New York Democrats Are Caving On Bail
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. “Under pressure from law enforcement, state lawmakers say they are now willing to make significant changes to the bail reform laws that have been in effect for less than […]
Sarah Lustbader Feb 13, 2020
Criminal Justice Group Drops Support For Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools As Ohio Justices Seek To Block Their Use
Reform advocates say the risk assessments are racially biased and are not effective at their key tasks: predicting the likelihood someone will return to court.
Dawn R. Wolfe Feb 12, 2020
New Data Suggests Risk Assessment Tools Have Little Impact on Pretrial Incarceration
Around one-third of counties in the United States use the tools when making release decisions, but few monitor whether they work as intended.
Ethan Corey Feb 07, 2020
How a Tool to Help Judges May Be Leading Them Astray
In Cook County, Illinois, 99 percent of defendants deemed ‘high risk’ for pretrial violence don’t reoffend.
Ethan Corey Aug 08, 2019
Risk Assessment Tools Are Flawed—Should We Throw Them Away?
This month, two research scientists and an attorney published an op-ed about risk assessment tools, which are presented as ways to reduce personal bias in the criminal legal system.
Sarah Lustbader Jul 25, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: The Risks of Risk Assessment
With Hannah Sassaman and Matt Henry
Adam H. Johnson Apr 04, 2019
Risk Assessment: Explained
The reality of risk assessment algorithms is complicated. Critics say bias can creep in at every stage, from development to implementation to application.
Matt Henry Mar 25, 2019
California could soon end money bail, but at what cost?
The passage of Senate Bill 10 would decimate the bail industry, but many advocates say it falls short of true reform.
Max Rivlin-Nadler Aug 22, 2018
The Danger of Automating Criminal Justice
Advocates in Philadelphia say a new tool to assist judges in sentencing could perpetuate bias.
Maura Ewing Jun 27, 2018