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That doesn't really work. It's impossible to restore individual justice by using statistical numbers as KPI. How'd you know the system became "fair"? By compari
by lambdadmitry 8y ago
That doesn't really work. It's impossible to restore individual justice by using statistical numbers as KPI. How'd you know the system became "fair"? By comparing the racial ratio of incarceration to the ratio in the general population? That doesn't make any sense if you account for disproportionate representation of black people on the lower end of income scale, which is generally associated with violent crime and reoffending. What target level of disproportionate incarceration of blacks would you target? Or would you prefer giving white people harsher sentences just for the colour of their skin? Statistics may point to problems (so we do investigate why exactly black people are more likely to get in prison), but simple ratios aren't nearly enough to bring justice.
- woodruffw 8y agoI'm not interested in ratios or statistics when it comes to justice. I'm interested in fairness, which entails doing right by individuals. One of the ways that we can do right by individuals, especially individuals who have been and are currently disenfranchised, is to take affirmative steps towards improving their lives. One of those affirmative steps (and a relatively easy one at that!) is simply not punishing them more harshly than we would the privileged. Nothing about this entails treating white people (or any particular privileged group) worse.