Researchers Predicting Parolees Recidivism With AI
| Researchers Predicting Parolees Recidivism With AI | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | Researchers in Indiana Using AI to Uncover “Risky” Behaviors Among Parolees |
| Location | Indiana, United States |
| Date | August 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Surveillance, Exclusion |
| Information | Location, Behavioral, Medical and Health, Computer Device, Physical Characteristics, Criminal, Public Life, Social Network |
| Threat Actors | Purdue University Polytechnic Institute Researchers |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Parolees on probation |
| High Risk Groups | Criminal |
| Tangible Harms | |
Researchers in Indiana monitoring and analysing released parolees’ personal information, such as, location, stress biomarkers, heart rate and others, to predict “risky” behaviour.
Description
In August 2020 researchers at Purdue University Polytechnic Institute in Indiana were found planning to collect data from the bracelets of released prisoners, aiming to algorithmically identify “stressful situations and other behavioral and physiological factors correlated with those individuals at risk of returning to their criminal behavior.” This is an example of Exclusion. Parolees’ bracelets would collect real-time information like stress biomarkers and heart rate, while the parolees’ smartphones will record a swath of personal data, ranging from locations to the photos parolees take. The combined data will be fed into an AI system that makes individual behavioral predictions over time. Surveillance
The study fails to acknowledge the history of biased decision-making engendered by machine learning, like that of systems employed in the justice system to predict recidivism. for instance, Northpointe’s COMPAS algorithm was twice as likely to misclassify Black defendants as presenting a high risk of violent recidivism than white defendants.
Recruiting program in 2020 claimed all 250 pilot parolees would be volunteers who consent to participate and whose family members will be notified at sign-up time, but it’s not unreasonable to assume some subjects might feel pressured to enroll.
Breakdown
Threat: Researchers monitoring parolees’ locations, heart rate, photos and other personal information via bracelets and smartphones
At-Risk group: Parolees is Indiana
Harm: Surveillance
Secondary Consequences: Potentially: Incarceration, Anxiety
Threat: Researchers algorithmically identify whether the parolee is likely to return to criminal behaviour by analysing their psychological factors, stressful situations and other personal information collected via bracelets and smartphones
At-Risk group:Parolees is Indiana
Harm: Exclusion
Secondary Consequences: Potentially: Incarceration, Anxiety