ESF Research Conferences

ESF-COST Conference

LAW AND NEUROSCIENCE: OUR GROWING UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN BRAIN AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR LEGAL SYSTEM

Chaired by

NikolasRoseE-Mail

London School of Economics and Political ScienceDepartment of SociologyBIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and SocietyLondonUnited Kingdom

http://www.lse.ac.uk

Programme committee

Berry J.BonenkampE-Mail

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific ResearchSocial SciencesThe HagueNetherlands

CaitlinConnorsE-Mail

BIOS CentreLondon School of EconomicsLondonUnited Kingdom

GiovanniFrazzettoE-Mail

London School of Economics and Political ScienceBIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and SocietyLondonUnited Kingdom

KennethHugdahlE-Mail

University of BergenDepartment of Biological and Medical PsychologyBergenNorway

EvaHooglandE-Mail

Senior Science Officer

JuliaStammE-Mail

COST OfficeBrusselsBelgium

Dates

26 - 31 October 2009

Location

Hotel Villa del Mare, Acquafredda di Maratea, Italy
The conference will be held at Hotel Villa del Mare in Acquafredda di Maratea. Acquafredda di Maratea is situated on the coast, on the Gulf of Policastro, between Sapri and Maratea, about 200 km (125 miles) south of Naples and about 400 km (250 miles) south of Rome. Group transportation will be organised on arrival and departure days from and back to Sapri train station.

Practical Information Guide Click here

Final Programme & List of Accepted Applicants

In the past two decades, the field of Neuroscience has made significant progress in understanding the human brain. Many expect that this research will make further strides over the next decade. And many suggest that this knowledge could have a profound impact on the future of our legal system and legal practice. There has been much speculation over whether developments in neuroscience will overturn legal paradigms (e.g., by shattering the concept of free will). This conference will sidestep such speculations to address empirical evidence and current research on the likely impacts of neuroscience on legal practice, with a specific focus on European legal systems.

Topics will include:

• The legal and societal impact of recent neurobiological research on aggression, impulsivity and anti social conduct;
• The impact of brain imaging technologies on the criminal justice system. Impact of neuroscience on criminal responsibility, sentencing and punishment;
• Evidence from current cases in criminal and civil law on the impact of neuroscience on witness credibility and the rules of evidence. Problems, possibilities and perils of neuroscience based lie detection;
• The implications of the use of neuroscience for screening, risk prediction and preventive interventions;
• Challenges to law and regulation in Europe posed by the neurosciences.

The aim is to establish a dialogue between neuroscientists, legal practitioners, researchers in sociolegal studies and social scientists, to further mutual understanding and make some realistic evaluations of the potential developments at the intersection of neuroscience and law.

Abstracts, Posters & Short Oral Contributions

There will be no short talks other than those listed on the programme. All other abstracts have been accepted as posters.

Posters can be fixed with self-adhesive tape onto poster panels. Recommended poster size is 100 cm high x 90 cm wide. Use letters and drawings that can be read from approximately 100 cm distance.

Group Transportation

All major trains from Rome/Naples arriving in Sapri railway station will be met by minibus to transfer you the 8 km to the Hotel. This transfer service will operate on the arrival day from 15:00 to 22:45 hours and on the departure day from 7:30 to 15:00. The white minibuses have the “Hotel Villa del Mare” logo for easy recognition. In the (unlikely) event of no bus appearing, you should call the hotel directly.
Outside of these times, you should take a taxi, which costs about EUR 18 from either Sapri or Maratea.

Accommodation

Single accommodation can be guaranteed for invited speakers. All other participants will share TWIN rooms. If single rooms become available for participants, they will be attributed on a "first come, first served" basis. Please email to the Conference Officer to be put on the single room waiting list. If you are bringing a guest and need to be accommodated in a double room, please also let her know without delay. Thanks

Registration Form

For accepted participants and invited speakers only

All participants - including speakers & session chairs - are kindly expected to confirm their attendance (and, when applicable, to pay the conference fee) by filling in a Registration Form.

Closing date for registration fee payment: 8 October 2009

Application

Applications closed on 24 July 2009. Should you have missed the deadline, please contact the conference officer (see details at the end of this webpage) and inquire about the procedure to attend the event.

Please note that all grants have been assigned.

What conference fee covers

Basic expenses comprise:

• registration and meeting costs;
• accommodation in twin room sharing with another participant;
  
• all meals, coffee breaks and drinks included;
  
• participation at the excursion and the conference dinner;
  
• group transportation from/to the nearest airport.

Extra costs:

Cancellation:

Should you need to cancel your participation, please contact the Conference Officer immediately. If notice of cancellation is received more than two weeks before the conference, all but EUR 100 will be reimbursed. No refund is possible if notice of cancellation is received less than two weeks before the conference.

ESF Contact

AntjeTeeglerE-Mail

COST OfficeBrusselsBelgium

Phone: +32 (0)2 533 3857
Fax: +32 (0)2 538 8486
Please quote 09-302 in any correspondence.

Partnership

This conference is organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) in partnership with COST European Cooperation in Science and Technology.

With Support from

Links of interest

• The Law and Society Association, founded in 1964, is a group of scholars from many fields and countries, interested in the place of law in social, political, economic and cultural life.
  Members bring training in law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics, and history as well as in other related areas to the study of sociolegal phenomena.
  

• The Cognitive Neuroscience Arena provides researchers, instructors and students in cognitive neuroscience with information on the range of  journals and books produced by Psychology Press, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Routledge and Guilford Press.
  

Back - ESF Conferences - 2009 Calendar