Psychology and Criminal Law

Harvard FAS

Why do eyewitnesses often identify the wrong suspect? Why would an innocent person confess to a crime they did not commit? Can we predict who will commit a violent crime in the future? This course examines how behavioral science can be used to answer these and other questions central to the legal system. Psychologists with expertise at the intersection of psychology and criminal law conduct empirical research, interpret study findings and provide explanations to judges and juries, evaluate…