Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Prevention Not Punishment

Criminal Law

: Prevention Not Punishment

Experts Study Neuroscience Use in Courts

By Kristin Houle

That's the title of an article from the Associated Press, which appeared March 2, 2008 in The Washington Post:"When Peter Braunstein was put on trial last year for a twisted Halloween torture attack, his lawyers used a visual aid to suggest that his actions were the product of mental illness.It was a scan of the defendant's brain. A doctor testified that the patterns it revealed indicated that Braunstein, accused of donning a firefighter's costume and imprisoning a woman for 13 hours, suffered from schizophrenia.The New York trial was one of a growing number of instances in which cutting-edge neuroscience has found its way into U.S. courts.Brain scans have emerged as potentially powerful tools in battles over defendants' sanity. More defense attorneys are seeking scans showing brain damage or abnormalities that might have made it difficult for their clients to control violent impulses...continue to full post

Full post as published by Prevention Not Punishment on March 03, 2008 (boomark / email).