Episode 41

The Dynamics of Decision-Making: Psychology and the Criminal Justice System

Human errors can irrevocably alter the course of someone’s life in the criminal justice system.

In a fascinating follow-up to Episode 40 on the role of pseudoscience in the courtroom, Dan Simon joins host Matt Adams to dissect Dan’s book, In Doubt: The Psychology of the Criminal Process.

Dan, who is also the Richard and Maria Crutcher Professor of Law and Psychology at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, digs into the inherent role of psychology and cognitive science throughout the criminal justice process.

Matt and Dan explore how spontaneous and induced errors impact and influence criminal investigations. Dan offers a scientific perspective on how to improve the system to make it more accurate and fair. He also explains why his proposals would benefit law enforcement and the accused. And lastly, Dan takes aim at the interrogation process and the adversarial legal system in the United States and the structural role both play in reaching accurate outcomes in a case.