The Role of AI in Reducing Criminal Recidivism: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges

Authors

  • Rohullah Samim Law and Political Science, Ghalib University, Kabul, Afghanistan

Keywords:

AI Risk Assessment, Artificial Intelligence, Ethical Implications, Legal Regulation, Recidivism Prevention

Abstract

The aim of this analysis is to determine the value of AI in reducing recidivism by improving risk assessments, rehabilitation planning, and helping judges from a technological, legal, and ethical point of view. It also helps to assess the technical feasibility, legal frameworks, and ethical concerns of using AI in the criminal justice system. The analysis is qualitative, so the legal documents such as the EU AI Act, the Council of Europe’s AI Convention, and global ethical documents have to be studied. These central issues like algorithmic discrimination, data protection, and liability are analyzed. It has been shown that AI does improve predictive and rehabilitation outcomes, but its success is contingent on legal and ethical provisions that AI biases, lack of transparency, and in the governmental regulations create a threat to equity. To help guarantee compliance, monitoring the implementation through ethical scrutiny and interprofessional collaboration is critical. The reduction of recidivism is one area where AI has great potential impact, but the technology’s primary role should be as an auxiliary. When incorporating AI into the justice system, it is essential that minimum threshold conditions of impartiality, publicity, and adherence to civil rights and freedoms are met. Further examination of assigning responsibility to AI systems, as well as reducing prejudice and defining clear legal frameworks should be done.

References

Anderson, P. (2021). Predictive analytics and the future of justice. Legal Studies Quarterly, 29(6), 324-342. https://doi.org/10.1136/lsq.2020.107658

Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2010). The Psychology of Criminal Conduct (5th Ed.). LexisNexis.

Angwin, J., Larson, J., Mattu, S., & Kirchner, L. (2016). Machine bias. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing

Angwin, J., Larson, J., Mattu, S., & Kirchner, L. (2016). Machine bias: There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks. ProPublica. Retrieved from https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing

Binns, A., McDonald, K., & Taylor, S. (2019). The role of artificial intelligence in criminal justice: Recidivism prediction. Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 52(4), 67-79.

Binns, R. (2018). Accountability in artificial intelligence: Balancing ethical, legal, and social concerns. Ethical AI Review, 12(3), 230-240. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-018-9471-4

Binns, T. (2018). Artificial intelligence and the law: How predictive algorithms could change criminal justice. Technology and Innovation, 19(2), 215-229. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3145257

Bonta, J., & Andrews, D. A. (2007). Risk-need-responsivity model for offender assessment and rehabilitation. Public Safety Canada.https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rsk-nd-rspnsvty/rsk-nd-rspnsvty-eng.pdf

Council of Europe. (2024). Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/artificial-intelligence/the-framework-convention-on-artificial-intelligence

Dastin, J. (2020). Amazon’s AI Recruiting Tool Shows Bias. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-recruitment-insight-idUSKCN1VV0V8

Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. St. Martin’s Press. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Automating-Inequality-High-Tech-Profile-Punish/dp/1250074313

European Commission. (2021). Proposal for a Regulation laying down harmonized rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act). Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/ai-act-legal-framework_en

Franklin, J. (2020). Exploring ethical dilemmas in the implementation of AI for criminal justice purposes. Journal of Legal Ethics, 23(4), 451-467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jethics.2020.06.001

Frost, B. (2021). AI’s role in reducing recidivism and the law enforcement system. Journal of Technology & Law, 28(3), 210-222. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3634198

Goodfellow, I., Bengio, Y., & Courville, A. (2016). Deep learning. MIT Press. p. 3.

Goodman, J., & Wright, S. (2023). The ethical landscape of AI applications in criminal law enforcement. AI Ethics Journal, 6(4), 302-316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43975-023-00038-8

Green, L., & Scott, D. (2023). Ethical challenges of using AI in criminal justice. Law and Technology Review, 11(2), 235-250. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3692347

Hacker, P. (2021). A legal framework for AI training data—from first principles to the Artificial Intelligence Act. Law, Innovation and Technology, 13(2), 257-301. https://doi.org/10.1080/17579961.2021.1904925

Hasisi, B., Shoham, E., Weisburd, D., Haviv, N., & Zelig, A. (2016). The “care package,” prison domestic violence programs and recidivism: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 12(4), 563-586. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-016-9266-0

Haviv, N., Weisburd, D., Zelig, A., & Shoham, E. (2016). Evaluating the effectiveness of prison programs in reducing recidivism: A meta-analysis. Criminology & Public Policy, 15(3), 563-587. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12179

Hendricks, R., & Goldman, M. (2022). AI systems for improving recidivism predictions: Challenges and opportunities. Criminal Law and AI, 9(3), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1108/CLAI-06-2022-0120

Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389–399.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-019-0088-2

Johnson, H., Lee, W., & Walker, S. (2021). The ethics of AI: Examining fairness and transparency. Ethics in AI Journal, 27(5), 540-552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ej.2021.08.014

Kim, J. (2023). Protection of Data and Privacy in the Age of AI. Guide to Data Protection, 4, 87-102. [Book] from https://www.dataprotectionguide.com

Kumar, N. (2020). Ethical concerns in AI and its implications for law enforcement. Artificial Intelligence in Law Journal, 12(3), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ai.2020.03.003

Lambert, B., & Shaw, A. (2019). A critical review of algorithmic fairness in criminal justice systems. Data & Society, 5(1), 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/2154307X.2019.1557678

Lamberti, J. S. (2007). Understanding and preventing criminal recidivism among adults with psychotic disorders. Psychiatric Services, 58(6), 773-781. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2007.58.6.773

Larrick, K. (2020). Criminal justice reform: The role of AI in prison systems. Justice Policy Journal, 6(1), 45-58. https://www.journalofjusticepolicy.com

Laub, J. H., & Sampson, R. J. (2003). Shared beginnings, divergent lives: Delinquent boys to age 70. Harvard University Press.

