October 24, 2009

Do Psychiatry and Psychology Belong in the Criminal Justice System?


There is no doubt that "Psychology and neuroscience are increasingly informing and challenging some of the assumptions of the criminal justice system, and the mind science promise to help sharpen and clarify legal concepts." But does this improve the criminal justice system? Psychiatry and psychology are opinion based masquerading as science. Law and psychiatry are both systems of social control. Psychiatry has the advantage of operating without due process protections. Police love psychiatry. Nazis medicalized social problems as does psychiatry. There is no appeal from a medical opinion. Lawyers do not predict the future. Psychiatrists and psychologists do that in court to enable judges to avoid accountability. In so far as these "mind sciences" are arbitrary and capricious they should be banned from law courts and the criminal justice system. But when it comes to faith it is easier to open a rock than a mind.

http://www.hlrecord.org/news/meeting-of-the-minds-law-students-flock-to-psychology-lectures-1.794226

Meeting of the minds: law students flock to psychology lectures
New group encourages interest in growing interdisciplinary work combining law, mind sciences
By Anthony Kammer
Harvard Law Record
Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, October 21, 2009

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