Understanding criminal decision making
Neuropsychology has scientific tools to measure decision making. We use those tools to identify criminal offenders most likely to commit another crime.
Develop
Create novel, interactive software for recidivism assessment
Test
Test prisoners, parolees, probationers, and controls
Correlate
Correlate future criminal activity with test metrics
Our objective
The SciLaw NeuroCognitive Assessment
Risk assessments can be biased, subjective, unreliable, and expensive. We seek to improve the risk assessment process by turning to neuroscience. By understanding how decisions are made, we can better predict future criminal behavior. The NCRA (NeuroCognitive Assessment), aims to provide objective, transparent, actionable insights without using race, or factors associated with race. The assessment is currently being tested at several points of the criminal justice system.
Compared to the current interview-based approach to risk assessment, our tablet-based assessment is self-scoring, more precise, faster, and provides a consistent measurement of offenders. It also offers increased comprehension due to its simplicity, game-like design, tutorial videos, audio instructions, built-in word definitions, and careful selection of vocabulary by an ESL-certified instructor. A Spanish version is currently in development.
Since 2012, we have collaborated with local probation departments and run participants through interactive, tablet-based measurements of decision making traits (e.g., empathy, aggression, impulsivity, etc.) that correlate with future criminal behavior. We have used that data, and machine learning – to develop effective, predictions of criminal reoffense. According to our latest peer-reviewed research, the NCRA can identify those most likely to be rearrested by their decision making profile as well as, or better, than commonly used risk assessments – all without using race, education, or criminal histories as factors.
Partners and collaborators
The NCRA empowers judges to base sentencing, bail, or release, decisions on direct, proven, transparent assessments of criminal propensity. Our mission is to foster scientifically based social policy, with the goal of diminishing rates of incarceration and providing novel, evidence-based options for assessing and managing criminal offenders.
We collaborate with local agencies where we empower mental health professionals and criminal justice personnel by quantifying risk and identifying traits to target with interventions.