Lee, C., & Davis, M. (2022). Transparency in AI models for criminal justice. Data Justice Journal, 9(2), 189-202. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3573124

Lee, J., & Kim, Y. (2022). Artificial intelligence in healthcare: Opportunities and challenges. Journal of Medical Systems, 46(3), 345-359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-022-01756-3

Li, Z., Lu, Z., Chiang, C. W., & Yin, M. (2023). Are two heads better than one in AI-assisted decision making? Comparing the behavior and performance of groups and individuals in human-AI collaborative recidivism risk assessment. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-14). https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581290

Lilly, J. R., Cullen, F. T., & Ball, R. A. (2019). Criminological theory: Context and consequences (6th Ed.). SAGE.

Marks, S., & Hill, A. (2021). AI in the courtroom: Will it replace human judges? Journal of Legal Tech, 27(2), 150-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legaltech.2021.03.003

Morgan, P., & Zhang, F. (2022). Ethics of using machine learning for predictive policing. The Journal of Ethics and Technology, 16(4), 341–358. https://doi.org/10.1080/1740149X.2022.2044567

Müller, M., Johnson, K., & Lang, R. (2020). Advances in Artificial Intelligence: A Comprehensive Review. AI & Society, 35(2), 205-225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-00974-4

Nagin, D. S., Cullen, F. T., & Jonson, C. L. (2017). The empirical basis for a new approach to recidivism prediction. Crime and Justice, 46(1), 99-124. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/691685

O’Neil, C. (2016). Weapons of math destruction: How big data increases inequality and threatens democracy. Crown Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Destruction-Increases-Inequality/dp/0553418815

O’Neill, T., & Schwartz, H. (2023). The challenge of accountability in AI-driven criminal justice. Journal of Law & Technology Policy, 10(3), 235-249. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3487249

Oswald, M., Grace, J., Urwin, S., & Arnes, G. (2018). Algorithmic risk assessment policing models: Lessons from the Durham HART model and ‘Experimental’ proportionality. Information & Communications Technology Law. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13600834.2018.1458455

Phillips, L. (2020). AI in law enforcement: Ethical considerations for the future. Journal of Technological Ethics, 14(2), 140-153. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTE-12-2020-0013

Raji, I. D., & Buolamwini, J. (2019). Actionable auditing: Investigating the impact of public policy on facial recognition accuracy. Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1145/3293663.3293669

Rivera, J. (2021). Legal ramifications of artificial intelligence in law enforcement. Technology Law Journal, 33(4), 305-315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technology.2021.09.005

Rosati, E. (2019). A European perspective on text and data mining and its role in the development of AI creativity. Asia Pacific Law Review, 27(2), 198-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/10192557.2019.1641784

Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2020). Artificial intelligence: A modern approach (4th Ed.). Pearson Education.

Sarker, S. K. (2021). AI and the Legal System: Issues and Ethical Implications. Journal of Law & Artificial Intelligence, 3(2), 18–24. https://www.journaloflawai.com

Sing, S., & Morgan, D. (2022). Machine learning for criminal law: Is it the future of justice? Criminal Law Journal, 8(1), 65-79. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3529193

Smith, T., & Brown, A. (2019). AI in criminal justice: Risks and rewards. Journal of Law & Technology, 41(4), 175-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402522.2019.1629237

Smuha, N. A., Ahmed-Rengers, E., Harkens, A., Li, W., MacLaren, J., Piselli, R., & Voss, W. (2021). How the EU can achieve legally trustworthy AI: A response to the European Commission’s proposal for an Artificial Intelligence Act. Computer Law Review International, 20(4), 97-106. https://doi.org/10.1093/clri/clab023

Tzafestas, S. G. (2016). Artificial Intelligence. In Introduction to Mobile Robot Control (pp. 3–32). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21714-7_3

Tzafestas, S. G. (2022). Artificial Intelligence: Definition and Background. In Ethics and Privacy for Artificial Intelligence (pp. 7–20). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21448-6_2

Walden, I., & Orso, D. (2023). The role of AI in modern sentencing and rehabilitation. Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(4), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2023.1014

Washington, D., & Kline, M. (2021). Privacy implications of AI in criminal justice. AI Ethics Review, 3(2), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-021-00379-5

Weller, A. (2020). AI regulation and legal accountability. International Journal of Law and Technology, 18(2), 79-92. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3707562

White, R., & Turner, K. (2022). The intersection of AI, criminal law, and human rights. Journal of International Human Rights Law, 35(4), 203-217. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3517609

YouGov. (2024). The British Public Wants Stricter AI Rules Than Its Government Does. Retrieved from https://time.com/7213096/uk-public-ai-law-poll/

Zeng, D., Yu, M., & Song, Z. (2021). Privacy-preserving techniques in AI-based criminal justice systems. Journal of Privacy and Data Protection, 9(3), 109-115. Retrieved from https://www.scholarlypublisher.com

Zhao, X., & Liu, G. (2020). Machine learning models in the prediction of recidivism: A comparative study. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 12(5), 456-470. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-05-2020-0023

Zhao, Z., Xu, X., & Li, Y. (2020). The dehumanization effect of AI in criminal justice systems. International Journal of Social Justice, 17(4), 143-155. Retrieved from https://www.journals.sagepub.com/home/sjs

Zheng, Q., & Chun, R. (2017). Corporate recidivism in emerging economies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 26(1), 63-79. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12116

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

The Role of AI in Reducing Criminal Recidivism: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges. (2025). International Journal of Criminology & Justice, 1(1), 1-9. https://www.e-pallipublishers.com/index.php/ijcj/article/view/4870