The justice system is turning to data to lessen mass incarceration rates. By using questionnaires, officials determine a level of risk that an inmate will reoffend. But an AP investigation already finds room for improvement with a system that relies on lawbreakers to be honest and has the potential to penalize those who are poor and/or uneducated.
From the story: “In a country with the highest incarceration numbers in the world, these questionnaires are a pillar of a new effort to get people out of prison. Repeat offenders are a major driver of bloated prison populations. But an Associated Press examination found significant problems with the surveys, which are used inconsistently across the United States, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.”
Read the full story by the Associated Press.