MacArthur Law and Neuroscience Project
Definition
A MacArthur Foundation-funded research network (2007-2017) producing the leading academic framework for integrating neuroscience into criminal law, distinguishing group-level findings from individual-level attribution.
- Funder
- MacArthur Foundation
- Active years
- 2007-2017
- Focus
- Integrating neuroscience into criminal law
- Key distinction
- Group-level findings vs individual-level attribution
Common questions
Why is the group-level versus individual-level distinction central to its work?+
Neuroscience studies typically show average differences across groups, but a court needs to know about one specific defendant. The project's central caution is that a group-level finding cannot be directly translated into a claim about that individual's culpability.
What kind of legal questions did the project examine?+
It examined topics such as juvenile brain development and culpability, addiction and self-control, and how neuroimaging evidence should, and should not, be weighed in criminal responsibility and sentencing determinations.
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