Computer software as accurate as UNTRAINED people

A computer that is used to determine if a criminal is likely to reoffend in courtrooms is'no more accurate than untrained humans', claim scientists. Used across the United States for 20 years, the algorithm decides if a criminal is too high-risk to be released on bail. The researchers say that a group of untrained members of the public contacted through an online survey had the same success rate as the software. Results of the study cast doubt on the accuracy of the machine used in more than one million cases. A computer programme used in US courts has been found to be only as accurate at predicting reoffending as untrained humans that have answered questions in an online survey.