Wednesday 22 July 14:05 - 15:35

Hall: 11 - Palazzina 3

Chair and Discussant: Gauthier Janel

Division: Division 10: Psychology, Law, and Ethics

The connection between psychology, law, and ethics is a complex and multifaceted relationship that influences the functioning of legal systems. Psychology offers insights into human behavior, which can be applied to enhance understanding of legal processes, such as criminal responsibility and courtroom dynamics. Legal principles and psychological theories interact to shape legal decision-making and policy formulation. This intersection raises critical questions about ethical practices and the implications of psychological insights in legal frameworks. By exploring this dynamic relationship, we can enhance our understanding of justice and human behavior, and improve legal outcomes and ensure ethical practices. The purpose of this symposium is to highlight recent developments and emerging issues in psychology, law, and ethics, and the interplay between these fields. It involves four speakers and a chair/moderator from four different countries (Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The first paper demonstrates how research has informed ethical investigative policies and practices worldwide. The second paper focuses on the ethical issues involved in the evaluation of parental conflict and decisions regarding child custody, with special attention to the specifics of assessment in transcultural families and same-sex families. The third paper highlights commonalities and differences in ethical standards for psychologists across countries and cultural interpretations of these standards. The fourth paper aims to show how restorative justice offers an ethic capable of moving beyond punitive logic, instead fostering a generative responsibility grounded in listening, mutual recognition, and the co-construction of shared solutions. The presentation of these papers will be followed by remarks from the Chair and a question and answer period during which the audience will have the opportunity to comment and ask questions.