Responsibility, Punishment, and Psychopathy: At the Crossroads of Law, Neurocriminology, and Philosophy

Videos from the event

1. SPEAKER: Adrian Raine; Richard Perry University Professor, University of Pennsylvania
2. SPEAKER: Katrina Sifferd; Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Elmhurst College
3. SPEAKER: Stephen J. Morse; Ferdinand Wakeman Hubbell Professor of Law; Professor of Psychology and Law in Psychiatry; Associate Director, Center for Neuroscience & Society; University of Pennsylvania Law School
4. PANEL DISCUSSION: Panel Discussion

Event information

April 9, 2018, Faculty House, Columbia University

Psychopathy is a mental disorder closely associated with marked emotional dysfunctions, limited capacity for moral judgments, recidivistic offending, and poor treatment outcome. Considering its peculiar characteristics, the status of psychopathy in the field of law raises several issues. One of the most prominent issues is whether offenders who suffer from psychopathy should be legally excused for their actions. In this seminar, three leading experts in neurocriminology, law, and philosophy consider if, and how, insights into the neurobiological roots of psychopathy might contribute to the reconsideration of the responsibility of psychopathic offenders and how criminal justice should optimally respond to individuals suffering from such a controversial disorder.

Moderated by Federica Coppola, Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at Columbia University and Kathryn Tabb, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University.