Guidelines on Memory and the Law: Recommendations from the Scientific Study of Human Memory
Maybe this report can help us asylum lawyers as well:
ISBN 978-1-85433-473-2
Printed and published by the British Psychological Society.
First published June 2008. Revised version published April 2010
The British Psychological Society
St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR, UK
Telephone 0116 254 9568 Facsimile 0116 247 0787
E-mail mail@bps.org.uk Website www.bps.org.uk
Incorporated by Royal Charter Registered Charity No 229642
Executive summary
These guidelines are derived from a review of the scientific study of human memory and adetailed consideration of the relevant legal issues including the role of expert evidence.The purpose of the guidelines is to provide those involved in legal work (criminal andcivil) with an accessible and scientifically accurate basis from which to consider issues relating to memory as these arise in legal settings. The key points are summarised on the page following.
The text that follows the key points overviews the relevant evidence and provides recommended reading for those who wish to follow up any of the points individually.
Also provided for each section is a list of more technical references to some of the most relevant scientific studies and findings.
The study of human memory has made considerable advances in recent decades and we now have a much stronger and empirically informed understanding of memory. Current theoretical thinking is at a stage that supports probabilistic but not absolute statements.
The guidelines and key points should then be taken as they are intended – as guidelines and not absolute statements. Because they are based on widely agreed and acknowledged scientific findings they provide a far more rigorously informed understanding of human memory than that available from commonly held beliefs. In this respect they give courts a much firmer basis for accurate decision-making.
See the 51-pages report here: http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/guidelines_on_memory_and_the_law_recommendations_from_the_scientific_study_of_human_memory.pdf
Law blog
Tweet
ISBN 978-1-85433-473-2
Printed and published by the British Psychological Society.
First published June 2008. Revised version published April 2010
The British Psychological Society
St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR, UK
Telephone 0116 254 9568 Facsimile 0116 247 0787
E-mail mail@bps.org.uk Website www.bps.org.uk
Incorporated by Royal Charter Registered Charity No 229642
Executive summary
These guidelines are derived from a review of the scientific study of human memory and adetailed consideration of the relevant legal issues including the role of expert evidence.The purpose of the guidelines is to provide those involved in legal work (criminal andcivil) with an accessible and scientifically accurate basis from which to consider issues relating to memory as these arise in legal settings. The key points are summarised on the page following.
The text that follows the key points overviews the relevant evidence and provides recommended reading for those who wish to follow up any of the points individually.
Also provided for each section is a list of more technical references to some of the most relevant scientific studies and findings.
The study of human memory has made considerable advances in recent decades and we now have a much stronger and empirically informed understanding of memory. Current theoretical thinking is at a stage that supports probabilistic but not absolute statements.
The guidelines and key points should then be taken as they are intended – as guidelines and not absolute statements. Because they are based on widely agreed and acknowledged scientific findings they provide a far more rigorously informed understanding of human memory than that available from commonly held beliefs. In this respect they give courts a much firmer basis for accurate decision-making.
See the 51-pages report here: http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/guidelines_on_memory_and_the_law_recommendations_from_the_scientific_study_of_human_memory.pdf
Law blog
Tweet
Reacties