Psychology and the criminal justice system

More than 100 years ago, the interface of psychology and law reached popular consciousness with the publication of Hugo Munsterberg’s On the Witness Stand: Essays on Psychology and Crime. In a book familiar to psycholegal researchers, Munsterberg systematically demonstrated how legal issues could be informed by research in psychology. His perspective on the potential for intersection between the disciplines was quite expansive, with chapter titles including such topics as “Untrue Confessions” and “The Memory of the Witness.” In arguing for stronger connections between the fields of psychology and law, Munsterberg observed that psychology was historically “in complete detachment from the problems of practical life” but had “reached a stage at which it seems natural and sound to give attention also to its possible service for the practical needs of life