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Board approves retroactive amendment to Adult Probation COMPAS contract over dissent on bias research
Summary
The Board approved a retroactive amendment extending maintenance and support for the COMPAS risk-assessment software with Northpointe (now Equivant) after debate about racial bias studies. The measure passed 9-2; two supervisors voted no citing racial-bias concerns in national studies.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 on Tuesday to approve a retroactive amendment to a contract that funds maintenance and support for the COMPAS risk-assessment tool used by the Adult Probation Department.
Supervisor Dean Preston objected to proceeding without more time to consider research questioning COMPASu2019s fairness. Preston said national work (notably ProPublicau2019s reporting) has raised concerns that COMPAS can return biased risk scores against Black defendants, and he said the department had not yet answered all policy questions about reliance on arrest history and gender disparities.
Why this matters: COMPAS and similar actuarial tools are used to inform pretrial, supervision and custodial decisions. Critics say biased inputs and opaque algorithms can compound racial disparities; proponents say the tools standardize assessment and can assist officers when used cautiously.
What passed: The resolution authorizes a fifth amendment to the existing agreement with Northpointe Software, Inc. to extend the contract period retroactively for 12 months (total term 11 years through March 7, 2022) and to reduce the total not-to-exceed dollar amount from $770,000 to $300,000. The boardu2019s roll call recorded two no votes (Supervisor Melgar and Supervisor Preston). The motion passed by 9-2.
Department response: Adult Probation staff have said the extension is limited in scope and length and that the department is reviewing its future use of the tool. The department told the board that it will not seek further extensions of the contract and said it shares concerns about reliance on arrest data and gender disparities in the algorithm.
Board reaction and further oversight: Several supervisors supported the short extension to maintain continuity while more substantive policy review proceeds. Preston and Melgar said the city should halt longer-term usage until an independent audit or a clear plan to address bias is in place.
Public comment: Some union and community commenters urged the city to prioritize fairness; others emphasized the operational needs of probation officers in supervising high-risk cases.
The board adopted the resolution with the recorded 9-2 vote; the minutes show Melgar and Preston in dissent.
