Do algorithms have too much power?
LSE IQ podcast
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Algorithms Are Quicker Than the Court System
State now uses some kind of predictive system in their criminal courts to handle bail and sentencing decisions. But a 20 16 study found that one widely used software program labelled black defendants risky at nearly twice the rate as white defendants. The also pointed to specific cases in which arrests for essentially the same petty crime resulted in drastically different risk scores based on alleged perpetrator's skin color. If we could design better algorithms without these systemic biases, they could be of enormous help to our justice system.
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