Letters: SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi is asking for chaos

Re “Don’t let judges hijack California bail reform” (Viewpoints, Nov. 27): San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi's op-ed is hard to believe. Apparently, he wants to base release decisions on politics rather than actual data. At one time, California had the best correctional system in the country. Decades ago, California developed risk data that were widely used in making rational probation and parole supervision assignments. Unfortunately, the more important algorithms, referred to as “stakes,” were not developed. Stakes identify the public's concerns about the consequences attached to a potential offense. Adachi apparently wants to have release decisions based on politics rather than objective data. That would be a formula for total chaos. Hopefully, experts in this area, the judges, will prevail. The development of correctional algorithms is long overdue.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Letters: SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi is asking for chaos."