Social Sciences (MDPI)
Discuss the contents of another one of the refereed/peer reviewed journal sources for your research paper here. Your post should indicate
- The author
- The journal
- The title and date of the article
- The substance of the article
- How it relates to the final paper
- Your thoughts regarding same
You should offer constructive comment on at least one of your classmates’ sources. As you address their proposals, confirm or refute whether the source cited is peer reviewed and assess the authority of the research by discussing the credentials/stature of either the author or the Journal. Who is/are the author(s)? Who publishes this Journal? How long has it existed? please provide timestamps and page numbers in the citations/references I attached the proposal and the topic. Please do not use the same reference as listed below Research Article Discussion: Predictive Policing and Minority Communities
Author: Ishmael Mugari and Emeka E. Obioha
Journal: Social Sciences (MDPI)
Title and Date: Predictive Policing and Crime Control in the United States of America and Europe: Trends in a Decade of Research and the Future of Predictive Policing, published 20 June 2021
Substance of the Article
Mugari and Obioha (2021) present a decade-long review of predictive policing practices across the United States and Europe. They examine the development, effectiveness, and challenges of popular predictive policing systems, such as PredPol, HunchLab, Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM), and PRECOBS. The article defines predictive policing as using historical crime and socio-demographic data to forecast future criminal activity using advanced algorithms. The authors highlight that while these technologies are intended to optimize police resource allocation and reduce crime rates, their real-world application has sparked controversy.
The study observes that despite some reported success by predictive policing systems, notably in the number of property crimes, the system lacks some significant weaknesses. These are poor predictive accuracy, a narrow scope of crime types that it can detect, being expensive to operate, and concerns about racial profiling and biased policing that it can easily address. As pointed out in the article, inaccurate or incomplete data may create biased predictions and consolidate the over-policing of historically marginalized communities. Furthermore, Mugari and Obioha argue that a lack of algorithmic transparency and insufficient oversight compounds public distrust in law enforcement (Mugari & Obioha, 2021).
Relation to the Final Paper
This article fully helps develop a central notion of my final research paper, The Use of Predictive Policing and Its Impact on Minority Communities. It provides an in-depth look at how these tools operate and illustrates the unintended harm they can cause when implemented without proper regulation (Mugari & Obioha, 2021). Particularly, the discussion on programs like Operation LASER in Los Angeles and the Strategic Subjects List in Chicago will be critical in my case study analysis. The cases demonstrate the excessive monitoring of people of color and the ethical questions of algorithmic prejudice and human rights. The findings also align with my plan to frame the paper through Critical Race Theory and Social Control Theory while incorporating constitutional law perspectives (particularly the Fourth Amendment).
My Thoughts
This article was helpful due to the balanced and all-inclusive criticism of predictive policing. The authors are not opposed to the possibility of technology in law enforcement but reasonably advocate changes that would focus on truth data, transparency to the population, and community policing. Their work strengthens my confidence that the predictive tools can be effective tactically. However, their use without ethically-grounded limits in the long run can harm trust between police and marginalized groups. The transparent algorithms, regulation, and auditing made by Mugari and Obioha resonate nicely with my suggestion that I will present in my final paper. Overall, this article can support my study, providing a solid scholarly background, with references to practical outcomes of predictive policing.
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