Justice
SOCOTEC’s Environmental Science Division has extensive experience in Forensic Science Services offering a high quality range of evidence examination services to both public and private sector clients.
Challenges Facing the Justice Sector
The UK Justice sector is experiencing acute operational strain across both Police and Prison Services. Forensic laboratories face a 30% increase in caseload volumes since 2022, with the Crown Court backlog reaching 67,500 cases as of Q3 2024—contributing to severe capacity constraints whilst maintaining evidential integrity.
Prison facilities manage 88,225 inmates (January 2025) across aging infrastructure, with 40% of establishments over 100 years old, creating significant health and safety challenges including Legionella control, asbestos management, and fire safety compliance. The prison estate operates at 99% capacity, intensifying demands for food safety, drug testing, and environmental compliance across PSI/PSO requirements.
How SOCOTEC Supports the Justice Sector
How We Can Help
At SOCOTEC, we understand that these challenges aren't simply compliance checkboxes – they're fundamental to maintaining public trust, ensuring justice is delivered fairly, and keeping staff and vulnerable populations safe.
Our integrated approach combines technical excellence with responsive service delivery. Whether you require forensic examination services with expert witness testimony, comprehensive compliance programmes across multiple regulatory domains, emergency response capabilities, or strategic policy development support, we're here to help you navigate the complex operational landscape of the Justice sector.
At SOCOTEC, we understand that these challenges aren't simply compliance checkboxes – they're fundamental to maintaining public trust, ensuring justice is delivered fairly, and keeping staff and vulnerable populations safe.
Our integrated approach combines technical excellence with responsive service delivery. Whether you require forensic examination services with expert witness testimony, comprehensive compliance programmes across multiple regulatory domains, emergency response capabilities, or strategic policy development support, we're here to help you navigate the complex operational landscape of the Justice sector.
Forensic Analysis and Prison Compliance Solutions
Lifecycle Support Services offered by SOCOTEC
Police Service
Our main role is support to Court in their investigation of criminal activities. Our team of experts will provide consistent, reliable and timely results for our customers within the legal fraternity. In addition to this, other tests, monitoring and analysis functions that we undertake ensure that health and safety standards are maintained within the County Police forces. We work across a range of markets and for a large number of the UK’s police forces. We will be asked to examine evidence; test drugs and glass; analyse paints, tool marks, and footwear for the police and legal professions. We are market leaders and as such, our scientists will testify and give evidence as expert witnesses in Court.
We offer a high quality range of evidence examination services to both public and private sector clients. The principles of forensic examination and chain of custody are applied rigorously to all processes. We provide reports and statements to the Criminal Justice system and Civil Court with experienced expert witnesses to present the evidence in Court. We also provide consultancy services to ensure the smooth running of investigation.
Prison Service
The Prison Service Instructions (PSIs) and Prison Service Orders (PSOs) provide the rules, regulations and guidelines by which prisons are run. As well as health and safety, these regulations include topics such as: occupational health, food safety, fire safety, environmental protection and the disposal of hazardous waste.
Police Service
Our main role is support to Court in their investigation of criminal activities. Our team of experts will provide consistent, reliable and timely results for our customers within the legal fraternity. In addition to this, other tests, monitoring and analysis functions that we undertake ensure that health and safety standards are maintained within the County Police forces. We work across a range of markets and for a large number of the UK’s police forces. We will be asked to examine evidence; test drugs and glass; analyse paints, tool marks, and footwear for the police and legal professions. We are market leaders and as such, our scientists will testify and give evidence as expert witnesses in Court.
We offer a high quality range of evidence examination services to both public and private sector clients. The principles of forensic examination and chain of custody are applied rigorously to all processes. We provide reports and statements to the Criminal Justice system and Civil Court with experienced expert witnesses to present the evidence in Court. We also provide consultancy services to ensure the smooth running of investigation.
Prison Service
The Prison Service Instructions (PSIs) and Prison Service Orders (PSOs) provide the rules, regulations and guidelines by which prisons are run. As well as health and safety, these regulations include topics such as: occupational health, food safety, fire safety, environmental protection and the disposal of hazardous waste.
