Neurolaw: Taking "Free Will" and "Individual Culpability" Out of the Legal Equation

[LAGC]

The Baylor College of Medicine has a ground-breaking new Initiative on Neuroscience and the Law, directed by David Eagleman, PhD, who holds joint appointments in the Neuroscience and Psychiatry departments there at the Baylor College of Medicine.

At the heart of the research, is the idea that perhaps the criminal justice system should be radically transformed, and instead of punishing people based on how "guilty" they are of any given crime, we should instead look at how likely they are to recidivate, to commit the same crime in the future? Moving the focus from primarily punitive measures to looking at ways to truly rehabilitate criminals, as a way of maximizing public safety and promoting greater justice for all.

Check out the work they are doing and view a fascinating free introductory lecture by Dr. Eagleman here: http://neulaw.org/

Course Summary

This course addresses how new discoveries in neuroscience will intersect with the making of law, the punishment of criminals, and the development of new rehabilitation strategies. The readings will bring together a unique conjunction of neurobiology, legal scholarship, and policy making. The goals of the course will be to facilitate an understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of behaviors that are subject to legal consequences for individuals and groups, and using this emerging base of scientific information to design modern, evidence-based policy.

In conjunction with currently available literature on the topic, individual student projects will study and develop suggestions for new experiments and evidence-based policy. An example would be designing experiments that could identify neural signatures predictive of recidivism, and developing the policy structures in which these predictions should be used.