In a statement signed by other experts, the authors of a recent op-ed in the New York Times argued that risk assessment tools can actually increase pretrial detention. And they point out that using arrest and conviction histories means that people of color are disproportionately labeled as dangerous. These fundamental, technical problems “cannot be resolved,” they conclude. “We strongly recommend turning to other reforms.”

In response, three scholars wrote that we should think twice before throwing away risk assessment tools entirely.