Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is psychology?
Scientific study of behavior and mental processes
->behavioral science and health care profession
What is psychology and law?
Psychological knowledge as it pertains to legal matters
Law is
A human invention
It tells us how we OUGHT to behave
->process of producing and applying a body of written rules governing society
->reflects the intellectual, social, economic, and political climate of its time
Science is
A human invertion
How psychologists influence the court
Legal scholars
Trial consultants (e.g. jury selection)
Program evaluators (e.g. does intervention X work?)
Disseminators of research (data-based conclusions from data; written amicus briefs summarizing lit for the Court)
Expert Witnesses (specialized knowledge to help jury/judge understand evidence; must be qualified to provide more info than average person would know; do NOT determine guilt)
Dissemination of research first used in
Brown v. Board
First case to explicit use research provided by social scientists
How court influences psychology
Determines standards of care and malpractice
APA Ethical guidelines
Civil (Tort) law
Criminal vs. Civil cases
Who files charges?
Cr: State/fed gov.
Ci: Private party
Burden of proof?
Cr: beyond reasonable doubt
Ci: preponderance of evidence
Punishment?
Cr: fines, incarceration, death
Ci: monetary judgements
Objective Justice
More outcome based (concerned with accuracy)
Capacity of procedure to conform to normative standards of justice
Can be hard to evaluate in real world (did guilty person receive guilty verdict?)
Subjective Justice
More process based (concerned with judgements about procedures)
How we perceive the process (was the procedure fair and just?)
Trafic ticket dismissed when cop didn’t show to court
Outcome based (objective): satisfied because dismissed
Processed based (subjective): dissatisfied because process unfair
Casey Anthony acquitted
Outcome based (objective)
satisfied: innocent person acquitted
dissatisfied: guilty person acquitted
Process based (subjective)
satisfied: trial was fair (regardless of outcome)
dissatisfied: trial was unfair (regardless of outcome)
