Re: Sigh...
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Because god forbid the data ever shows cultural influences/background actually DO have something to do with criminality. Can't be having that now can we."
Not when it comes to assessing the risk of a particular individual, no. Statistical data has absolutely no relevance when it comes to the characteristics of an individual. You should not base a decision on whether or not to arrest a particular person on the percentage of people who share that person's skin colour/postcode/style of clothes who happen to be criminals or saints. The only relevant data is the past and present behaviour of *that particular individual*.
Statistics and probability apply only to a group as a whole, not to individuals within that group. Which is one of the most misunderstood things about statistics in general.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
