Results matching “algorithms”

Algorithms Solving Crime in NY:  A pattern-recognizing algorithm called Patternizr is being utilized by the NYPD to identify and apprehend criminals.  Michael Sisak of the Associated Press reports that the software, which analyzes incident reports in the department's database is much faster at spotting patterns than the standard process of staff sifting through paperwork looking for similar modus operandi to isolate specific offenders. The software took analytics experts two years to develop before it was rolled out in December of 2016.  In addition to the increased speed in detecting patterns, the algorithm reviews data for the entire city as opposed to manual analysis which is limited to precincts.  While the reporter suggests that this software is a valuable tool even though crime rates are "falling sharply," which is correct for the state, the FBI Preliminary Crime Report for 2018 showed increases in both violent and property crime in NYC over the first six months of last year.

Can Computers Predict Human Behavior?  Matt O'Brien and Dake Kang of the Associated Press report that a bipartisan bail reform movement seeking to eliminate the bail industry is promoting the use of computer generated risk assessments to determine how a defendant might behave if released prior to trial or given a short sentence.  One of the biggest promoters of this is the Houston-based Arnold Foundation, which developed the risk-assessment algorithm.  The states of New Jersey, Arizona, Kentucky, and Alaska are now using algorithms, also called evidence-based tools, for bail and sentencing decisions.  Other states, like California, are using them to assess which prison inmates can be released safely on parole.  The New Jersey process uses nine risk factors, including age and past convictions, but excludes race, gender, employment history, and past arrests.  Advocates argue that this eliminates bias.  The story focuses on a young black male arrested in Cleveland for cocaine possession who excels at basketball and might get a scholarship.  The arraignment judge used an algorithm-generated risk assessment to release him on "personal bond," meaning without bail.  Critics wonder if it's a good idea to take a judge off the hook when a defendant he released based on an algorithm kills or rapes somebody.  Who is responsible when this happens?

Texas Murderer Executed:  A man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in 1986 and stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death in 1999 was put to death Tuesday in Huntsville, Texas.  CBS News reports that William Rayford died 13 minutes after receiving a lethal injection.  Among the witnesses were his latest victim's four children, including her son, who at age 11, was stabbed through the lung while trying to protect his mother.  Rayford was sentenced to 23 years for murdering his wife Gail, but was released on parole after serving only 8 years due to prison overcrowding.  Five years later he killed Carol Hall.  In a last-minute appeal, Rayford's defense attorneys unsuccessfully claimed that his sentence was based on racial bias.  On Thursday, The Dallas Morning News reports that Texas is set to execute John Battaglia who, in 2001, shot and killed his daughters, 9-year-old Faith and 6-year-old Liberty, in an act of revenge against his ex-wife.  Battaglia, who is white, was unable to claim racial bias, leaving his attorneys with an unsuccessful attempt to claim he was mentally incompetent.

Julia Dressel and Hany Farid have this research article in Science Advances.  Here is the abstract:

Algorithms for predicting recidivism are commonly used to assess a criminal defendant's likelihood of committing a crime. These predictions are used in pretrial, parole, and sentencing decisions. Proponents of these systems argue that big data and advanced machine learning make these analyses more accurate and less biased than humans. We show, however, that the widely used commercial risk assessment software COMPAS is no more accurate or fair than predictions made by people with little or no criminal justice expertise. We further show that a simple linear predictor provided with only two features is nearly equivalent to COMPAS with its 137 features.

Along with questions of whether they are really any better, I believe that government should not be making decisions about people's lives using proprietary algorithms whose makers refuse to disclose the inner workings.

The article is Julia Dressel and Hany Farid, The accuracy, fairness, and limits of predicting recidivism, Science Advances  17 Jan 2018: Vol. 4, no. 1, eaao5580; DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao5580

Eric Siddall of the L.A. Association of Deputy District Attorneys has this post.

As stories emerge about the Arnold Foundation's "algorithm" pretrial release tool, we should be disturbed about the results.  As covered in a previous blog, use of the tool is linked to two murders and the wholesale release of dangerous felons.
 
