Thesis title:
Judged by the Machines? How do computer-generated algorithms, now used in criminal justice decision-making, impact on the legitimacy of the system?
Abstract:
Previous assessments of algorithms in the criminal justice system have tended to focus on the risk of bias or the technical accuracy of the algorithms themselves. This important work does not answer the policymaker’s imperative to evaluate the impact and assess the risks of these algorithmic interventions while overseeing essential justice system reform. This project uses empirical research, professional sources and existing literature to develop a framework for analysis of the deep institutional effects of diverse algorithms. Examining these issues through the lens of legitimacy allows a common language to be developed and realigns the objectives of state, implementer, public and participant towards congruence and enables an informed dialogue. Concluding that context and design are highly relevant, I suggest that a structure for ongoing collaboration is needed, analogous to that for construction of a complex building. I develop a methodology for testing the effect of algorithms on the legitimacy of the justice system of England and Wales, focusing on two scenarios: the single justice procedure and the Affordability Calculator. Incorporating methods from the social sciences to build models in a collaborative way, I seek empirical data on the effect of incorporating algorithms for legitimacy perceptions, acknowledging that there are serious questions regarding the legitimacy of human-only judicial decision-making that this analysis cannot ignore.
First supervisor:
Benjamin Bowling
Pathway:
13 – Politics, Public Policy & Governance
Cohort:
2019-20
Social media:
Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cari-hyde-vaamonde/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/C_Hyde_V
Publications:
Co-author of “Judging the algorithm: A Case Study on the Risk Assessment Tool for the Risk of Gender-Based violence in the Basque Country”, Ana Valdivia, Cari Hyde-Vaamonde, Julián García Marcos
Joint Project, Mercy, selected for funding: King’s x Somerset House Studios – A New Chapter A collaboration with artist Vivienne Griffin: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/cultural/projects/kings-x-somerset-house-studios and https://www.kcl.ac.uk/cultural/projects/mercy
Forthcoming: Algorithmic governance in gender-based violence: How does a judge interact with a risk assessment tool to evaluate partner femicide? Ana Valdivia, Cari Hyde-Vaamonde and Julian Garcia-Marcos [AIES] https://www.aies-conference.com/2022/
Other Information:
Her project Mercy has been selected for funding: King’s x Somerset House Studios – A New Chapter A collaboration with artist Vivienne Griffin: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/cultural/projects/kings-x-somerset-house-studios
She is currently convening a panel for the Royal Anthropological Institute: Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society 6 -10 June 2022 – Call for papers here: https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/rai2022/p/11208
Chairing and speaking at a panel for the Royal Anthropological Institute: Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society 6 -10 June 2022, available after the event following registration on the conference’s Whova Platform: https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/rai2022/p/11208
https://www.therai.org.uk/conferences/anthropology-ai-and-the-future-of-human-society
Speaker at the following recent events:
International Seminar on the Law of Artificial Intelligence – https://youtu.be/HxRU3Fvnm2Y
Participant in forthcoming Podcast on AI & Art for National Theatre X
International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law 2021 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKVNdZzqnFk