Although actuarial risk prediction tools are widely used in the American criminal justice system, the lawyers, judges, and correctional workers who consult these products in making decisions often misunderstand fundamental aspects of how they work and what information they provide. This article suggests that the best way to ensure risk assessment tools are being used in ways that are just and equitable is to ensure that those who use them better understand three key aspects of what information they do – and do not – reveal. Doing so requires clarifying what risk is being predicted, explaining what risk levels signify, and enumerating how risk‐related information is and is not relevant to specific criminal justice decisions.

中文翻译：

---

理解风险。

尽管精算风险预测工具广泛用于美国刑事司法系统中，但是在制定决策时咨询这些产品的律师，法官和教养人员经常会误解其工作方式和所提供信息的基本方面。本文建议，确保以公正和公正的方式使用风险评估工具的最佳方法是，确保使用工具的人员更好地理解他们所要执行和不进行信息披露的三个关键方面。这样做需要弄清楚要预测的风险是什么，解释风险水平是什么意思，并列举与风险有关的信息与特定的刑事司法判决之间的关系，以及与之无关的信息。