Fusion reports on the use of risk-based software to identify potential criminals and its involvement in a Wisconsin legal case. The software, covered in a ProPublica investigation earlier this year, assigns an individual points based on the likelihood they will commit a crime. Eric Loomis objected to the use of this data when he was arrested and sentenced for his alleged involvement in a drive-by shooting. Northpointe’s software known as COMPAS was used, and Loomis decided to appeal his conviction saying the software violated his rights to due process. The Wisconsin Supreme Court disagreed with Loomis, saying the software will continue to be used, but added, “some studies of COMPAS risk assessment scores have raised questions about whether they disproportionately classify minority offenders as having a higher risk of recidivism.”
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