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From the Courts  


Author:  Margaret R. Moreland, J.D., M.S.L.S..


Source: Volume 20, Number 06, March/April 2017 , pp.91-92(2)




Offender Programs Report

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Abstract: 

In Wisconsin v. Loomis, 371 Wis.2d 235, plaintiff Erik L. Loomis, suspected of being an accomplice in a drive-by shooting and convicted on five lesser charges, challenged the use of the COMPAS risk assessment tool in the course of a presentence investigation. Loomis charged that COMPAS recidivism risk scores show whether offenders with similar histories of offending are likely to recidivate, but cannot be used to predict individual behavior. In an important ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the use of COMPAS permissable, but set forth a series of conditions a sentencing court must meeting in doing so. We look at the case here in detail.

Keywords: Due process and use of risk assessments; COMPAS; PSI (Presentence Investigation)

Affiliations:  1: Pace University School of Law.

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