point in time to have a focussed critical exploration of the benefits and risks of AI in the criminal justice context. I hope that this open access casebook will be a valuable resource for students, instructors, legal practitioners and the public, offering insights into how AI is already influencing various aspects of the criminal justice lifecycle – including criminality and victimization, access to justice, policing, lawyering, adjudication, and corrections. If you’re interested in a quick overview of topics covered in this casebook, you can download the companion: Artificial Intelligence & Criminal Justice: A Primer (2024).