Re:Make Algorithms Accountable
by Houshalter on Monday August 01, 2016 @04:32PM
(#12205683)
I disagree. There's no evidence that human judges are less biased or more accurate. There are studies that have shown unattractive defendants get twice the sentences as a attractive ones. Not to mention race. There are studies that show judges give much harsher sentences right before lunch, when they are hungry.
Judges are not better at predicting recidivism than even very crude statistical algorithms. Sentences are basically arbitrary anyway.
Algorithmic sentencing may not be perfect. But humans are algorithms too, and they are way less perfect. Humans don't have transparency either. Unless you want to propose putting judges in MRI machines while they make sentences.
Anyway no one has seriously proposed that algorithms should decide sentencing. Only that they make recommended sentences to the judge. Who overrules the algorithm about 20% of the time.
Judges are not better at predicting recidivism than even very crude statistical algorithms. Sentences are basically arbitrary anyway.
Algorithmic sentencing may not be perfect. But humans are algorithms too, and they are way less perfect. Humans don't have transparency either. Unless you want to propose putting judges in MRI machines while they make sentences.
Anyway no one has seriously proposed that algorithms should decide sentencing. Only that they make recommended sentences to the judge. Who overrules the algorithm about 20% of the time.