Department of Justice NI

What Department of Justice NI does

The Department of Justice NI (DoJ NI) is the devolved government department of the Northern Ireland Executive responsible for policing and justice functions, established in April 2010 under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 following the devolution of justice powers. It is headquartered at Block C, Castle Buildings, Stormont Estate, Belfast, and is led by Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA with Hugh Widdis serving as Permanent Secretary. The department operates through four directorates (Access to Justice, Safer Communities, Justice Delivery, and Reducing Offending) and five wholly-owned executive agencies: the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS), Forensic Science Agency (FSNI), Youth Justice Agency (YJA), and Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSANI).

Core service offerings include criminal record checks via AccessNI, prison management, courts and tribunals administration (including the Justice Video Platform for remote hearings), forensic science support, youth justice and conferencing, legal aid administration, statutory compensation schemes (criminal injuries, criminal damage, Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme), and the Assets Recovery Community Scheme. The department is supported by an in-house Analytical Services Group with statisticians on loan from NISRA and works with 11+ arm's-length bodies including Victim Support NI, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service, the Probation Board, and the Police Ombudsman.

The department is wholly publicly funded rather than revenue-generating. Its 2025-26 Final Budget is £1,415.3m Resource DEL and £100m Capital DEL, allocated by the Northern Ireland Executive with HM Treasury earmarked funds for justice system transformation. Services are delivered within Northern Ireland only, with no commercial pricing model — fees for activities such as AccessNI checks are set under statutory frameworks.

Name

Department of Justice NI

Legal name

Department of Justice (Northern Ireland)

Website

https://justice-ni.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of Justice NI is a devolved Northern Ireland government department administering policing, prisons, courts, forensic science, youth justice, legal aid, and compensation schemes via five executive agencies, funded entirely by the Northern Ireland Executive with a 2025-26 budget of £1.5 billion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Justice Administration

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Courts (922110), Correctional Institutions (922140), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Judicial Courts & Court Administration (BPAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF), Victim Services & Witness Assistance (Justice System) (BPAIAFAJ), State/Provincial Corrections, Probation & Parole Administration (BPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Public justice services
• Criminal record checks
• Court and tribunal services
• Prison management
• Legal aid administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Department of Justice NI is a devolved government department that administers policing and justice functions in Northern Ireland. It delivers statutory services through five executive agencies covering prisons, courts and tribunals, forensic science, youth justice, and legal aid, alongside core programmes such as AccessNI criminal record checks, Compensation Services, statistical research, and the Assets Recovery Community Scheme. Services are funded primarily through the Northern Ireland Executive budget with some statutory fees for specific transactions.

