#prisons #prisoners #algorithms
"Then, two months before the hearing date, prison officials sent Alexander a letter informing him he was no longer eligible for parole.
A computerized scoring system adopted by the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections had deemed the nearly blind 70-year-old, who uses a wheelchair, a moderate risk of reoffending, should he be released. And under a new law, that meant he and thousands of other prisoners with moderate or high risk ratings cannot plead their cases before the board. According to the department of corrections, about 13,000 people — nearly half the state’s prison population — have such risk ratings, although not all of them are eligible for parole."
https://www.propublica.org/article/tiger-algorithm-louisiana-parole-calvin-alexander