Can predictive justice improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision-making?

Floris Bex; Henry Prakken

doi:10.3233/FAIA210338

Can predictive justice improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision-making?

Floris Bex
, Henry Prakken

TILT

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

There has recently been talk of algorithms that predict decisions in legal cases being used by the judiciary to improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision making. We argue that their use may minimise the error rate of decisions in the long run, but that this would require not only major technical advances but also major changes in legal thinking about what is the most important objective of judicial decision-making: optimising individual justice in a particular case or reducing errors in the long run. We further argue that if algorithmic decision predictors give any useful information in individual cases to judges at all, this is not in its predictions but in its explanations.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Legal knowledge and information systems
Subtitle of host publication	JURIX 2021: The thirty-fourth annual conference
Editors	Erich Schweighofer
Place of Publication	Amsterdam
Publisher	IOS Press
Pages	207-214
Number of pages	8
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-64368-253-2
ISBN (Print)	978-1-64368-252-5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3233/FAIA210338
Publication status	Published - 2021

Publication series

Name	Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications
Publisher	IOS Press
Volume	346
ISSN (Print)	0922-6389
ISSN (Electronic)	1879-8314

Access to Document

10.3233/FAIA210338

Regulating Socio-Technical Change
Bex, F. (Researcher), Bijlmakers, S. (Researcher), Borowicz, K. (Researcher), Broer, T. (Researcher), Cuijpers, C. (Researcher), Delimatsis, P. (Researcher), Geradin, D. (Researcher), Goossens, J. (Researcher), Graef, I. (Principal Investigator), Groenleer, M. (Researcher), Hancher, L. (Researcher), Kaufmann, W. (Researcher), Kempeneer, S. (Researcher), Keymolen, E. (Researcher), Koops, B.-J. (Researcher), Kosta, E. (Researcher), Lavrijssen, S. (Researcher), Leenes, R. (Researcher), Monti, G. (Researcher), Noorman, M. (Researcher), Partiti, E. (Researcher), Pierce, R. (Researcher), Purtova, N. (Researcher), Reins, L. (Researcher), Schellekens, M. (Researcher), Stuurman, K. (Researcher), Taylor, L. (Researcher), Wolswinkel, J. (Researcher), de Hert, P. (Researcher), van der Sloot, B. (Researcher), Mendis, S. (Researcher), Kamara, I. (Researcher), Dalla Corte, L. (Researcher), Baumgart, M. (Researcher), Meyers, G. (Researcher), Prins, C. (Researcher), Moerel, L. (Researcher), van Maanen, G. (Researcher), Bassini, M. (Researcher) & Bostoen, F. (Researcher)
1/01/19 → 31/12/23
Project: Research project

Cite this

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title = "Can predictive justice improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision-making?",

abstract = "There has recently been talk of algorithms that predict decisions in legal cases being used by the judiciary to improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision making. We argue that their use may minimise the error rate of decisions in the long run, but that this would require not only major technical advances but also major changes in legal thinking about what is the most important objective of judicial decision-making: optimising individual justice in a particular case or reducing errors in the long run. We further argue that if algorithmic decision predictors give any useful information in individual cases to judges at all, this is not in its predictions but in its explanations.",

author = "Floris Bex and Henry Prakken",

note = "DBLP License: DBLP's bibliographic metadata records provided through http://dblp.org/ are distributed under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Although the bibliographic metadata records are provided consistent with CC0 1.0 Dedication, the content described by the metadata records is not. Content may be subject to copyright, rights of privacy, rights of publicity and other restrictions.",

year = "2021",

doi = "10.3233/FAIA210338",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-1-64368-252-5",

series = "Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications",

publisher = "IOS Press",

pages = "207--214",

editor = "Erich Schweighofer",

booktitle = "Legal knowledge and information systems",

address = "Netherlands",

}

Bex, F & Prakken, H 2021, Can predictive justice improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision-making? in E Schweighofer (ed.), Legal knowledge and information systems: JURIX 2021: The thirty-fourth annual conference. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications, vol. 346, IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp. 207-214. https://doi.org/10.3233/FAIA210338

Can predictive justice improve the predictability and consistency of judicial decision-making? / Bex, Floris; Prakken, Henry.
Legal knowledge and information systems: JURIX 2021: The thirty-fourth annual conference. ed. / Erich Schweighofer. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2021. p. 207-214 (Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications; Vol. 346).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review