Digital Justice and the Sociology of Algorithmic Governance: A Socio-Legal Review of Artificial Intelligence, Access to Justice, and Structural Inequality

Abstract

The rapid digitisation of judicial systems and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in courts, policing, and legal aid have opened a new field of inquiry for legal sociology. This review paper examines how digital courts, predictive algorithms, and automated legal tools are reshaping access to justice, legal consciousness, and structural inequality. Using a narrative-analytical review of recent scholarship (2020-2026), the paper situates the digital transformation of justice delivery within classical and contemporary socio-legal theory, including legal pluralism, legal consciousness, digital capital, and structural injustice. Findings indicate that while digitisation and AI can reduce cost, delay, and physical barriers to courts, these same tools risk reproducing or deepening existing social hierarchies when digital literacy, language, and infrastructural access remain unevenly distributed. The paper argues for a socio-legal framework of "equitable digital justice" that treats technological reform as a social process embedded in power relations, not merely a technical upgrade. The paper concludes with policy-oriented recommendations for regulators, judiciaries, and legal aid systems.