Predictive policing refers to the use of analytical techniques to make statistical predictions about potential criminal activity. The basic underlying assumption of predictive policing is that crime is not randomly distributed across people and places, holding that big data can be used to forecast when and where crimes may be more likely to occur, and which individuals are likely to be victims or perpetrators of crimes.

This document is a workshop primer from Data & Civil Rights: A New Era of Policing and Justice.