However, a Wired story raises even more questions about the Arnold Foundation algorithm.   It turns out the tool was given to San Francisco for free, but with conditions that bars the disclosure of "any information about the use of the Tool, including any information about the development, operation and presentation of the Tool."

There is something to be said for having decisions made according to a formula rather the subjective judgment of a human decision-maker.  In terms of practical effects, the formula may predict dangerousness better than a seat-of-the-pants judgment.  In terms of fairness, a formula avoids the problem of different judges making different decisions on the same facts.  A formula can also reduce bias problems, if done correctly.  Those were the reasons behind the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 and the originally mandatory guidelines under that law.  A computer algorithm is essentially just a sophisticated formula.

The Risk of Using Risk Assessment Tools:  Anti-death penalty advocates make their strongest argument when they remind us that, for all of its time intensive layers of review, America's criminal justice system cannot guarantee that 100% of the murderers sentenced to death are actually 100% guilty of the murders they were sentenced to die for.  Because of this, CJLF has always advocated that any legitimate question of guilt, ie. a claim supported by evidence, should trigger additional review or default the sentence to LWOP.   Anti-incarceration advocates use the same "the system is not perfect" argument to support "smart sentencing" and "right on crime" reforms aimed to prevent the good criminals from going to prison, or even jail in some states. To placate the gullible into supporting such reforms proponents assure us that brilliant scientists have developed sophisticated "risk assessment tools"  to distinguish the bad criminals who might hurt somebody from the good criminals who just want to steal your car or wallet.  This would be wonderful if the risk assessment tools, which are algorithms originally developed to anticipate changes in financial markets, worked on humans.  But they don't.  In fact, they are far less perfect than the mean old "three strikes and your out policy" of the 1990s or the "three will get you twenty" policy of the 1950s.  When these risk assessments get it wrong, innocent people get raped, robbed and murdered by the bad criminals the algorithm failed to identify.  Right now in California, the Legislature is considering using these wonderful "risk assessment tools" to determine which arrestees should be released without bail prior to trial.  The one-thousand-strong Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys Association has this post on the real world effect this junk science has on public safety.
Note:  The Arnold Foundation, which developed the tool discussed, partners with George Soros' Open Society Foundation on criminal justice policy issues. 

Police Program Targets Likely Criminals:  Police departments across the country are engaged in a proactive policing experiment, relying on complex computer algorithms to pinpoint the people most likely to be involved in future violent crimes.    John Eligon and Timothy Williams of the NY Times report that the novel strategy, called predictive policing, is reminiscent of traditional policing, paying close attention to crime "hot spots" and recent parolees, but also using additional data such as social media activity, drug use and information about friendships to hone in on "hot people."  Kansas City, Missouri's program, known as the Kansas City No Violence Alliance (KC NoVA), sends the message to criminals that "the next time they, or anyone in their crews, commit a violent act, the police will come after everyone in the group for whatever offense they can make stick, no matter how petty."  In the year since the program has been in full effect, Kansas City has seen a significant decrease in homicides.

Police Look For Shared Gun Stashes:  Boston police are combating a disturbing trend involving guns stashed in common areas of the city and shared by gang members.  Kathy Curran of WCVB reports that police officers are recovering firearms, including semi-automatic weapons and revolvers, over wheel wells, on top and inside of dumpsters and hidden in other peculiar places such as abandoned furniture.  Shootings in Boston have risen 14 percent so far this year, and police believe that the city's 45 gangs are the primary exploiters of stash guns, since a shared gun works in their advantage by posing challenges to law enforcement and prosecutors.   So far this year, Boston police have recovered 500 guns from the streets, and a firearms analysis unit identified 22 used in multiple crimes.

12 Indicted in GA Prison Cell Phone Bust:  Twelve people, including inmates, parolees, civilians and two prison workers in the Georgia Department of Corrections, have been indicted on suspicion of having roles in crime rings that were carried out with cellphones smuggled into prisons.  The phones allow inmates to order killings, sell drugs hundreds of miles away and attempt to steal identities.  Valerie Hoff of WXIA reports that a federal grand jury returned charges Thursday, and the indictments reflect the major challenges prison officials face in an era rampant with Internet-enabled devices.  Since July 1, the GDOC has confiscated more than 1,000 illicit cellphones, and 7,000 last year.

