Was Trial by Ordeal an Effective Test of Guilt?
By Peter T. Leeson Aeon The quest for criminal justice is fraught with uncertainty. Did the defendant commit the crime, or is he a victim of incriminating circumstances? Is he […]
Tag Archives: Sentencing
Hope or Hype? Neuroscience & Criminal Law
By Stephen J. Morse The Neuroethics Blog The discovery of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 1991, which permits non-invasive imaging of brain function, and the wide availability of scanners for research […]
Taking on the Bail System Through Charity
By Alysia Santo The Marshall Project The nationwide movement for bail reform is advancing, gradually, through legislatures and courts. Just last week the U.S. Department of Justice filed a friend-of-the-court brief […]
The Role of Apologies in Criminal Justice
By Jessica Pishko Aeon What is ‘I’m sorry’ worth? The idea that apologies heal wounds and restore justice in the community isn’t exactly a new idea. Apologies are an ancient […]
How Your Brain Decides Blame and Punishment
By Amy Wolf Vanderbilt University Juries in criminal cases typically decide if someone is guilty, then a judge determines a suitable level of punishment. New research confirms that these two […]
Could we Give Criminals Corrective Brain Implants?
By Zoltan Istvan Motherboard The death penalty is one of America’s most contentious issues. Critics complain that capital punishment is inhumane, pointing out how some executions have failed to quickly kill […]
The Impact of Fairer Sentencing for Crack Possession
By Lauren Kirchner Pacific Standard “First of all, let’s get one thing straight: crack is cheap,” Whitney Houston told Diane Sawyer, defiantly, in a now-infamous 2002 interview. “I make too […]
Should Prison Sentences Be Based On Crimes That Haven’t Been Committed Yet?
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Ben Casselman, & Dana Goldstein FiveThirtyEight Criminal sentencing has long been based on the present crime and, sometimes, the defendant’s past criminal record. In Pennsylvania, judges […]
The Psychology of Injustice in Criminal Courts
By Ana Swanson The Washington Post We like to believe that decisions made in U.S. courts are determined by the wisdom of the Constitution, and guided by fair-minded judges and juries of […]
Inside the Secretive World of Parole Boards
By Beth Schwartzapfel The Marshall Project America’s prisons hold tens of thousands of people like Rodriguez — people primarily confined not by the verdicts of a judge or a jury […]
The Thresh 