Justice and Public Safety Sector Digital Strategy

The idea for a Justice and Public Safety Sector Digital Strategy (PDF, 5MB) was born from some simple questions. What if data could be shared and accessed across the entire justice and public safety sector? What would it tell us about an individual’s experience navigating the criminal or civil justice system? What if the system was seamlessly connected for citizens? And what if we could reduce inefficiencies, giving British Columbians improved access to justice and public safety services?

From virtual courts and online tribunals to data-informed crime prevention and digitally-enabled emergency management — the justice and public safety sector is committed to embracing digital solutions to transform how we develop and deliver services. Together we can integrate services and systems, digitalize our paper-based processes, and generate data-informed insights to improve outcomes for British Columbians.

Our Digital Strategy will unify our transformational initiatives under a shared vision and approach and guide our investments in data and technology capabilities. It will identify strategies for optimizing and transforming our services — both inside and out — as well as opportunities for experimenting with emerging technologies.

The primary audience for this strategy is our partners in the justice and public safety sector like law enforcement and Crown agencies, as well as vendors who deliver IM/IT systems.

The digital imperative

A number of drivers for change are converging on the justice and public safety sector, impacting how services are delivered and shaping future priorities.

These drivers include increasing public expectations for more efficient and timely access to justice and greater public safety, the accelerated pace of technological change, and a variety of policy and legislation drivers.

We also need to address aging infrastructure and the impact of climate change on emergency management. These challenges are significant and the need for change is compelling and urgent. The solutions will not be found in our traditional silo-ed, ‘bricks and mortar’ services, paper-based processes, and aging legacy systems. To modernize, we have to embrace digital solutions.

To succeed, we will need to think and work differently, encourage experimentation, and challenge the status quo.

The vision for a digital future

Our Strategy is driven by a vision of a sector working collaboratively and innovatively to provide increasingly accessible, timely and trusted justice and public safety services to all British Columbians.

Digital justice and public safety services will be:

• Seamless: easy to use, integrated and accessible anytime, anywhere and on any device
• Smart and Personalized: informed by data and secured by Digital ID
• Continuously Improved: by a digitally-fit, agile, and innovative workforce

To achieve these digital outcomes, our strategy will focus on three core areas:

• Fostering a Culture of Innovation which includes digital leadership and an agile, digital workforce that is empowered to challenge the status quo
• Establishing Digital Governance and Processes which includes coordinated and prioritized investments, digital policies and processes, and change management
• Developing Digital Capabilities and Platforms including, but not limited to, digital identity, automation, content management, and business intelligence and analytics.