Engineering justice for tomorrow: Reimagining systems for public defenders

For decades, public defenders have navigated a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Today, the criminal justice system stands at the brink of an AI revolution—one that promises to fundamentally transform how legal professionals engage with digital evidence.

During a webinar hosted by the National Association of Public Defense (NAPD), Brent Berkley, Director of Strategic Relationships at Axon, explored this technological shift in detail. With more than 30 years of experience in criminal law as both a defense attorney and prosecutor, Berkley offers a unique perspective on how AI is set to reshape the legal landscape he has watched evolve for decades.

The digital evidence explosion

Thirty years ago, discovery in a misdemeanor case often consisted of a brief police report and a few photographs. Today, that same case might generate dozens of hours of body-worn camera video, in-car camera footage, surveillance recordings, and audio files.

While technological advancements such as Axon Air DFR, Axon Fusus, and Draft One have streamlined workflows for police departments, public defenders remain stuck with outdated systems. This imbalance has placed an overwhelming burden on defense attorneys, who must sift through ever-growing quantities of digital evidence with limited time and resources.

To close this gap, public defenders could begin adopting AI-driven solutions to improve case workflows.

AI as a force multiplier, not a decision-maker

AI in the workplace is often met with skepticism, driven by fears of job displacement. In the legal profession, however, AI is not designed to make decisions for attorneys—it is built to help them manage digital evidence more efficiently.

AI can automate time-consuming tasks such as transcription, video analysis, and case summarization. Axon’s AI-driven tools support attorneys by generating searchable transcripts of body-worn camera footage, identifying key moments in hours of video evidence, and summarizing case materials. By quickly surfacing crucial details, these tools help attorneys efficiently analyze evidence and focus on the most impactful aspects of a case, which they can then leverage to determine their case strategy.

One of the most promising use cases for AI in public defense is data triage. In data triage, algorithms quickly identify the most relevant pieces of evidence within a vast digital dataset, allowing attorneys to focus their time on critical case elements rather than irrelevant data. As the capabilities of AI continue to expand, Axon is committed to developing AI solutions that enhance, but don’t replace, human decision-making.

Axon's approach to AI

Many legal professionals worry about data privacy, security, and ethical accountability in AI-driven systems. Unlike commercial AI applications that prioritize rapid feature development, AI tools for public defense must meet strict data security standards. Axon ensures that all case data is securely stored within the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud, preventing unauthorized access or external data sharing.

Attorneys also have a professional duty to stay competent in emerging technologies, and some states already require technological proficiency in their rules of professional conduct. Public defenders must be vigilant about AI’s potential risks—such as biases in datasets and the transparency of AI-generated outputs—and should adopt solutions built with these concerns in mind.

Axon develops its AI tools using a “human-in-the-loop” approach, ensuring that human oversight remains integral to the decision-making process. Attorneys have the final sign-off on all AI-generated outputs so they can maintaining control and accountability in their legal workflows.

Axon AI in 2025 and beyond

In 2025, Axon will introduce a suite of responsibly designed Axon AI capabilities built with public defenders in mind:

• AI Summaries – Rapid case and evidence summaries with key details highlighted for easy reference.

• Enhanced AI Transcription & Translation – Real-time transcription with improved accuracy and multilingual translation capabilities to enhance case understanding.

• Advanced Evidence Triage Tools – AI-driven prioritization of digital files to help pinpoint critical evidence.

• Officer Behavior & Case Trends Analysis – Pattern tracking of law enforcement behavior and case outcomes to inform defense strategies.

• Automated Jail Call Analysis – AI-assisted review of jail calls to flag relevant conversations and key phrases during case preparation.

• Secure AI-Powered Search – AI-driven search functionality to quickly locate relevant case details across vast evidence repositories with speed and accuracy.

These innovations align with Axon’s broader mission to ensure equitable access to digital evidence while streamlining legal workflows for defense attorneys, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies alike.

The future of AI in public defense

As we move beyond 2025, AI will continue to evolve, providing even more sophisticated tools for evidence review and management. While AI-enabled tools can enhance legal workflows, it is essential that legal professionals retain ultimate decision-making authority. AI is a powerful tool for task automation—but it cannot and should not replace legal expertise and human judgment.

The future of AI in public defense is not about technology making decisions for attorneys, but about equipping attorneys with the tools they need to navigate an increasingly digital world. By embracing AI innovations, public defenders can enhance the quality of representation they provide to their clients—and help protect more lives in more places.

To learn more, visit axon.com/ai.