PETALING JAYA: A guideline for sentencing using Artificial Intelligence for the internal use of the Session Court judges and magistrates in the peninsula would be implemented this month, says the Office of the Registrar General.

       “The Sentencing Guideline using Artificial Intelligence Technology is intended only as a quick guide and reference for Sessions Court judges or magistrates when deciding on the sentencing of a case,” said the office in a statement Thursday (July 22).

       The office said that the AI system would be piloted in the Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam Sessions and Magistrate’s Courts on July 23.

       It added that its implementation would be done in three phases, with the first phase beginning this month and would involve 20 common offences in the Sessions and Magistrate’s Courts.

       “This includes eight offences under the Penal Code [Act 574] (sections 323, 323/326A, 375/376, 379, 379A, 380, 420 and 457), eight offences under the Road Transport Act 1987 [Act 333] (sections 26, 39, 56, 57, 63, 79, 90 and 114) and four offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 [Act 234] (sections 15 (1) (a), 12 (3), 39A (1) and 39A (2)),” the office said.

       The second phase of the AI system would be implemented from August 2021 to December 2021, which would involve 30 offences of various kinds of legal provisions.

       “The final phase which would begin from January 2022 to April 2022 would involve other recorded offences in the e-Justice System,” it said.

       The office noted that the sentencing guidelines for the use of the Magistrate’s and Sessions Courts in Sabah and Sarawak have been developed and adopted since February 2020.