Analysing Predictive Policing in a Rawlsian Framework

• In Event: STS and Computational Knowledge Production in Policing and Criminal Justice - II

Abstract

The debate regarding the elucidation, explication and the superiority of justice over fairness is a tradition which has a prolonged legacy in academia. The ethical, moral, political and philosophical virtues associated with both has been consistently linked to the theory of justice and fairness in and outside of the Rawlsian tradition.In this paper, I would define and then discuss the meaning, differences and the commonalities between justice and fairness, by providing adequate examples in between. Justice is coded, referential, interpretation and doctrinal while fairness is present, circumstantial and sequential. In the end, I have discussed a framework for having a judicial system which is referential but flexible system of updated justice.I have divided this essay into two parts- part 1 beig an introductory segment elaborating on the idea of predictive policing while part 2 studies the relationship between justice and fairness framework and their relevance to racial justice systems in the context of predictive policing. I have used the example of the "PredPol‟ algorithm to explain some of the concepts in the first section. I have tried to use the arguments for both justice and fairness case by case to see the compatibility of big data analysis in traditional justice-fairness systems.

Author

• Maitreyi Menon, FLAME University