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Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales

Gemma Morgan Orcid Logo, Charlotte Walker, Faye Taxman

Health & Justice, Volume: 13, Issue: 1

Swansea University Authors: Gemma Morgan Orcid Logo, Charlotte Walker

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DOI (Published version): 10.1186/s40352-025-00326-8

Abstract

There is growing recognition of digital technology's role in supporting desistance and improving the well-being and social inclusion of people in the criminal legal system (CLS). However, it remains significantly under-researched within England and Wales despite its implications for prison and...

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Published in: Health & Justice
ISSN: 2194-7899
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69152
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last_indexed 2025-08-22T12:32:04Z
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spelling 2025-08-21T14:50:27.8618043 v2 69152 2025-03-25 Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales 6fcf08876667b7d74789895a95bbe2d2 0000-0001-5259-9164 Gemma Morgan Gemma Morgan true false 62f44c2c24731c9b5d80c2c4e0173c65 Charlotte Walker Charlotte Walker true false 2025-03-25 SOSS There is growing recognition of digital technology's role in supporting desistance and improving the well-being and social inclusion of people in the criminal legal system (CLS). However, it remains significantly under-researched within England and Wales despite its implications for prison and probation policy and practice. This article provides empirical insights into the access to and use of digital technology and the digital competency of 41 people with offending histories in Wales, UK. The study utilises and supports Reisdorf and Rikard’s (American Behavioural Scientist 62:1273-1290, 2018) digital rehabilitation model, which highlights the interconnectedness of the digital and social world and the need for CLS support to integrate digital competency skills and access to digital technology to help people desist from crime.ResultsThe study revealed that people experience varying levels of digital exclusion, from not owning any digital hardware (smartphones, laptops, computers, and tablets) to being unable to afford data for their devices and lacking the digital competency to use digital technology effectively. We highlight the implications for people accessing support that can facilitate desistance and the need for training to improve digital skills.ConclusionOur findings further support Reisdorf and Rikard’s (American Behavioural Scientist 62:1273-1290, 2018) digital rehabilitation model. We argue that online and offline spaces are intertwined, and understanding and addressing the digital needs of people in the CLS is essential to prevent further marginalisation and support desistance and other positive outcomes. Journal Article Health &amp; Justice 13 1 Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2194-7899 Digital rehabilitation; Digital exclusion; Digital competency; Digital justice 20 3 2025 2025-03-20 10.1186/s40352-025-00326-8 COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University Other The research reported in the publication was supported by Welsh Government SMART Partnership funding (ref: 20210625SP042). 2025-08-21T14:50:27.8618043 2025-03-25T17:32:08.1319374 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Gemma Morgan 0000-0001-5259-9164 1 Charlotte Walker 2 Faye Taxman 3 69152__33943__d6c247ca3ed1461fae8c3ede139fe458.pdf s40352-025-00326-8.pdf 2025-04-04T08:11:07.2990782 Output 2317228 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. true eng https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00326-8
title Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
spellingShingle Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
Gemma Morgan
Charlotte Walker
title_short Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
title_full Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
title_fullStr Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
title_sort Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales
author_id_str_mv 6fcf08876667b7d74789895a95bbe2d2
62f44c2c24731c9b5d80c2c4e0173c65
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6fcf08876667b7d74789895a95bbe2d2_***_Gemma Morgan
62f44c2c24731c9b5d80c2c4e0173c65_***_Charlotte Walker
author Gemma Morgan
Charlotte Walker
author2 Gemma Morgan
Charlotte Walker
Faye Taxman
format Journal article
container_title Health &amp; Justice
container_volume 13
container_issue 1
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 2194-7899
doi_str_mv 10.1186/s40352-025-00326-8
publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy
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description There is growing recognition of digital technology's role in supporting desistance and improving the well-being and social inclusion of people in the criminal legal system (CLS). However, it remains significantly under-researched within England and Wales despite its implications for prison and probation policy and practice. This article provides empirical insights into the access to and use of digital technology and the digital competency of 41 people with offending histories in Wales, UK. The study utilises and supports Reisdorf and Rikard’s (American Behavioural Scientist 62:1273-1290, 2018) digital rehabilitation model, which highlights the interconnectedness of the digital and social world and the need for CLS support to integrate digital competency skills and access to digital technology to help people desist from crime.ResultsThe study revealed that people experience varying levels of digital exclusion, from not owning any digital hardware (smartphones, laptops, computers, and tablets) to being unable to afford data for their devices and lacking the digital competency to use digital technology effectively. We highlight the implications for people accessing support that can facilitate desistance and the need for training to improve digital skills.ConclusionOur findings further support Reisdorf and Rikard’s (American Behavioural Scientist 62:1273-1290, 2018) digital rehabilitation model. We argue that online and offline spaces are intertwined, and understanding and addressing the digital needs of people in the CLS is essential to prevent further marginalisation and support desistance and other positive outcomes.
published_date 2025-03-20T05:28:43Z
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