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Used properly, to intervene in the system using negative feedback loops "predictive policing software" seems a wonderful tool for reducing crime. If it accurat

Used properly, to intervene in the system using negative feedback loops "predictive policing software" seems a wonderful tool for reducing crime. If it accurately identifies areas of high crime then that's a sign of poverty, the root cause of crime, and helps identify neighbourhoods where we should hand out money - handing out money being the most direct way of tackling poverty. Of course some people might disagree with this intervention as "simplistic". And they'd be at least a little right. For those people who may not have read "Leverage points: Where to intervene in a system" by Dana Meadows, I highly recommend it to see why. Turns out that messing with parameters like money, and feedback loops that constitute a "criminal justice system" are the least effective of all actions. The fundamental values of the system must be addressed. One of those is itself the error that "cybernetic governance" based on software can do anything more than enrich a few software companies.

dragonwriter 3y ago
> If it accurately identifies areas of high crime You don’t need predictive policing to identify areas of high crime (in fact, identification of areas of high crime is an input to predictive policing.) > then that’s a sign of poverty, Poverty information is also an input to predictive policing, not something it provides you information about that you didn't already have, even in the fantasy world where it works well. > the root cause of crime Poverty is not the root cause of crime. It may be a root cause of some crime.
- nonrandomstring 3y ago
  You noticed that the analysis was simplistic despite my attempts to hide that. :) I'd be curious to know what the root cause of crime is. Laws? /s edit: Sarcasm aside... My serious point is; just what exactly is this software trying to achieve? Isn't this whole caper a solution looking for a problem dreamed up by people who have tech and nothing to do with it, and no grounding in basic human values?
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dragonwriter 3y ago

> If it accurately identifies areas of high crime You don’t need predictive policing to identify areas of high crime (in fact, identification of areas of high crime is an input to predictive policing.) > then that’s a sign of poverty, Poverty information is also an input to predictive policing, not something it provides you information about that you didn't already have, even in the fantasy world where it works well. > the root cause of crime Poverty is not the root cause of crime. It may be a root cause of some crime.

nonrandomstring 3y ago
You noticed that the analysis was simplistic despite my attempts to hide that. :) I'd be curious to know what the root cause of crime is. Laws? /s edit: Sarcasm aside... My serious point is; just what exactly is this software trying to achieve? Isn't this whole caper a solution looking for a problem dreamed up by people who have tech and nothing to do with it, and no grounding in basic human values?
- deleted 3y ago
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