The Brain and the Law: How Neuroscience Will Shift Blameworthiness

David Eagleman June 4, 2013 Insights from neuroscience are challenging long-held assumptions at the core of our criminal justice system. Are all brains really created equal? Is mass incarceration the most fruitful method of dealing with juveniles, the mentally ill, and the drug-addicted? Do emerging technologies such as real-time brain imaging offer new methods of rehabilitation? David Eagleman explains how most behaviors are driven by brain networks that we do not consciously control, and why the legal system will eventually be forced to shift its emphasis from individual blameworthiness to analysis of likely future behavior.