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Call for Papers: Neuroscience & Law in Milan

By Lawrence Solum

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The European Centre for Life Sciences, Health and the Courts, University of Pavia, in cooperation with the Court of Milan, Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia and the international group on Neuroscience & Law, announces the International Conference:

?Neuroscience in European and North-American case-law and judicial practice?

September 17th, 2010 - Milan (Italy)

Neuroscience is currently used referring to a bundle of disciplines, which study the human brain and its relation to mental activity and behavior. Behavioral genetics has a similar aim, with reference to the genetic makeup. Neurogenetics combines, in different ways, the two previous approaches.

Since 2002 scholars have debated how neuroscientific findings, neuro-cognitive methods and new diagnostic techniques (especially brain imaging) may impact on the existing legal categories. As a matter of fact a growing number of scholars and legal practitioners are studying how these methods can be used with forensic purposes. It seems indeed clear that a better knowledge of the biological basis of human behavior might have important consequences in the law, under many respects.

Besides, the possibility to use scientific methods in order to determine mental states impacts both on criminal liability and all areas of the legal system. This challenge has arisen, in these terms, in different States less differently than we imagine.

The greatest enthusiasm has been in the United States, where a worldwide debated case law has developed. Throughout Europe there is now the necessity, on one side, to understand whether there is a unknown use of such neuroscientific techniques and, on the other side, to train judges and legal practitioners to properly understand and use these new methods.

The topics (and sessions) of the conference are:

1. Prospects of Neuroscience
2. Impact of Neuroscience on the European and American Law
3. Brain Interfaces and Legal/Ethical problems
4. Are legal systems Neuroscience-friendly?

Furthermore, the special session ?Neuroscience in Case-Law? will be dedicated to accepted papers: we invite practitioners, lawyers, professors, researchers, neuroscientists, psychologist and other scholars to submit abstracts - maximum 600 words- describing one or more judicial case where data obtained through neuroscientific techniques has been brought before a Court, both in a civil or criminal trial, as scientific evidence.

Each speaker will have about 15 minutes to present his/her paper.

The deadline for the proposal submission (title and abstract) is the July 1st, 2010, at midday:

enlsc@unipv.it .

Authors with accepted abstracts will be notified by the end of July 2010. Internationally recognized scholars from Europe and North-America compose the review commission.

Anyone who wishes to attend the conference without presenting a paper, or to ask information, can write to check availability (Scientific Secretariat - Barbara Bottalico: dr.bottalico@gmail.com ).

Details about meal arrangements and conference program to follow.

Full post as published by Legal Theory Blog on June 15, 2010 (boomark / email).