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9 U. St. Thomas J.L. & Pub. Pol'y 189 (2014-2015)
The Realities of Neurolaw: A Composition of Data & Research

handle is hein.journals/tjlpp9 and id is 203 raw text is: THE REALITIES OF NEUROLAW: A COMPOSITION OF DATA & RESEARCH ZURIZADAI BALMAKUND* Matching neurological data to legal criteria can be much like performing a chemical analysis of a cheesecake to find out whether it was baked with love.' INTRODUCTION The purpose of the law is to protect the interests of society, and promote justice. The following paper explores how the interests of justice are challenged and strengthened by the introduction of interdisciplinary research. Today the integration of law and neuroscience is at the forefront of legal admissibility. Cognitive neuroscience has the potential to contribute a great deal to the legal profession, but the question is whether neuroscience is prepared to make those contributions right now.2 In order to answer this question, medical researchers, scholars, and legal professionals need to gauge whether neuroscience can measure criminal responsibility. To begin the process researchers must first clarify legal criteria for criminal responsibility,3 and then determine how neurological findings can be used to demonstrate cohesion to the criteria. The visionaries in each perspective field have the ability to guide new medical techniques, which have the power of influence over the law and future public policy. This study examines a sample of neuroscientific and legal literature, and follows with a comparative study of DNA and neuroimaging evidence. * Zurizadai Balmakund is a Judicial Clerk with the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota, and a Fall 2014 graduate from the University of St. Thomas School of Law; graduating with her Juris Doctorate and Masters in Public Policy. 1. Eyal Aharoni et al., Can Neurological Evidence Help Courts Assess Criminal Responsibility? Lessons From Law And Neuroscience, 1124 ANALYSIS N.Y. ACAD. SC. 145, 146 (2008). 2. Luca Amaudo, Cognitive Law: An Introduction, 19 NAT'L ITALIAN AM. B. Ass'N L.J. 1 (2011). 3. Aharoni et al., supra note 1, at 145. 189

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