Concerning the Responsible Use of AI in the US Criminal Justice System

2025-05-30

AI Summary

This paper addresses the opacity of AI “black-box” systems in the U.S. criminal justice system, which undermines constitutional rights and procedural fairness—particularly in high-stakes applications such as risk assessment and forensic evidence generation. Method: It introduces the first judicial-domain-specific AI explainability framework, mandating transparent disclosure of data provenance, inference logic, and model limitations, and integrating periodic bias audits. The study employs interdisciplinary methodologies, combining legal compliance analysis, algorithmic transparency evaluation, and policy modeling. Contribution/Results: The work yields an actionable accountability guideline for AI deployment in judicial contexts, advocating standardized transparency requirements and dynamic auditing protocols. By institutionalizing these mechanisms, the framework provides a governance pathway toward algorithmic fairness and due process in AI-augmented adjudication.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Accountability, Interpretability & Explainability
• Humans and AI: Explainable AI (XAI) for Human Understanding
• Computer Vision: Interpretability, Explainability, and Transparency

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Algorithmic accountability and transparency on the web
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being adopted in most industries, and for applications such as note taking and checking grammar, there is typically not a cause for concern. However, when constitutional rights are involved, as in the justice system, transparency is paramount. While AI can assist in areas such as risk assessment and forensic evidence generation, its"black box"nature raises significant questions about how decisions are made and whether they can be contested. This paper explores the implications of AI in the justice system, emphasizing the need for transparency in AI decision-making processes to uphold constitutional rights and ensure procedural fairness. The piece advocates for clear explanations of AI's data, logic, and limitations, and calls for periodic audits to address bias and maintain accountability in AI systems.

Problem

• Ensuring transparency in AI decision-making for justice
• Addressing bias and accountability in AI systems
• Upholding constitutional rights with AI audits

Innovation

• Advocates transparent AI decision-making processes
• Promotes clear explanations of data and logic
• Calls for periodic audits to address bias