School: Transgender Student's Rights Trump Privacy:  Female students at a Colorado high school have been threatened with disciplinary action if they continue to voice their concerns over being harassed by a male student who is allowed to use female restrooms on campus based on the claim that he is transgendered.  The Daily Mail reports that school administrators told concerned parents that the girls' right to privacy is not as important as the boy's right to be transgendered, and that if the girls continue to complain they may be removed from athletic teams or punished with hate crime charges.  School officials have suggested that female students possibly give up some of their restrooms on campus in order to accommodate their transgendered classmate and alleviate tensions.   

OK to Execute Child Rapists?:  The Ohio legislator, John Becker, has introduced House Bill 244 which would permit the death penalty for repeat sexual offenders found guilty of aggravated rape, aggravated sexual battery, or aggravated unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.  The Youngstown News reports that while such a bill would receive the moral support of many Ohioans, it would likely be held unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.  Other states which have adopted similar laws  have not utilized them or had them tested in court. 

Prisons Using Computer Algorithms for Parole Eligibility:  In an effort to cut costs at correctional facilities, prison parole boards in at least 15 states are turning to computerized risk assessments to weigh various factors and determine which inmates are most likely to commit new crimes while free on parole.  Jacob Kastrenakes of The Verge reports that the automated systems are showing signs of success - findings from 2011 point out a 3 percent decrease of re-incarcerated parolees since 2006.  The algorithms assess factors such as an inmate's age during their first arrest, fairness of their conviction, and level of education.

Legislation Targets Sex Offenders who Remove Tracking Devices: California's Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation that will prevent paroled sex offenders who remove their court-ordered tracking device from being eligible for early release from county jail.  The LA Times reports that offenders arrested for removing their GPS device will be sentenced to a mandatory 180-day sentence in county jail.  The legislation is aimed at deterring sex offenders from violating their terms of release.  Under the Governor's Realignment law, offenders were often released from jail less than 24 hours after removing their tracking-device. 

Released Parolee Accused of Murder: A 35-year-old Michigan man has been arrested on parole violations after being accused in the murder of a 23-year-old woman. Kyle Feldscher of mlive.com reports that Stanley Harrison had been released from prison three days prior to the murder after serving between three and 30 years for an unarmed robbery conviction.  Harrison has not yet been arraigned on the murder, but is the only suspect in the case. 

Convicted Cop Killer Sentenced in Unrelated Murder: A New Jersey man already serving a life sentence for murdering a police officer has been given another life sentence in an unrelated murder he committed in 2010.  The Associated Press reports that 21-year-old Jahmell Crockham pleaded guilty to murder charges stemming from a 2010 unsolved homicide, resulting in an additional life sentence without the possibility of parole.  Crockham was previously convicted of murder in 2012 after he walked up to an officer's police cruiser and shot him three times at point blank range.

Death Row Inmate Receives 4th Execution Date: A Florida man sentenced to death for a murder he committed in 1988 has been given his fourth, and hopefully final, scheduled execution date.  The Associated Press reports that Marshall Gore, who has already been scheduled to die three times this year, has avoided execution by making claims that he is both delusional and too insane to execute. Gore's final appeal for a stay of execution was denied last Friday, he is scheduled to die by lethal injection tomorrow evening.  See also this post on today's Supreme Court conference.

Police to Use Computer Algorithms to Predict Crime:  The Metropolitan Police in England are looking into a new technology which aims to help them stay one step ahead of criminal offenders by using computer algorithms to generate crime maps indicating where offenders are likely to strike next.  Francesca Infante of the Daily Mail reports on this futuristic idea, noting that the policing depicted in the movie Minority Report has resulted in a significantly increased success rate by the department.  While the tactic is not an ultimate solution to apprehending criminals and deterring crime, it serves to better appropriate resources in areas that need them most.