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Michael Harris – courtesy photo
At SXSW (South by Southwest) this week, the Open Source AI Foundation (O-SAIF) and Michael “Harry-O” Harris—founder of Death Row Records, entrepreneur, and a formerly incarcerated individual who served 33 years behind bars—announced a groundbreaking criminal justice initiative: The 20% Project. Designed to modernize the cumbersome U.S. pardon and commutation process, the project harnesses open-source, agentic AI to streamline case review, eliminate bias, and tackle one of the most glaring inefficiencies in the justice system.
For Harris, the mission is deeply personal. After decades of incarceration, much of it caused by bureaucratic failures and systemic neglect, he was eventually pardoned. Now, he’s leading this initiative to ensure others aren’t trapped for years—or decades—by the same flawed system.
“The U.S. holds only 5% of the world’s population but over 20% of its incarcerated individuals—a statistic that demands urgent reform,” Harris said. “I was put up for pardon multiple times and denied due to emotional bias. With open-source Agentic AI, we can overcome bureaucratic barriers while ensuring public transparency and participation.”
According to Harris, one of the core failures in the current system is the sheer inefficiency of processing clemency applications. “It takes a lawyer anywhere from 30 to 45 days in man-hours just to put together a request,” Harris explained. “That’s thousands of cases and decades of human labor — wasted — while people sit in cages who don’t belong there.”
The 20% Project seeks to change that by deploying AI-powered tools capable of processing complex case files, pre-sentence investigation reports (PSIs), and related materials in hours—not weeks. This AI will assist legal teams, analyze case specifics, and flag unjust sentences or outdated charges that no longer meet contemporary legal standards.
“Forty percent of people incarcerated — more than 2 million individuals — are either nonviolent or in prison for victimless crimes,” Harris noted. “We spend billions every year housing these people. It’s past time for a smarter, more humane way to address this.”
Harris knows firsthand the system’s dysfunction. Convicted in 1988 on drug-related charges, he was also wrongly accused of attempted murder—a charge later overturned after 23 years. Yet even once cleared, Harris languished in federal prison for another decade because overlapping state and federal sentences were never properly coordinated.
“The two systems just didn’t communicate,” Harris said. “I was found innocent in one case, but the other system didn’t know or didn’t care. That’s 10 more years I spent locked up.”
Had a system like The 20% Project existed then, Harris believes it could have flagged the mistake in real time and helped secure his release. “This isn’t theoretical — this would have saved me ten years of my life.”
Still, Harris acknowledges skepticism about the role of AI in justice—especially from marginalized communities most impacted by incarceration. There’s legitimate concern AI could replicate or even worsen systemic bias if trained improperly.
Harris and his team believe their approach inoculates against this. By using open-source AI—built transparently and designed specifically for human rights applications—they aim to create a system focused solely on facts and individual case merits, not race, class, or emotion.
“The technology helps us pull out the cases where someone is sitting in prison for something that’s not even a crime anymore,” Harris explained. “It’s not about Black, white, or Hispanic. It’s about circumstances. The AI helps us see the human being, the changes they’ve made, and whether keeping them locked up serves anyone.”
Brittany Kaiser, Chairwoman of O-SAIF and a leading data rights activist, reinforced that message: “Our goal is to disrupt outdated systems that no longer serve justice. Open-source AI is the perfect partner — fully transparent, fully accountable.”
Beyond individual freedom, the stakes are economic. Billions of taxpayer dollars are spent annually warehousing people who could safely be released.
“We’re talking about people who’ve served their time, or never should’ve been in there in the first place,” Harris said. “They need jobs, education, treatment — not more time in a cage.”
By expediting reviews, The 20% Project could save governments millions, while restoring lives and families. Harris envisions AI-assisted systems identifying people who’ve completed programs, achieved rehabilitation, or suffer from medical or mental health issues that prison cannot address.
“We can show: this is who the person was when they came in, this is who they are now,” he said. “Does another 15 years serve them or society? Or are we just wasting lives and money?”
The team behind The 20% Project sees applications beyond federal pardons. They envision AI-supported reviews shaping sentencing, parole decisions, resentencing efforts, and even front-end crime prevention.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Harris said. “Our goal is to go from federal all the way down to county jails, and eventually use this data to prevent crime, not just process it after the fact.”
Brad Cohen, General Counsel for the project and a seasoned DC attorney, agreed. “By leveraging open-source Agentic AI, we can dramatically accelerate case reviews while maintaining integrity and fairness. This initiative has the potential to right-size the criminal justice system.”
The project is already active. A dedicated website— https://20percent.foundation0—allows people to learn more and submit clemency applications directly. Harris said they’re ready to scale.
“We’re boots on the ground,” he added. “We’re already activating communities, educating people, and engaging policymakers. This is happening now.”
Still, Harris knows that pushing too hard, too fast could spark backlash. He understands people’s fear of AI and automation, especially when it intersects with matters of freedom and justice.
“People get scared — they think AI means losing jobs, or that it’ll make mistakes,” he acknowledged. “And yeah, if you just throw random stuff into AI, you’ll get gibberish.”
But used properly, Harris insists, this is no different from any other essential tool. “Why spend hundreds of hours doing what a machine can do in five minutes? That just frees us to do the real work — the human work.”
Harris welcomes accountability and expert oversight. “We know lives are at stake. That’s why we’re moving carefully, involving experts, and making sure we get it right.”
For Harris, The 20% Project represents the culmination of his personal journey—and a new path forward for the system that once left him behind.
“If we’re successful — and we will be — millions of lives will benefit,” he said. “We’ll show that technology, when used right, can heal instead of harm.”
The numbers are stark: The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but 20% of its prisoners. “That’s not a statistic we should be proud of,” Harris said. “It’s a stain. And we’re going to fix it.”
The 20% Project is calling on policymakers, advocates, legal experts, and families to get involved. The project’s website offers resources and updates, with plans to expand outreach in the coming months.
“We’re building a team — and it’s growing every day,” Harris said. “This is a movement for everyone who believes we can be better than a system that cages people and forgets them.”
For Harris, the mission is clear: “Technology shouldn’t be something we fear. It should be something we use — to lift people up, to fix what’s broken, and to finally deliver the justice we talk so much about but rarely achieve.”
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