--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're not thinking about the way…" description: "\"If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be propagated through the criminal justice system or predictive policing, then it's very likely ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg" --- # If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be… ![“If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be propagated through the criminal justice system or predictive policing, then it's very likely that, if you're designing a system based on historical data, you're going to be perpetuating those biases.” quote by Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg) > “If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be propagated through the criminal justice system or predictive policing, then it's very likely that, if you're designing a system based on historical data, you're going to be perpetuating those biases.” [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Designing systems on biased historical data perpetuates systemic bias in justice and policing. **In simple terms:** Biased data leads to biased AI. Key Takeaway Audit data and design for fairness. Themes bias AI justice systemic inequality Mood concerned analytical Type policy ethical When to use this quote - algorithmic risk assessment - predictive policing tools - criminal sentencing software - public data dashboards Key Concepts machine learning ethics policy social impact Questions to Reflect On - What data sources are most vulnerable? - How can stakeholders ensure equitable outcomes? A Different Perspective Technical fixes alone cannot remove deep societal biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bias/) [Bias Propagated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bias-propagated-3618000/) [Criminal justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/) [Criminal justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice-system/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-system/) [Perpetuating Biases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetuating-biases-3617999/) [Predictive Policing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictive-policing-935859/) [Systemic Bias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/systemic-bias-1039147/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-don-t-think-anybody-s-ever-notified-that-they-were-sentenced-to-an/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The Obama Justice Department put more police departments under federal control for alleged systemic bias than any previous administration had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/the-obama-justice-department-put-more-police-departments-under/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [“The systemic bias for continuity creates tolerance for the substandard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-systemic-bias-for-continuity-creates-tolerance-for-the-substandard/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [“..I began speaking.. First, I took issue with the media's characterization of the post-Katrina New Orleans as resembling the third world as its poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sothern/i-began-speaking-first-i-took-issue-with-the-media-s-characterization/) [Billy Sothern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sothern/) > [I have complete faith and trust in our criminal justice system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shamna-kasim/i-have-complete-faith-and-trust-in-our-criminal-justice-system/) [Shamna Kasim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shamna-kasim/) > [It's been crazy to not only learn about the criminal justice system, but to see how it starts so young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mccourty/it-s-been-crazy-to-not-only-learn-about-the-criminal-justice-system/) [Jason McCourty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mccourty/) > [I'm very mindful of the need to ensure we have a criminal justice system in which people have confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-grayling/i-m-very-mindful-of-the-need-to-ensure-we-have-a-criminal-justice/) [Chris Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-grayling/) > [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) > [Victims of crime and the wider community deserve a grown-up debate on our criminal justice system and how we can make it work -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/victims-of-crime-and-the-wider-community-deserve-a-grown-up-debate-on/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Our criminal justice system has swallowed up too many people I love. I am proud to join the ACLU in the fight to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/our-criminal-justice-system-has-swallowed-up-too-many-people-i-love-i/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [The people who have been unjustly disenfranchised by our criminal justice system and the people who daily fight for them always have, and always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/the-people-who-have-been-unjustly-disenfranchised-by-our-criminal/) [Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/) > [America's criminal justice system isn't known for rehabilitation. I'm not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/america-s-criminal-justice-system-isn-t-known-for-rehabilitation-i-m/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [It's encouraging to watch bipartisan leaders from different states recognize the need for fair and rational legislation focused on creating second chances for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-rubin/it-s-encouraging-to-watch-bipartisan-leaders-from-different-states/) [Michael G. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) ## More by Kate Crawford > [Self-tracking using a wearable device can be fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/self-tracking-using-a-wearable-device-can-be-fascinating/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [We need to be vigilant about how we design and train these machine-learning systems, or we will see ingrained forms of bias built into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/we-need-to-be-vigilant-about-how-we-design-and-train-these-machine/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Big data sets are never complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/big-data-sets-are-never-complete/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [While many big-data providers do their best to de-identify individuals from human-subject data sets, the risk of re-identification is very real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/while-many-big-data-providers-do-their-best-to-de-identify/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [People think 'big data' avoids the problem of discrimination because you are dealing with big data sets, but, in fact, big data is being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/people-think-big-data-avoids-the-problem-of-discrimination-because/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [There's been the emergence of a philosophy that big data is all you need. We would suggest that, actually, numbers don't speak for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/there-s-been-the-emergence-of-a-philosophy-that-big-data-is-all-you/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Data and data sets are not objective; they are creations of human design. We give numbers their voice, draw inferences from them, and