FORTHCOMING FROM PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
For speaking engagements: Contact Sydney Bartlett, PUP Speaks
UNLOCKING JUSTICE confronts America’s unfair criminal legal system—with data and humanity. Drawing on police call logs, chaotic city websites, fragmented judicial records systems, and more, it uncovers how data can empower communities, spark public debate, and drive advocacy. From a rural New England town plagued by police misconduct to New York’s infamous Rikers Island Jail to federal courtrooms where racial bias hides, readers will journey across the nation, exploring the transformative power of data. Regardless of how they feel about numbers, they will come away with hope, knowledge, and the inspiration to demand transparency, accountability, and justice for all.
Sign up to get notified of the book launch…
…and scroll below for a sneak peek!
Table of Contents
- Introduction: The Light of Truth
- Positionality: The Intricate Web of Subjectivity
- Policing: Hitler’s Shadow in the Village Beautiful
- Bail: The Cost of Discretion
- Jail: Rikers, COVID, and the Three Races
- Sentencing: What I Learned from Paul Manafort
- Risk Scores: Algorithms in Judges’ Hands
- Math: Secrets the Elite Don’t Want You to Know
- The Future: Data for Justice
Excerpt
In Palm Beach, a disgruntled customer expressed his displeasure at a Wendy’s drive-thru by hurling a live alligator through the window. This act led to charges of assault with a deadly weapon and, perhaps as expected, illegal possession of an alligator. In North Lauderdale, a man attacked his neighbor by throwing mangos at him, helpfully explaining to police officers, “I threw the mangos at him because I thought he was gay.” He faced felony hate crime charges for the fruit-fueled onslaught. In Murdock, a man repeatedly dialed 911 to report the injustice of his cat being denied entry to a strip club. While we can all laud the passion for animal rights, his behavior earned him charges for misusing the emergency line, disorderly intoxication, and trespassing. In Orlando, a man who blocked traffic by doing gymnastics in the road attempted to flee police by cartwheeling away. He was ultimately apprehended and, after his exhausting escape attempt, charged with resisting a rest (pun intended).
What do these crimes have in common? They were all committed by the infamous Florida Man, highlighting the state’s reputation for bizarre and unpredictable criminal behavior. But the Florida criminal legal system is not all mangos and alligators. Massively consequential things are happening there and should prompt us to ask: amidst the absurdity, how does the criminal legal system conduct its somber work? And how does racial oppression, an ever-present specter in American society, shape the outcomes of that work?
In answering these questions, one county—Broward County—calls out for attention. Broward is no stranger to serious crime, forever scarred by the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which claimed the lives of seventeen students and staff members. Broward is also no stranger to issues of race. On one hand, it’s among the most diverse counties in the nation. As of 2020, the population was 33% white, 31% Hispanic/Latine, 27% Black, and 9% other groups. On the other hand, the man for whom the county is named—former governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward—held deeply racist views. Following the George Floyd protests in 2020, residents called for the county to be renamed due to Governor Broward’s support for segregation.
At the crossroads of crime and race, Broward County stands out for another reason: it is the national focal point for debate about the use of algorithms in the criminal legal system. This Florida county is one of many jurisdictions nationwide using an algorithm called COMPAS, which provides judges with a convicted individual’s “risk score” at sentencing time. This score purports to predict the individual’s likelihood of future criminal misconduct. However, of all of the jurisdictions using COMPAS, Broward County is the only one where—thanks to investigative journalism—the data produced by the algorithm is available for analysis.
The unintended consequences of putting algorithmic risk scores in the hands of judges raise serious concerns about their impact on racial justice. To fully grasp the implications, we must first examine COMPAS itself.
Sign up above to get notified when the book is published.
About the author
Chad Topaz is a fierce advocate who uses data science to advance social justice within the criminal legal system, arts and media, the environment, education, and other areas. He is Professor of Complex Systems at Williams College, Adjunct Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado—Boulder, and Co-Founder of the Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. Chad’s work has been covered worldwide in The Atlantic, The Guardian, People, and Smithsonian Magazine, and other outlets. A winner of Macalester College’s Rossman Excellence in Teaching Award and UCLA’s Sorgenfrey Distinguished Teaching Award in Mathematics, Chad is passionate about educating the American public about the power of data for good.