Product overview

The Department of Justice NI is a government department that does not operate a unified software product but rather delivers a portfolio of public services through five executive agencies and multiple programme areas. The core services include AccessNI (criminal record checks), the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS), Forensic Science Agency (FSNI), Youth Justice Agency (YJA), Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSANI), Compensation Services, and the Analytical Services Group (ASG). The NICTS offers a Justice Video Platform (JVP) for remote court hearings. These services operate as interconnected government functions rather than a modular software platform, with each agency delivering specific statutory services within the justice system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AccessNI A branch in the Department of Justice that processes criminal record check applications from members of the public for employment purposes, offering Basic, Standard, and Enhanced checks with or without barred list checks.
• Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) Executive agency responsible for providing prison services in Northern Ireland, aiming to reduce levels of re-offending by working with prisoners and stakeholder organisations.
• Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) Executive agency providing administrative support to Northern Ireland courts and tribunals, the Judiciary, enforces civil court judgments through the Enforcement of Judgments Office, and sponsors the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission.
• Forensic Science Agency (FSNI) Executive agency responsible for the provision of effective scientific advice and support to enhance the delivery of justice.
• Youth Justice Agency (YJA) Executive agency responsible for preventing offending by children and young people through delivery of community-based, court ordered, and diversionary interventions, youth conferencing, and custody provision.
• Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSANI) Established under the Legal Aid and Coroners' Courts Act (NI) 2014 to administer publicly-funded legal aid, contributing to access to justice.
• Compensation Services Administers three statutory compensation schemes in Northern Ireland for criminal injuries, criminal damage, and operates the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
• Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS) Scheme directing half of proceeds of crime recovered through confiscation orders to support projects that prevent crime or reduce fear of crime.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Victim Support NIcoreOthersCharitable organization providing support services to victims of crime in Northern Ireland. The Department works with Victim Support NI to provide services for victims and witnesses of crime.
• Public Prosecution Service for Northern IrelandcoreOthersIndependent prosecution service responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in Northern Ireland. Works within the justice system framework administered by the Department.
• Prisoner OmbudsmancoreOthersIndependent ombudsman investigating complaints from prisoners in Northern Ireland. Provides oversight of prison services under the Department's jurisdiction.
• Police Rehabilitation and Retraining TrustsupportingOthersOrganization providing rehabilitation and retraining services for police officers. Department collaborates on justice and policing initiatives.
• NSPCCsupportingOthersChild protection charity working with the Department on youth justice and child protection matters within the justice system.
• Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern IrelandcoreOthersIndependent oversight body investigating complaints against the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Works within the policing and community safety framework.
• RUC George Cross FoundationsupportingOthersFoundation supporting former Royal Ulster Constabulary officers and families. Department collaborates on policing legacy matters.
• Probation Board for Northern IrelandcoreOthersOrganization responsible for supervising offenders in the community. Key partner in reducing reoffending initiatives.
• Police Service of Northern IrelandcoreOthersPrincipal law enforcement agency in Northern Ireland. The Department provides resourcing, legislative and policy framework for policing.
• Organised Crime Task ForcecoreOthersMulti-agency task force tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland. Department participates in coordinating criminal justice response.
• Northern Ireland Police FundsupportingOthersCharitable fund supporting police officers and families. Works with the Department on policing support initiatives.
• Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals ServicecoreOthersExecutive agency providing administrative support to Northern Ireland courts and tribunals. Key partner in justice delivery.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)coreOthersAgency providing statisticians to the Department's Analytical Services Group (ASG) for independent statistical and research services.
• Northern Ireland Legal Services CommissioncoreOthersSponsored by NICTS, provides funding for legal aid services administered through the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland.
• Law Society of Northern IrelandsupportingOthersProfessional body for solicitors that the Department collaborated with on the bereavement damages correction issue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Judicial Office for England and Wales: Body supporting the judiciary in England and Wales. Comparable to the role the Department plays in supporting the NI judiciary through NICTS, particularly in court administration and judicial policy.
• Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland: Independent prosecution service for Northern Ireland that operates within the justice system framework administered by the Department. Directly comparable as a core partner body in the NI justice architecture.
• Welsh Government Justice Department: Devolved Welsh Government justice function covering devolved aspects of justice in Wales. Comparable as another devolved justice administration within the UK with similar policy and structural context.
• Department of Justice (Ireland): Ireland's Department of Justice with a near-identical name and structurally similar remit over policing, prisons, courts, immigration, and equality. Directly comparable as a national justice ministry operating in a neighbouring jurisdiction with cross-border cooperation arrangements.
• Scottish Government Justice Directorate: Directorate within the Scottish Government responsible for devolved justice functions in Scotland, including courts, prisons, legal aid, and community justice. Closely comparable as another devolved justice administration within the UK.
• Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland: Independent inspectorate examining the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland. Directly comparable as a peer inspectorate/oversight body working alongside the Department to ensure justice system performance and accountability.

Broad incumbents

• HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS): An executive agency of the UK Ministry of Justice delivering courts and tribunals administration across England and Wales. Comparable to the Department's NICTS in role (court administration and enforcement of judgments) but at substantially larger scale.
• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service: Scotland's independent prosecution service. Functionally comparable to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland and relevant as a peer body operating prosecution within a UK justice system.
• Ministry of Justice (UK): The UK-wide counterpart responsible for the justice system in England and Wales. Highly comparable in core mandate (courts, prisons, legal aid, criminal justice policy) but operates at much larger scale and over a broader jurisdiction, encompassing the devolved Northern Ireland function.
• Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI): Principal law enforcement agency in Northern Ireland that the Department funds and provides legislative/policy framework for. A core partner peer in the local justice system, structurally analogous to other UK police bodies supported by devolved/central justice authorities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Justice_NI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCalu5nfUYd8Oe8ZsWRzMiRA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/DepartmentofJusticeNI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-justice-ni
• Instagraminstagram.com/departmentofjusticeni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Department of Justice NI