Colloquium Talk - Public Algorithms in Criminal Justice
Date: Oct 16th, Thursday, 12:00 ET
Title: Public Algorithms in Criminal Justice
Register here to attend the colloquium talk.
Description:
This colloquium session explores the complex and often overlooked role of algorithmic decision-support tools in judicial and correctional settings, bringing together research insights, practitioner perspectives, and critical discussion. Following a research presentation and opening interventions, a moderated fireside chat will delve into pressing themes: the use cases and limitations of algorithms in courts, the risks of excessive focus on pretrial risk assessments, and the human impact when technology shapes outcomes in high-stakes contexts. Panelists will share anecdotes from “inside the room” to illustrate what is at stake, while also interrogating concerns about the erosion of human judgment, the normalization of “premade” algorithmic decisions, and the profit incentives that may distort justice. The discussion will also consider pathways toward more rehabilitative and constructive approaches, exploring whether algorithmic tools can be reoriented beyond risk prediction toward supporting fairer, more humane systems. Audience participation will be encouraged throughout, with closing reflections and a call to action to conclude.
Participants:
Miri Zilka is an Assistant Research Professor and a Leverhulme Research Fellow in the Machine Learning Group at the University of Cambridge, a College Research Associate at King’s College Cambridge, and an Associate Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. She works on Responsible ML, focusing on high-stakes decision making in application areas such as criminal justice and social care where (i) decisions can be life-changing, (ii) individuals cannot opt out, (iii) protective legislation (e.g, GDPR) does not apply, and (iv) wrong predictions can cause significant harm.
Autumn Redcross is the founding director of the ALC Court Watch program. Prior to joining ALC, Redcross served a one-year appointment as a visiting professor at Point Park University, following the success of her 2019 dissertation defense in the study of Philosophy of Communication and Rhetoric at Duquesne University. While at Duquesne, Redcross became the Inaugural Gaultier Community-Engaged Teaching Fellow for the Community Engagement and Learning Center. She also trained as a democratic conversations coordinator through Everyday Democracy and completed her certification as an Inside/Out pedagogy instructor. Redcross attended the International Institute for Restorative Practices in Bethlehem, PA, adding to her understanding of democratic education, community-trauma informed engagement, and restorative justice.
Elise Silva is the Director of Policy Research at Pitt Cyber, where she analyzes the complex interplay between technology and society in today’s information ecosystems with an eye toward creative policy solutions. Dr. Silva brings a broad range of research methods and perspectives to her work, which is informed by humanistic analysis, social science approaches, and a commitment to community engagement. Her writing has appeared in venues such as the Journal of Information Literacy, Tech Policy Press, and The Conversation. Dr. Silva was formerly an academic librarian overseeing program-wide information literacy curriculum and a visiting English faculty member at Brigham Young University. She holds a PhD in Writing Studies from Pitt’s English Department, a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas, and an MA in English from BYU. In 2025, she won the Journal of Information Literacy’s biennial Ross Todd Award for an Outstanding Research Report; in 2024, her doctoral dissertation received an honorable mention for the Computers and Composition Journal’s annual Hugh Burns Distinguished Dissertation Award; in 2022, she received a Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship; and in 2017, she won the American Library Association’s Library Instruction Round Table Innovation Award.