CCBF Signs on to Statement Regarding Risk Assessment Tools

Today, we joined more than 100 groups in signing this shared statement of civil rights concerns highlighting opposition to, and concerns with, the adoption of algorithmic based decision-making tools as a substitution for ending money bail. Learn more and read the full statement here.

“We believe that jurisdictions should work to end secured money bail and decarcerate most accused people pretrial, without the use of ‘risk assessment’ instruments.

The extraordinary measure of pretrial detention should be treated as a last resort and should only be imposed upon an accused person after they’ve received a thorough, adversarial hearing that observes rigorous procedural safeguards respecting individual rights, liberties, and the presumption of innocence.

In light of the concerns raised in this document, we urge jurisdictions to reconsider their use of risk assessment tools. Pretrial ‘risk assessment’ instruments – although they may seem objective or neutral – threaten to further intensify unwarranted discrepancies in the justice system and to provide a misleading and undeserved imprimatur of impartiality for an institution that desperately needs fundamental change.”

Thanks to the The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights &Media Mobilizing Project for leading the charge on this document! Let’s#EndMoneyBail without reliance of “risk assessment” tools that merely launder the racial biases inherent in our criminal punishment system!