Targeted use of pretrial risk assessments reduces detention and racial disparities

Evidence

A recent report found that, while pretrial risk assessments may lead to biased outcomes if used carelessly, targeted and teleological use leads to both significantly reduced pretrial detention and less racial disparities—in short, a win by all accounts (Picard, Watkins, Rempel, & Kerodal, 2019). “Teleological” means that the use must be guided by clear goals, such as decreased disparities, increased efficiency, or fewer incarcerations. “Targeted” means that leadership must consider whether the tool should be used only in a subset of cases, such as those that are most closely related to the stated goals (e.g., if the goal is to decrease incarceration, then there should be a focus on violent crimes committed by high-risk offenders). — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1191 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Evidence of a racial crossover effect in drug distribution is also evident in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (“NLSY97”), which collects yearly data from a national sample of U.S. residents, who were between the ages twelve and sixteen in 1997 when the data collection began. This survey reveals that, at age sixteen, 7 percent of White and 5.3 percent of Black NLSY97 respondents indicated that they had sold illegal drugs in the past year but, at age twenty-six, these figures were 4.2 percent and 5.1 percent for White and Black respondents, respectively. Again, these differences are too small to explain the large race differences in drug distribution arrests and imprisonment. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1056 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Goal-guided targeted use of risk assessments reduces both detention and bias — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1191; Racial disparities vary across decision points, offenses, and jurisdictions; Self-reported drug distribution differences between races are too small to explain arrest disparities — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1056 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Goal-guided targeted use of risk assessments reduces both detention and bias #corroborates (0.95) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1191
• Racial disparities in judicial outcomes do not necessarily prove unequal treatment #complicates (0.75)
• Self-reported drug distribution differences between races are too small to explain arrest disparities #complicates (0.73) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1056