Algorithms identify repeat offenders better than judges

Can AI make better predictions about future crimes?

Image source: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
  • A new study finds algorithmic predictions of recidivism more accurate than human authorities.
  • Researchers are trying to construct tests of such AI that accurately mirror real-world deliberations.
  • What level of reliability should we demand of AI in sentencing?
Keep reading Show less
ai law society prison crime computers justice system

China tightens its grip on freedom in academics

Scholars often debate risking their livelihoods and personal safety in order to conduct research in certain areas.

Getty Images
  • Authoritarian governments that rely heavily on coercion must be more intrusive about how education shapes the personality and character of its members.
  • In China, there are topics that scholars know to avoid — especially, the Three Ts: Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen Square.
  • While the majority of scholars are likely toeing the party line when it comes to their research, some are working toward encouraging academic freedom in the country, often at significant risk to themselves and their families.
Keep reading Show less
china politics education teaching learning inequality law prison social change speech surveillance

California to ban ICE detention centers, private prisons

"People are not commodities!" said Assemblyman Rob Bonta.

Image source: Pixabay
  • California lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would phase out private prisons, and four ICE detention centers in the state, by 2028.
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom still needs to sign the bill, which he is expected to do.
  • Private prisons house a minority of the national prisoner population, but their populations have grown by 1,600 percent from 1990 to 2005, according to the Justice Policy Institute.
Keep reading Show less
policy inequality business prison

How can felons be rehabilitated when prison labor is good for big business?

Until the use of prison labor is banned, many stakeholders will be incentivized to prevent felons from being rehabilitated.

ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
  • The Thirteenth amendment prohibits slavery in the U.S. except as punishment for a crime.
  • A considerable number of public institutions, private companies, and individuals benefit from prison labor.
  • Is true prison reform possible when some many stand to gain from this legalized form of slavery?
Keep reading Show less
capitalism consumerism homelessness poverty prison slavery united states criminal justice

FBI and ICE scan millions of DMV photos to find suspects, raising concerns

Researchers discover government agencies use facial recognition software on photos from local DMVs.

Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. 2004.
  • FBI and ICE routinely scan through millions of photos in state DMV databases.
  • The agencies use facial recognition software to find matches for suspects.
  • Congressmen on both sides of the isle are worried about privacy implications of such unregulated practices.
Keep reading Show less
surveillance government crime prison politics immigration law justice system privacy