How Data Science Exposes Injustice: Chad Topaz on Unlocking Justice

About this episode

Chad Topaz discusses how data science can reveal injustices in society, focusing on his book 'Unlocking Justice'.

What happens when the evidence of injustice is buried in messy, redacted, or inaccessible data? Mathematician and data scientist Chad Topaz joins Breaking Math to discuss his book Unlocking Justice . Together, we explore policing, sentencing, public records, Rikers Island, algorithmic risk, and the limits of quantifying human lives. This is a conversation about math, power, transparency, and the small acts of hope that can change systems. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Context of the Conversation 01:11 Chad's Journey from Mathematics to Social Justice 03:50 The Personal Nature of Chad's Book 04:40 Challenges in Data Collection and Access 08:03 The Impact of Data on Policing and Surveillance 09:51 Humorous Yet Tragic Data Collection Experiences 12:55 The Importance of Data Preparation and Cleaning 14:40 Navigating Imperfect Data and Its Consequences 17:48 The Balance Between Quantification and Human Stories 22:25 Incarceration and Public Health: The Rikers Island Case Study 31:36 Mathematics and Social Justice: Secrets of the Elite 39:03 Hope and Action: A Personal Journey in Data for Justice Follow Chad Topaz on Bluesky( https://bsky.app/profile/chadtopaz.bsky.social ) Book (…

People in this episode

Hosts: Autumn Phaneuf, Noah Giansiracusa

Guest: Chad Topaz

Topics covered

• data science
• social justice
• policing
• transparency
• algorithmic risk
• data collection

Keywords

• data science
• injustice
• policing
• Rikers Island
• algorithmic risk
• social justice
• data collection

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Unlocking Justice

Places: Rikers Island

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