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Testifying About Trauma: A Call for Science and Civility
The article finds that focusing on a PTSD diagnosis in legal cases can hinder understanding the true impact of trauma. It suggests trauma-informed evaluations are a more ethical approach than strictly adhering to diagnostic labels.
An Integrated Neuroscience Perspective on Formulation and Treatment Planning for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Educational Review
PTSD, first diagnosed in 1980, describes lasting difficulty recovering from trauma. It is caused by the brain's learned fear responses, where neutral cues become triggers for distress and avoidance.
Brief of Amicus Curiae the Innocence Project, Inc. in Support of Defendant-Appellant
The Innocence Project supports reversing a conviction based on cross-racial identification. It argues scientific evidence shows a higher risk of misidentification when witnesses and defendants are of different races.
Brief of Amicus Curiae the Innocence Project
This brief argues for limiting first-time in-court stranger identifications due to scientific research on mistaken eyewitness accounts. It asserts these identifications are suggestive, lack value, and can lead to wrongful convictions.
Brief of the American Psychological Association as Amicus Curiae in Support of Defendant-Appellant
The brief argues juries should be informed about the unreliability of cross-racial identifications. This instruction is needed because research shows own-race bias, jurors often misunderstand it, and mistaken IDs cause wrongful convictions.
Brief for Amicus Curiae the Innocence Project Supporting Petitioner-Appellant and Urging Reversal
This brief argues that Gregory Bolin’s conviction should be reversed. It asserts that the conviction relied too heavily on flawed eyewitness identification, a type of evidence often linked to wrongful convictions.
Brief for the American Psychological Association as Amicus Curiae in Support of Appellant
The brief argues that single-photograph identifications are inherently suggestive and should be presumed inadmissible. Such identifications distort memory and create a high risk of wrongful conviction.
Mental Health and Trauma in Asylum Seekers Landing in Sicily in 2015: a Descriptive Study of Neglected Invisible Wounds
Forcibly displaced individuals, including asylum seekers in Italy, often face significant mental health challenges due to trauma and post-migration stress. Access to mental health care is limited for these vulnerable populations.
Commonwealth v. Henry
The SJC ruled judges must consider a defendant's ability to pay restitution and cannot extend probation due to poverty. This reasoning has been used to challenge mandatory abstinence conditions.
A Neuroscience Perspective on Sexual Risk Behavior in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
Young people (15-24) account for 50% of new STIs and have high rates of unintended pregnancies. This is linked to low condom use and multiple partners, and "heat of the moment" decisions despite knowing risks.
Marshall v. Eyecare Specialties, P.C. of Lincoln
The Nebraska Supreme Court found alcoholism can be a disability under state law. However, the employee's firing was upheld, as it was due to performance, not her addiction.
Williams v. State
A 17-year-old convicted of felony murder appealed his life sentence with parole. A court ruled he deserves a hearing to determine if his parole date effectively creates a life without parole sentence.
Stallings v. State
A 17-year-old was sentenced to life with parole for battery, robbery, and assault. The court ruled he must receive a new parole hearing to ensure a meaningful chance of release.
Atwell v. State
Florida's Supreme Court ruled a life sentence with parole for a 16-year-old was unconstitutional. The state's parole system offered no meaningful release opportunity, violating Miller v. Alabama.
State v. Garza
The court affirmed a 90-year sentence for a juvenile convicted of murder. This was not considered a de facto life sentence, and life without parole is still permissible in some cases.