This isn't an "algorithm" the way people here are thinking. It is a risk formula. The thing it does is standardize which risk factors have been shown to be important. The inputs are:
Age at current arrest
Current violent offense
Current violent offense & 20 years old or younger
Pending charge at the time of the offense
Prior misdemeanor conviction
Prior felony conviction
Prior conviction (misdemeanor or felony)
Prior violent conviction
Prior failure to appear in the past two years
Prior failure to appear older than two years
Prior sentence to incarceration
Each input is given a simple 0-2 integer importance weighting. Scores are summed, then rescaled by a translation table.
Outputs are a 1-6 "fail to appear" risk score, a 1-6 "new criminal activity" risk score, and a yes/no "new violent criminal activity" risk flag.
What to do with the scores (and any other factors to consider) is still left up to the judge. The advantage is in translating "does this defendent have a record?" into a numerical risk score in an evidence-based way.
Outputs are a 1-6 "fail to appear" risk score, a 1-6 "new criminal activity" risk score, and a yes/no "new violent criminal activity" risk flag.
What to do with the scores (and any other factors to consider) is still left up to the judge. The advantage is in translating "does this defendent have a record?" into a numerical risk score in an evidence-based way.
[1] http://www.arnoldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/PSA-Risk-...