Shrinking the footprint of the criminal legal system through policies informed by psychology and neuroscience

The footprint of the legal system in the United States is expansive. Applying psychological and neuroscience research to understand or predict individual criminal behavior is problematic. Nonetheless, psychology and neuroscience can contribute substantially to the betterment of the criminal legal system and the outcomes it produces. We argue that scientific findings should be applied to the legal system through systemwide policy changes. Specifically, we discuss how science can shape policies around pollution in prisons, the use of solitary confinement, and the law’s conceptualization of insanity. Policies informed by psychology and neuroscience have the potential to affect meaningful—and much-needed—legal change. This Perspective calls for a reform of the criminal justice system in the US. Psychological and neuroscientific research should inform regulations around pollution and toxins, policies for solitary confinement, and the framework for the admissibility of legal insanity defense.