The Bail-Reform Tool That Activists Want Abolished
“But there’s a problem: Even as the algorithms are praised for minimizing cash bail and the inequality it creates, an increasing number of civil-rights activists worry they perpetuate racial disparities within the criminal-justice system. In July, over 100 civil-rights groups, including the ACLU, signed a statement of concern urging jurisdictions to stop using the tools. In the same missive, they outlined how to properly implement the algorithms if states do decide to use them. As more states turn a critical eye toward their own systems—and face public pressure to avoid certain reforms—they may have to decide between implementing a technology that could be corrupted, sticking with a (reformed) cash system, or pursuing a new form of justice that doesn’t depend on either.”