Seminar 1: Introduction to law and psychology

Crash course on psychology, and a quick peek at the interface between law and psychology

 

Seminar 2: Psychological disorders

We explore the vast spectrum of psychological disorders and how they may relate to crime and offences. How do mental health clinicians (including psychologists and psychiatrists) determine if a person is suffering from a mental illness? How do courts and the legal professionals arrive at that same conclusion?

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Seminar 3: Competency in criminal proceedings

When is an accused person considered unfit to plead or take the stand? How do we determine this?

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Seminar 4: Intellectual disabilities: risk factors, legal implications, and reforms

What, exactly, makes an individual intelligent (or less so)? Can intellectually-disabled suspects and witnesses deal with the rigours of our criminal justice system and processes?

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Seminar 5: Psychological considerations in sentencing

We take a look at how psychological science and assessment can help legal practitioners and the courts make fair, just, and correct sentencing decisions.

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Seminar 6: Remembering and forgetting: implications for eyewitness evidence

While we constantly make memories, we’re also continually losing them. So how reliable are our recollections when we are called to rely upon them in court?

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Recess week

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Seminar 7: Psychological issues in family law

​Family disputes are often awash with emotions, and psychology, naturally, plays an important part in the family justice process. We consider the more common ways in which mental health professionals can help make the resolution of family disputes smoother and more justiciable. 

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Seminar 8: Capacity in probate law

What must one's mental condition be when making a will? How do clinicians assess and evaluate one's mental condition for probate purposes? What is a lawyer's responsibility when he/she suspects that a client may not have the requisite mental capacities to make a will? 

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Seminar 9: The psychology of online conduct

We explore the psychological factors behind online trends and offences such as include digital self-harm, stalking, livestreaming of crimes, and online hate speech.

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Seminar 10: Revision class

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Reading week