What Judges and Lawyers Need To Know About Applied Social Research (From Use/Nonuse/Misuse of Applied Social Research in the Courts, 1980, P 62-73, Michael J Saks and Charles H Baron, ed. - See NCJ-75219)

• NCJ Number: 75225
• Author(s): R Light; C C Abt; K Carlson
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 12 pages
• Sale Source: Abt Books
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter surveys things that judges and lawyers need to know about social science before it can be effectively used in court.

Abstract

Judges and lawyers need to know where the best applied social research and social science work is done and who does it. They also need to know something about the costs of social research, the time required for data collection, and how to recognize bias caused by weak methodology. Products of physical science generally clearly do or do not work, but good quality work in social science is not necessarily a guarantee of arriving at the truth, only efficacious social policies or programs. The ability of social scientists to deal with uncertainty is not a weakness, but a strength which provides for better decisionmaking. Findings can be presented in clearly probabilistic and tentative terms even though the judges and courts, in the end, must affirm or deny a decision. Examples of how summaries of data (aggregates) can lead to conclusions that are not necessarily justified when data is broken down into further categories (disaggregates) are provided. The role of a science court is mentioned.