Are We Asking the Right Questions?: Designing for Community Stakeholders' Interactions with AI in Policing

Abstract

Research into recidivism risk prediction in the criminal justice system has garnered significant attention from HCI, critical algorithm studies, and the emerging field of human-AI decision-making. This study focuses on algorithmic crime mapping, a prevalent yet under-explored form of algorithmic decision support (ADS) in this context. We conducted experiments and follow-up interviews with 60 participants, including community members, technical experts, and law enforcement agents (LEAs), to explore how lived experiences, technical knowledge, and domain expertise shape interactions with the ADS, impacting human-AI decision-making. Surprisingly, we found that domain experts (LEAs) often exhibited anchoring bias, readily accepting and engaging with the first crime map presented to them. Conversely, community members and technical experts were more inclined to engage with the tool, adjust controls, and generate different maps. Our findings highlight that all three stakeholders were able to provide critical feedback regarding AI design and use - community members questioned the core motivation of the tool, technical experts drew attention to the elastic nature of data science practice, and LEAs suggested redesign pathways such that the tool could complement their domain expertise.