Independent advisers will guide the use of advanced analytics in youth justice interventions
The Ministry of Justice has appointed a panel of independent experts to advise on the use of machine learning and advanced analytics in youth justice as part of efforts to improve early intervention and crime prevention. Announced on 5 June 2026, the Preventative Analytics for Youth Justice Advisory Panel (PAYJAP) will provide expert guidance on how data-driven technologies can be used to support young people and reduce offending.
The panel was established following commitments set out in the government’s youth justice reform strategies, A Modern Youth Justice Service: Foundations Fit for the Future, and Cutting Youth Crime. Changing Young Lives. The Ministry of Justice launched a public recruitment exercise in March 2026 seeking volunteers with expertise across a range of disciplines, including law, criminology, social policy, data analytics, cybersecurity, academia, public services, and the voluntary sector.
Eight individuals have now been appointed to serve as independent volunteer members of the panel. The appointees are Hazel Williamson, Head of Futures Matter at Staffordshire County Council; Dr Gemma Morgan, Associate Professor of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at Swansea University; Professor Neal Hazel, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Salford; and Professor Marion Oswald MBE, Professor of Law at Northumbria University and Senior Visiting Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute.
Other members include Harry Collins, Assistant Vice President and Senior Cyber Security Analytics Engineer at Barclays Cyber Operations; Professor Raymond Arthur, Professor of Law at Northumbria University; Professor Claire Paterson-Young, Professor of Social Justice at the University of Northampton’s Institute for Social Innovation and Impact; and Richard Vaughan, Head of East of England at the Youth Justice Board.
The Ministry of Justice also confirmed that Professor Mark Mon-Williams, Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Leeds, will serve as an independent adviser to the panel and participate as a voluntary member. PAYJAP has been established to provide expert advice on the use of machine learning and advanced analytics to support early intervention and prevention in youth justice, in line with commitments set out in the government’s youth justice reform strategies
The advisory panel will bring together expertise from the public sector, academia, industry and youth justice organisations to advise the Ministry of Justice on the use of advanced analytics within youth justice The appointments form part of the government’s commitments set out in A Modern Youth Justice Service: Foundations Fit for the Future and Cutting Youth Crime. Changing Young Lives