3 chapters across the catalog
A report on predictive algorithms used in bail decisions reveals a significant bias against black defendants, who are twice as likely to be flagged as high-risk re-offenders. The hosts discuss how these "Minority Report" style systems allow the state to dial violence up or down by controlling who is on the street. They suggest that the release of certain individuals in Kenosha may have been a manual version of this algorithmic control.
The hosts critique Kimberly Crenshaw’s focus on historical voting rights and Reconstruction, arguing that as a legal scholar, she has failed to address modern tangible issues like biased bail algorithms. They point out the irony of civil rights leaders ignoring the potential civil rights violations inherent in government vaccine mandates, which disproportionately affect the "dark folks" they claim to represent.
Predictive algorithms used by courts to make bail and sentencing decisions are analyzed, with a focus on a 2016 ProPublica report showing bias against Black defendants. The segment suggests a Hegelian Dialectic is at play, where a problem is created via biased algorithms to justify a specific solution, such as the total removal of the bail system. The conversation extends to how these data-driven systems are also infiltrating healthcare and insurance.
