Some high-tech tools are better than others. There are more exciting options available each year, but very little evidence on what works. We rigorously evaluate technology's effects on crime and recidivism, to help police departments make the best use of their public safety dollars.
New technologies, from gunshot sensors to online reporting platforms, create better data on criminal behavior than previously existed. We creatively utilize these new data to answer questions that old data could not.
By increasing accountability and limiting the role of humans in decision-making, technology can make our criminal justice system more fair. We examine which tools are most effective at reducing racial disparities in the criminal justice system.