AI in Corrections: The Basics and a Way to Experiment

The authors argue that criminal justice officials need to become more familiar with the technology of artificial intelligence to contribute meaningfully to the debate about its uses. This can be best achieved through pilots and experimentation specifically designed to surface the technology’s strengths, weaknesses, and costs in the field of criminal justice. Also, they advocate for a specific use case for criminal justice agencies to begin their own AI journey: a training application, which offers a more controllable environment and involves less sensitive data than would a direct case management use, and allows for extensive human supervision.