Law professor and neuroscience professor co-author a peer-reviewed article on cognitive bias in the criminal justice system.
Steven Friedland, professor in the Elon University School of Law, and Amy Overman, professor in the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program and assistant dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, recently collaborated in writing an article that was published in the peer-reviewed journal, “Criminal Law Bulletin.”
The article, “Neutrality and the Rules of Evidence,” highlights the many ways in which apparently neutral evidence rules can be influenced by cognitive biases, particularly when applied in a court of law. These biases can have a significant impact, even working to undermine fair outcomes, particularly with regard to racial inequalities in the criminal justice system.
The Criminal Law Bulletin focuses on “criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal and forensic scientific evidence, or the legal and ethical issues that affect how justice system professionals perform their tasks in policing, crime labs, the courts and in corrections.” The journal’s review process is conducted by faculty members rather than law school students, as is the case for most law journals. It is widely read by both scholars and practitioners in the field of criminal justice.