Algorithms Were Supposed to Fix the Bail System. They Haven't

Algorithms Were Supposed to Fix the Bail System. They Haven't

4 years ago
Anonymous $-riAjkQg_1

https://www.wired.com/story/algorithms-supposed-fix-bail-system-they-havent/

If you are booked into jail in New Jersey, a judge will decide whether to hold you until trial, or set you free. One factor the judge must weigh: the result from an algorithm called PSA that estimates how likely you are to skip court or commit another crime.

New Jersey adopted algorithmic risk assessment in 2014 at the urging, in part, of the nonprofit Pretrial Justice Institute. The influential Baltimore organization has for years advocated use of algorithms in place of cash bail, helping them spread to most states in the nation.