Confronting Racial Injustice Series, Part 3: Forensic Surveillance

Predictive algorithms and risk assessments are commonplace features in everyday life, from suggesting what to watch next on Netflix to approving a credit card or loan. Increasingly, they're used in the criminal legal system by the courts, probation, corrections, and parole to influence key decision points. These tools are not without controversy. For one, there are fundamental concerns about their accuracy and predictive power. This program will cover risk assessments in the pretrial and post-conviction setting; how bias is baked in and reflects and reinforces racism in the criminal justice system; and strategies for how system actors can tackle risk assessment instruments when they're in use.

Also discussed will be emerging surveillance techniques and the legal and scientific or technical issues raised by the techniques themselves as well as their use or misuse. 

Speakers

Clotelle Drakeford, Program Chair

Elizabeth Vasquez, Elizabeth Vasquez, Special Forensic Science Counsel at Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, NY

Insha Rahman, Vice President, Advocacy & Partnerships at Vera Institute of Justice, New York, NY