3 chapters across the catalog
A report from ProPublica reveals that predictive algorithms used in bail decisions are significantly biased against Black defendants. The hosts discuss how these "Minority Report" style tools allow the state to "dial up or dial down" violence and control by manipulating who is released back into the community.
The hosts discuss a 2016 ProPublica investigation into the COMPAS algorithm used in courtrooms, which found that Black defendants were twice as likely to be incorrectly flagged as high-risk for re-offending. They debate whether this bias is a coding error or an intentional feature. Mo suggests that if the system is coded to produce different results based on a "Black" designation, it constitutes literal systemic racism.
The discussion covers ProPublica's use of archived Parler footage to construct a narrative of a planned insurrection. While condemning the destruction of property and violence, the hosts argue that the majority of the crowd was aimless rather than terroristic. They define the breaking of glass as the moment civility ends and mob mentality takes over, though they maintain the event was not comparable to Benghazi.
