About the Series
Justice can and should be fairly and predictably delivered. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t.
When justice is not delivered and miscarriages of justice occur, people and communities suffer.
The Science to Fight Injustice Lecture Series, is a sustained effort to examine and address the problem of “justice delivered and justice denied,” by Distinguished Professor Elizabeth Loftus in collaboration with the Center for Psychology and Law and the Newkirk Center for Science and Society. The series is poised to become a viable nexus for academic researchers and the many practitioners in the world of criminal justice to come together with the common goal of delivering justice. It also provides a forum for developing programs and funding scholarships related to the examination of justice in the criminal justice system, including everything from police to the courts to corrections.
Under the leadership of Professor Loftus and with the support of her scholarly colleagues, Science to Fight Injustice provides:
- Lecture Series: educational opportunities to help UC Irvine students, the public, and legal/law enforcement professionals better understand the use and interpretation of science in the law, including the latest research findings that speak to how justice is delivered and the circumstances under which it is a false promise. Prominent scholars from across the United States are brought to campus to share their knowledge with the campus community and the local public as well as to interact informally with faculty and students. Their impact has the potential to instill passion in our students, many of whom will go on to become major players in the world of criminal justice, and to provide them with information concurrent with a high caliber of educational training.
- Proposed a one-day training session: training for professionals in Orange County, open to attorneys, paralegals, judges, law enforcement personnel and other professionals throughout the legal system. The aim of the program is to educate the audience about scientific developments and their application to the legal field.
Supporting the Series
Private support is critical to ensuring the sustainability of this lecture series. For additional information about sponsorship of the series or funding scholarships/fellowships, please contact Doug Colby at dccolby@uci.edu, or (949) 824-0383
Past Lectures
Using Science to Improve the Accuracy of Eyewitness Identification: Advances and Limitations
Featuring Dr. Gary L. Wells, Iowa State University
April 25, 2012
False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Proposed Reforms
Featuring Dr. Saul Kassin Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Massachusetts Professor of Psychology at Williams College
October 4, 2012
Stopping the Usual Suspects and Then Some: Police, Race and the Moving Boundaries of Search
Featuring Dr. Jeffrey Fagan, Columbia Law School
January 30, 2014
Evaulating the Reliability of Children's Statements
Featuring Dr. Maggie Bruck, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine