Law and Neuroscience: Recommendations Submitted to the President's Bioethics Commission

Journal of Law and Biosciences, vol 1, pp 224-236 (2014)

13 Pages Posted: 31 Aug 2014 Last revised: 27 Jul 2015

See all articles by Owen D. Jones

Owen D. Jones

Vanderbilt University - Law School & Dept. of Biological Sciences

Richard J. Bonnie

University of Virginia School of Law

BJ Casey

Yale University - Department of Psychology

Andre Davis

US Court of Appeals - Fourth Circuit

David L. Faigman

UC Law, San Francisco

Morris B. Hoffman

Second Judicial District Court Judge, State of Colorado

Read Montague

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

Stephen Morse

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Marcus E. Raichle

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Neurology; Washington University in St. Louis - Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology; Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Biomedical Engineering; Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Neuroscience

Jennifer Richeson

Yale University - Department of Psychology

Elizabeth S. Scott

Columbia University - Law School

Laurence Steinberg

Temple University - Department of Psychology

Kim A. Taylor-Thompson

New York University School of Law

Anthony D. Wagner

Stanford University - Department of Psychology

Gideon Yaffe

Yale Law School

Date Written: August 29, 2014

Abstract

President Obama charged the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues to identify a set of core ethical standards in the neuroscience domain, including the appropriate use of neuroscience in the criminal-justice system. The Commission, in turn, called for comments and recommendations.

The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience submitted a consensus statement, published here, containing 16 specific recommendations. These are organized within three main themes: 1) what steps should be taken to enhance the capacity of the criminal justice system to make sound decisions regarding the admissibility and weight of neuroscientific evidence?; 2) to what extent can the capacity of neurotechnologies to aid in the administration of criminal justice be enhanced through research?; and 3) in what additional ways might important ethical issues at the intersection of neuroscience and criminal justice be addressed?

Keywords: law and neuroscience, psychology, neurolaw, criminal responsibility, tort liability, evidence, brain, memory, injury, emotion, lie detection, judging, psychopathy, fMRI, EEG, decision making, neuroethics, bioethics, punishment, sentencing

JEL Classification: K14, K40, K42

Suggested Citation

Jones, Owen D. and Bonnie, Richard J. and Casey, BJ and Davis, Andre and Faigman, David L. and Hoffman, Morris B. and Montague, Read and Morse, Stephen J. and Raichle, Marcus E. and Richeson, Jennifer and Scott, Elizabeth S. and Steinberg, Laurence and Taylor-Thompson, Kim A. and Wagner, Anthony D. and Yaffe, Gideon, Law and Neuroscience: Recommendations Submitted to the President's Bioethics Commission (August 29, 2014). Journal of Law and Biosciences, vol 1, pp 224-236 (2014), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2489072

Owen D. Jones (Contact Author)

Vanderbilt University - Law School & Dept. of Biological Sciences ( email )

131 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203-1181
United States

HOME PAGE: http://law.vanderbilt.edu/bio/owen-jones

Richard J. Bonnie

University of Virginia School of Law ( email )

580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

BJ Casey

Yale University - Department of Psychology ( email )

P.O. Box 208205
New Haven, CT 06520-8205
United States

HOME PAGE: http://psychology.yale.edu/people/bj-casey

Andre Davis

US Court of Appeals - Fourth Circuit ( email )

United States

David L. Faigman

UC Law, San Francisco ( email )

200 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

Morris B. Hoffman

Second Judicial District Court Judge, State of Colorado ( email )

Denver, CO
United States

Read Montague

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute ( email )

2 Riverside Circle
Roanoke, VA 24016
United States
540-526-2000 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://research.vtc.vt.edu/employees/read-montague/

Stephen J. Morse

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School ( email )

3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Marcus E. Raichle

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Neurology ( email )

St. Louis, MO
United States

Washington University in St. Louis - Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology ( email )

St. Louis, MO
United States

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Biomedical Engineering ( email )

One Brookings Drive
Campus Box 1208
Saint Louis, MO 63130-4899
United States

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Neuroscience ( email )

One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130
United States

Jennifer Richeson

Yale University - Department of Psychology ( email )

P.O. Box 208205
New Haven, CT 06520-8205
United States

HOME PAGE: http://psychology.yale.edu/people/jennifer-richeson

Elizabeth S. Scott

Columbia University - Law School ( email )

435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10025
United States
(212) 854-9758 (Phone)
(212) 854-7946 (Fax)

Laurence Steinberg

Temple University - Department of Psychology ( email )

Weiss Hall
1701 N. 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19122
United States

Kim A. Taylor-Thompson

New York University School of Law ( email )

245 Sullivan Street, 627
New York, NY 10012-1099
United States
(212) 998-6396 (Phone)
(212) 995-4031 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/profile.cfm?personID=20328

Anthony D. Wagner

Stanford University - Department of Psychology ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States
(650) 723-4048 (Phone)
(650) 725-5699 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://https://psychology.stanford.edu/awagner

Gideon Yaffe

Yale Law School ( email )

127 Wall St
New Haven, CT 06511

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