PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hauser, Lori L.
TI  - Forensic Implications of Neuroscientific Advancements
DP  - 2016 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 193--197
VI  - 44
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/44/2/193.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/44/2/193.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2016 Jun 01; 44
AB  - Im draws a parallel between the neurobiology of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that of trauma survivors, to explain why individuals with ASD may be more vulnerable to trauma as a risk factor for violence. This commentary raises questions about how we use this information in a forensic context, including its potential misuses. It urges caution in not overstating the data before we have a more nuanced understanding of how our neural circuitry influences specific behaviors and mental states, while not allowing the science to advance faster than we can harness it, overstepping its bounds in decisions we make regarding fairness and justice. It raises these concerns against a backdrop of the diametrically opposed assumptions about human behavior embraced by the two disciplines, mental health and the law, that come together in the forensic arena.