define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/data-and-data-sets-are-not-objective-they-are-creations-of-human/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [We urgently need more due process with the algorithmic systems influencing our lives. If you are given a score that jeopardizes your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/we-urgently-need-more-due-process-with-the-algorithmic-systems/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination are being built into the machine-learning algorithms that underlie the technology behind many 'intelligent' systems that shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/sexism-racism-and-other-forms-of-discrimination-are-being-built-into/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Books about technology start-ups have a pattern. First, there's the grand vision of the founders, then the heroic journey of producing new worlds from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/books-about-technology-start-ups-have-a-pattern-first-there-s-the/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [The amount of money and industrial energy that has been put into accelerating AI code has meant that there hasn't been as much energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/the-amount-of-money-and-industrial-energy-that-has-been-put-into/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Like all technologies before it, artificial intelligence will reflect the values of its creators. So inclusivity matters - from who designs it to who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/like-all-technologies-before-it-artificial-intelligence-will-reflect/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [We should have equivalent due-process protections for algorithmic decisions as for human decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/we-should-have-equivalent-due-process-protections-for-algorithmic/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [There is no quick technical fix for a social problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/there-is-no-quick-technical-fix-for-a-social-problem/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Hidden biases in both the collection and analysis stages present considerable risks and are as important to the big-data equation as the numbers themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/hidden-biases-in-both-the-collection-and-analysis-stages-present/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) [Explore all 42 Kate Crawford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) ## More Bias quotes > [The print is devised so that I can cut the dresses on the bias, so they work around the body. It's not like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galliano/the-print-is-devised-so-that-i-can-cut-the-dresses-on-the-bias-so/) [John Galliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galliano/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > ["Natural" is a very dangerous word to use about sexuality ... Our society's notions of normality are completely fake and meta-trendy, since they rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/natural-is-a-very-dangerous-word-to-use-about-sexuality-our-society-s/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/fortunately-for-serious-minds-a-bias-recognized-is-a-bias-sterilized/) [Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/) > [I can say this very clearly: I have come into this Congress with an antiwar bias.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-frankel/i-can-say-this-very-clearly-i-have-come-into-this-congress-with-an/) [Lois Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-frankel/) > [The legal bias for special protection for women has begun to wreak havoc with the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/the-legal-bias-for-special-protection-for-women-has-begun-to-wreak/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [That's awesome. There's no bias in the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-edwards/that-s-awesome-there-s-no-bias-in-the-media/) [Carl Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-edwards/) > [“The most disgusting human trait is bias, because it typically leads to propaganda, hate and violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lifsey/the-most-disgusting-human-trait-is-bias-because-it-typically-leads-to/) [Lori Lifsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lifsey/) > [I'm speaking out against social media bias.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-loomer/i-m-speaking-out-against-social-media-bias/) [Laura Loomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-loomer/) > [“I pick up a copy of Newsweek on the plane and immediately notice how biased, slanted, and opinionated all the U.S. newsmagazine articles are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-pick-up-a-copy-of-newsweek-on-the-plane-and-immediately-notice-how/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“Hundreds of studies confirm that human forecasts are flawed and biased. Human decision making is not so great either. Again to take just one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/hundreds-of-studies-confirm-that-human-forecasts-are-flawed-and/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“Many journalists now are no more than channelers and echoers of what George Orwell called the 'official truth'. They simply cipher and transmit lies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pilger/many-journalists-now-are-no-more-than-channelers-and-echoers-of-what/) [John Pilger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pilger/) > [The stance I took was there is no room for racial bias anywhere in sports. I believe that was basically all I said about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-larkin/the-stance-i-took-was-there-is-no-room-for-racial-bias-anywhere-in/) [Barry Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-larkin/) > [First and foremost, if you want to be a good writer, you need to be a good eater. You need to be fearless when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leong/first-and-foremost-if-you-want-to-be-a-good-writer-you-need-to-be-a/) [Melissa Leong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leong/) [Browse all 667 Bias quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bias/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be propagated through the criminal justice system or predictive policing, then it's very likely that, if you're designing a system based on historical data, you're going to be perpetuating those biases.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate Crawford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-systemic-bias-can-be-propagated/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bias" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-systemic-bias-can-be-propagated/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kate-crawford-15804_bias_if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-sys_1203281.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you're not thinking about the way systemic bias can be propagated through the criminal justice system or…” — Kate Crawford", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kate Crawford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you're not thinking about the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-systemic-bias-can-be-propagated/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/if-you-re-not-thinking-about-the-way-systemic-bias-can-be-propagated/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```