Developing an Application of Actuarial Decision-Making for Criminal Sentencing: Legal and Policy Implications

• In Event: The Latest Developments in Risk Assessments

Abstract

There has been a surge of interest in using risk assessments in criminal sentencing although the past several years have seen as much confusion about what it means to use risk assessments in criminal sentencing. In particular, the idea of sentencing someone based on risk assessments has been widely miscommunicated and politically contentious. Conservatives appreciate the benefit of focusing limited resources on the most dangerous individuals while liberals embrace a data-driven system as a more objective, equitable justice model that would correct for biases of criminal justice system actors. This presentation lays out a conceptual framework to think about varying roles that risk assessment may play in the sentencing process and showcase an innovative approach to actuarial decision-making in criminal sentencing.

Author

• KiDeuk Kim, Urban Institute