Citation

Herlihy J, Turner S. Eur. J. Psychotraumatol. 2015; 6: e27380.

Affiliation

Centre for the Study of Emotion and Law, London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, The Author(s), Publisher Co-action Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

25994022

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Trauma survivors often have to negotiate legal systems such as refugee status determination or the criminal justice system.

METHODS & RESULTS: We outline and discuss the contribution which research on trauma and related psychological processes can make to two particular areas of law where complex and difficult legal decisions must be made: in claims for refugee and humanitarian protection, and in reporting and prosecuting sexual assault in the criminal justice system.

CONCLUSION: There is a breadth of psychological knowledge that, if correctly applied, would limit the inappropriate reliance on assumptions and myth in legal decision-making in these settings. Specific recommendations are made for further study.

Language: en