An Algorithm That Screens for Child Neglect Raises Concerns

Inside a cavernous stone fortress in downtown Pittsburgh, attorney Robin Frank defends parents at one of their lowest points – when they risk losing their children.

The job is never easy, but in the past she knew what she was up against when squaring off against child protective services in family court. Now, she worries she’s fighting something she can’t see: an opaque algorithm whose statistical calculations help social workers decide which families should be investigated in the first place.

“A lot of people don’t know that it’s even being used,” Frank said. “Families should have the right to have all of the information in their file.”

Your excerpt should have included,

CMU researchers found that from August 2016 to May 2018, the tool calculated scores that suggested 32.5% of Black children reported as being neglected should be subject to a “mandatory” investigation, compared with 20.8% of white children.

Which explains why this is from the AP. The charge is racism, ignoring that the that liberal ethos that the American black culture was seduced by resulted in the decline of the family.

Data from U.S. Census reports reveal that between 1880-1960, married households consisting of two-parent homes were the most widespread form of African-American family structures. Although the most popular, married households decreased over this time period. Single-parent homes, on the other hand, remained relatively stable until 1960; when they rose dramatically.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-Ruggles-28]

A study of 1880 family structures in Philadelphia, showed that three-quarters of Black families in America were nuclear families, composed of two parents and children. In New York City in 1925, 85% of kin-related Black households in America had two parents. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-jewishworldreview.com-29]

In 1991, 68% of Black children in America were born outside of marriage. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-20]

In 2011, 72% of Black babies in America were born to unmarried mothers.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-21][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-22]

85% of all children who show behavior disorders, and 85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes [https://sdachurchwarwick.org/uploads/3/5/3/8/35387688/statistics___the_fatherless_generation.pdf]

In 2015, 77% of Black babies in America (aside from immigrants) were born to unmarried mothers. [https://cis.org/Camarota/Births-Unmarried-Mothers-Nativity-and-Education]

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