Machine learning is the study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience. It refers to the development of systems that can learn from data. A machine learning algorithm can, after exposure to an initial set of data, evaluate new, previously unseen examples and relate them to the initial “training” data. It is ideally suited for classification problems that involve implicit patterns, and it is most effective when used in conjunction with large amounts of data.
Criminal justice applications of machine learning include detecting patterns and anomalous behavior, predicting crowd behavior and crime patterns, protecting critical infrastructure, and uncovering criminal networks.
Read an NIJ Journal article on the role of machine learning in criminal justice.