Justice is too important to be left to police officers, prosecutors, judges and juries.
What is the evidence for, and why do some people confess to, crimes they have not committed? How reliable is the testimony provided by eyewitnesses, especially by children? Can false memories be created? What non-legal factors have been shown to influence jury verdicts and sentences imposed by magistrates and judges? Are humans better at detecting lies than machines?
The talk provides a brief introduction to legal psychology and then address these contemporary issues drawing on legal psychology internationally. In the process, the question of how best to narrow the remaining gap between psychology and law will be answered.
Andreas Kapardis is Professor of Legal Psychology, Department of Law, University of Cyprus
Lecture given on 15 January 2013
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