Automated record-clearing algorithms corrected racial disparities from past convictions.

Evidence

Recently, two California counties teamed up with Code for America to automate the clearance of more than 50,000 marijuana convictions that had been made eligible for clearance under a newly enacted proposition (Ready, 2019). An algorithm combed through government files to identify eligible individuals and file the motions to clear. The automation was thorough: the person with the criminal record did not have to file a petition, hire an attorney, or attend a hearing—everything was completed by the machine (Ready, 2019). Because African Americans were overrepresented in this population, one can say that the technology was working to correct for historical bias. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1171

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: algorithmic mercy — machines granting mass clemency more efficiently and equitably than courts ever did raises sharp questions about who deserves the authority to forgive.
• ADDENDUM: Directly extends the ‘On Sacrifice’ theme of institutional vs. individual mercy — here the machine plays the role of the state’s automated pardon, replacing the human ritual of plea and forgiveness.