This book invites the legal and psychology communities to work together in solving some of our most pressing social problems. It examines four controversial areas involving people 's perceptions of others. The book is therefore a guide to understanding the valuable contribution of social scientific research in policy formulation in the law, and it addresses the role of psychology in substantive law and legal decision making.

At last, here is an empirical volume that addresses head-on the thorny issue of tort reform in the US. Ongoing policy debates regarding tort reform have led both legal analysts and empirical researchers to reevaluate the civil jury 's role in meting out civil justice. Some reform advocates have called for removing certain types of more complex cases from the jury 's purview; yet much of the policy debate has proceeded in the absence of data on what the effects of such reforms would be. In addressing these issues, this crucial work takes an empirical approach, relying on archival and experimental data. It stands at the vanguard of the debate and provides information relevant to both state and national civil justice systems.

• expands traditional inquiry regarding the significance of psychopathology in the criminal process to include blameworthiness for sentencing, criminal competence at various stages in the process, and dangerousness
• pairs legal analysis with empirical research in order to promotoe integration of these two aspects of relevant inquiry
• addresses a wide range of participants in the legal, clinical, and academic disciplines

This book invites the legal and psychology communities to work together in solving some of our most pressing social problems. It examines four controversial areas involving people 's perceptions of others. The book is therefore a guide to understanding the valuable contribution of social scientific research in policy formulation in the law, and it addresses the role of psychology in substantive law and legal decision making.

• expands traditional inquiry regarding the significance of psychopathology in the criminal process to include blameworthiness for sentencing, criminal competence at various stages in the process, and dangerousness
• pairs legal analysis with empirical research in order to promotoe integration of these two aspects of relevant inquiry
• addresses a wide range of participants in the legal, clinical, and academic disciplines

At last, here is an empirical volume that addresses head-on the thorny issue of tort reform in the US. Ongoing policy debates regarding tort reform have led both legal analysts and empirical researchers to reevaluate the civil jury 's role in meting out civil justice. Some reform advocates have called for removing certain types of more complex cases from the jury 's purview; yet much of the policy debate has proceeded in the absence of data on what the effects of such reforms would be. In addressing these issues, this crucial work takes an empirical approach, relying on archival and experimental data. It stands at the vanguard of the debate and provides information relevant to both state and national civil justice systems.