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| The Worrying Rise of Automated Parole |
| By newrepublic.com- Michael Thomsen |
| Published: 12/31/2015 |
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America’s mass incarceration problem is often described as a crisis, something that may actually have caused more crime than it’s prevented. In 1980, some five hundred thousand Americans were in prison or jail; by 2013, the number had surpassed 2.2 million. Less well known, though arguably no less important, is the country’s post-incarceration crisis, with more than 4.7 million Americans living on probation or parole in 2013, a nearly four hundred percent increase over the number in 1980. This increase has created a huge administrative challenge for the probation and parole system, and many cities and states have started turning to computer kiosks to help deal with caseloads that would otherwise be unmanageable. While these computer-driven efficiency gains have helped keep the system from collapsing, they’ve also helped build one of the largest and most punishing civilian surveillance programs in the country, creating a second-tier citizenry that lives under constant threat of re-arrest for a missed appointment or failed drug test. New York City was among the first jurisdictions to automate probation. In the early 1990s, the city purchased 16 kiosks for $750,000 and launched a pilot program under which low-risk offenders would check in on them instead of seeing a human probation officer. Each was equipped with a video screen, keypad, and infrared hand scanner. After entering a personal identification number, the kiosk would pose a series of basic questions about whether the probationer had been re-arrested, had found work, or had any additional counseling needs. The program was regarded as a success and by 2004 more than 30,000 people in New York were using the kiosks. Today, kiosks cover 70 per cent of the city’s active probation cases. Read More. |
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