Legal Psychology

Legal Psychology

Why do people falsely confess to crimes they didn’t commit? Why are innocent people sometimes identified by eyewitnesses? How can investigators get the best evidence from eyewitnesses? How do juries—groups of 12 strangers—come to a decision during a trial? These are some of the core questions that legal psychologists (and students like you) strive to answer. In this course, you will apply knowledge and theories from social, cognitive, and developmental psychology to issues facing the legal system?

Topics

Core topics

  1. Psychology and law overview

  2. Eyewitness memory

  3. Investigative interviewing

  4. Interrogations and confessions

  5. Lie detection

  6. Forensic science and cognitive biases

  7. Jury selection and decision-making

  8. Prisonization and the death penalty

Occasionally we'll discuss

  • Offender profiling

  • Competency to stand trial

  • Insanity defense

Recommended Readings

Great books to consider

  • Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice by Adam Benforado

  • In Doubt: The Psychology of the Criminal Justice Process by Dan Simon

Peer-reviewed publications

  • coming soon