Software 'no more accurate than untrained humans' at judging reoffending risk

Program used to assess more than a million US defendants may not be accurate enough for potentially life-changing decisions, say experts

The credibility of a computer program used for bail and sentencing decisions has been called into question after it was found to be no more accurate at predicting the risk of reoffending than people with no criminal justice experience provided with only the defendant's age, sex and criminal history.

The algorithm, called Compas (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions), is used throughout the US to weigh up whether defendants awaiting trial or sentencing are at too much risk of reoffending to be released on bail.