UCI to host forum on psychology and law

Susan Menning

Hit television dramas like “CSI” and “Law & Order” are popularizing

criminology, but researchers at UCI are having real-world impact on

the way police, lawyers and courts are achieving justice.

“It’s important that our criminal justice system is both accurate

and just, and our faculty are conducting scientific research that

helps improve the accuracy of the system, ensuring that we convict

the guilty and not the innocent,” said Professor C. Ronald Huff, dean

of social ecology. “Our research also is providing useful scientific

information about how children and adolescents should be viewed as

witnesses, victims and offenders in the justice system.”

Recent U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings recognize

the UCI School of Social Ecology’s rising profile in psychology and

law -- listing the criminology program as fourth in the nation, with

psychology and social behavior among the top 50.

Social ecology faculty at UCI include nationally and

internationally recognized experts in the use of forensic evidence in

court, false confessions, eyewitness testimony and the special issues

posed by children in the legal system. They have testified and

advised on a wide range of high-profile cases including the McMartin

preschool molestation trial, the rise in Catholic Church child abuse,

the Menendez brothers’ and O.J. Simpson murder trials, the Elizabeth

Smart kidnapping case and the Supreme Court ruling on death sentences

for juveniles.

Recently, a new Center for the Study of Psychology and Law was

created at UCI, to be directed by professor Elizabeth Loftus, who is

renowned for her research on false memories. Loftus and other center

faculty will present a panel discussion with audience Q&A; next month

to examine emerging issues in psychology and law.

On May 17, “Beyond CSI: Psychology, Crime and Justice” will be

moderated by William Thompson, professor of criminology and society

-- an expert on the use of DNA evidence, who recently helped expose

the mishandling of DNA evidence in a Houston crime lab. This problem

led to the overturning of two convictions and disciplinary action for

nine employees, which Thompson said, “is just the tip of a Texan

iceberg.”

Also on the panel is fellow forensics expert, Simon Cole, who has

been following the use and misuse of fingerprint evidence in court --

pointing to problematic cases like the FBI’s recent use of faulty

fingerprint evidence to erroneously link a Seattle man to the 2004

Madrid train terrorist bombings.

Associate professor Richard Leo, who is currently consulting a

number of law enforcement agencies that want to ensure their

interrogation practices don’t sabotage justice, will discuss his

research on false confessions. And psychologist Loftus will explain

how sincere eyewitness testimony can be contaminated due to the

malleable nature of human memory.

Other panelists will examine the special issues presented by

children in court -- as victims, witnesses and offenders. Alison

Clarke-Stewart, professor of psychology and social behavior, studies

the effects of biased interrogations and leading questions on the

accuracy of children’s reports. She and colleague Jodi Quas

frequently provide testimony and advise on issues of suggestibility

and interviewing techniques for youngsters. But when children are on

the wrong side of the law, psychologist Elizabeth Cauffman provides

insight.

She currently tracks the mental health of juveniles detained by

the California Youth Authority, collaborating with assistant

professor Jennifer Skeem, who researches psychopathic personality

disorder and studies outcomes among probationers who are required to

accept psychiatric treatment.

The event takes place at 5:30 p.m. May 17 at the Arnold and Mabel

Beckman Center, 100 Academy Drive, on the UCI campus.

The event is free and community members are encouraged to attend.

Reservations are required by May 3; e-mail rsvp-seuci.edu or fax

(949) 824-1845. Please include your full name and phone number. The

event is sponsored by the UCI School of Social Ecology and the Los

Angeles Times. For more information, call (949) 824-1874.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Edwin Hubble realized that the universe is expanding, but only

recently have astrophysicists come to believe they have learned its

ultimate fate -- which is considered to be governed primarily by

“dark matter” and “dark energy.”

Learn about “The Dark Side of the Universe” on May 10, when UCI’s

David Buote discusses recent progress in establishing the existence

of these mysterious dark quantities and outlines future prospects for

uncovering the nature of this dark side.

The presentation -- free and open to the public -- takes place

from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Beckman Center. Breakfast will be served

and parking is free. For reservations, call (949) 824-4613.

HOLOCAUST ON TRIAL

Richard J. Evans, professor of modern history at Cambridge

University, will present “The Holocaust on Trial: Reflections on

History, Memory and Truth” at 3 p.m. April 20 in Humanities

Instructional Bldg. 135. Evans is the author of several books,

including “The Coming of the Third Reich” (2003), nominated for the

Los Angeles Times nonfiction book award in 2005.

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information,

call (949) 824-6521.

* SUSAN MENNING is assistant vice chancellor of communications at

UC Irvine. She can be reached at uciconnectuci.edu.