Initiative file / Judicial

OIJ–TEC AI research for criminal analysis

Evidence record v2

29 / 31

Institution
Judicial Branch
Editorial classification
Ecosystem and capabilities
Initiative type
Research
Documented phase
In development
Relationship to AI in the source
Explicit relationship to AI
Execution evidence
Confirmed
First evidence
Last verified
Next review: Sep 21, 2026

Documented scope

What it is

Active research and development project between OIJ and the Costa Rica Institute of Technology to create image-recognition, automatic case-categorization and location-based incident-prediction systems using machine learning and deep learning.

Objective stated by the institution

Develop three AI software systems for image recognition, automatic case categorization and location-based incident prediction in support of efforts against organized crime.

Known timeline

Only milestones with an explicit date in the sources or editorial review are shown.

  1. First evidence
  2. Latest editorial verification
  3. Next scheduled review

Evidence reading

Each dimension is assessed separately. Undetermined marks an evidence gap; not applicable means the dimension does not correspond to the documented object.

What is confirmed

  • The TEC record lists the project as active from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026.
  • The three workstreams are image recognition, automatic case categorization and location-based incident prediction.
  • Judiciary minutes document loaned equipment for model training and testing, confirming development but not production operation.

What could not be determined

  • No evidence was found for production deployment, integration into routine decisions or an operational start date.
  • Accuracy, false-positive, external-validation and group-level performance metrics are not published for recognition and prediction.
  • No complete public documentation was found on legal basis, data categories, retention, human review or appeal mechanisms.

Documented results

Results are published only when a source traceably attributes them to this initiative.

  1. In March 2025 the Judiciary presented a tattoo-analysis model and described specific-image search as a developed capability.

    [2]

Evidence matrix

Existence

Confirmed

Execution

Confirmed

AI technique

Confirmed

Operational AI use

Undetermined

Results

Partially confirmed

Governance

Undetermined

Sources and traceability

Sources state which claims they support, their origin and the date on which they were consulted.

  1. [1]
    AI-based systems for recognition, categorization and incident prediction
    Publisher
    Tecnológico de Costa Rica
    Source type
    Official primary source
    Published
    Consulted

    Supports: existence · stated objective · execution · AI technique

  2. [2]
    Forum on benefits and challenges of AI in judicial work
    Publisher
    Poder Judicial
    Source type
    Official primary source
    Published
    Consulted

    Supports: existence · execution · AI technique · reported result

  3. [3]
    Minutes on equipment loan for OIJ–TEC project training and testing
    Publisher
    Poder Judicial
    Source type
    Official primary source
    Published
    Consulted

    Supports: existence · execution

Open questions

  • Did any of the three systems move from research into a pilot or operational use within OIJ?
  • What quality, bias, human-review and traceability controls will apply before any investigative use?

Context

This research is distinct from the ENIA commitment attributed to ICE for homicide prediction and from the SUPERCOP police system. No reviewed source supports merging those three initiatives. The record remains ecosystem R&D, not verified operational adoption.

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