Science in Court

Legal professionals often rely on scientific expertise in the courtroom. For example, legal psychologists are asked to evaluate the reliability of eyewitness testimony, while forensic pathologists are consulted to provide insights into the cause of death. Such expert witness contributions can be of grave importance in ensuring fairness and accuracy in legal decision-making and in preventing wrongful convictions within the criminal justice system. In this lecture series, we explore how different scientific disciplines (e.g. legal psychology, forensic psychology, criminology and forensic (epi)genomics) can contribute to the evaluation and interpretation of evidence in court. Each lecture highlights the opportunities and challenges that arise when science meets the law.

The individual lectures
1. Trauma, Memory, and the Law (Otgaar / 10 Sep)
2. Forensic Psychopathology and Criminal Behaviour (Bastiaens / 17 Sep)
3. False Confessions and Wrongful Convictions (Schell-Leugers / 24 Sep)
4. The e-Courtroom: Digital Proceedings, Screen Mediation, and the Rise of AI-Driven Evidence (Peristeridou / 1 Oct)
5. From DNA to Identity: Advanced Forensic (Epi)genomics in Criminal Investigations (Vidaki / 8 Oct)

Prof. Henry Otgaar
Full Professor Legal Psychology, UM and KU Leuven
Astrid Bastiaens 
PhD Candidate Criminal Law and Criminology, UM
Jenny Schell-Leugers, PhD
Associate Professor of Legal Psychology, UM
Christina Peristeridou, PhD
Associate Professor European & Comparative Criminal Procedure and Director of Maastricht Institute for Criminal Sciences, UM
Athina Vidaki, PhD
Associate Professor Forensic (Epi)genomics Maastricht