Reducing Recidivism or Misclassifying Offenders?: How Implementing Risk and Needs Assessment in the Federal Prison System Will Perpetuate Racial Bias

Authors

Rachel DiBenedetto

Abstract

Your Honor, I understand the appeal of using this sentencing software, EVALUATE. I do. It appears to be efficient, precise, immune to emotion and lapses in logic. It seems fair and unbiased, so shouldn’t we attempt to be fair and unbiased in evaluating whether it actually works? 32, 19, 34 . . . 32% is the federal recidivism rate. 19%? 19% is the recidivism rate of defendants tried and sentenced in your court, Judge Barish. It’s one of the lowest in the Southern District. 34%? That’s the recidivism rate of EVALUATE, higher than the national average, 15 points behind you.

Recommended Citation

Rachel DiBenedetto, Reducing Recidivism or Misclassifying Offenders?: How Implementing Risk and Needs Assessment in the Federal Prison System Will Perpetuate Racial Bias, 27 J. L. & Pol'y 414 (2019).
Available at: https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/jlp/vol27/iss2/3