Welcome to the October 2022
American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Newsletter
Our monthly newsletter provides information about activities, upcoming events, and resources to connect the psychology-law community.
AP-LS aspires to excel as a valuable, effective, and influential organization advancing the science of psychology-law and the translation of psychology-law knowledge into practice and policy.
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Legal Update: No, it’s not Hamsterdam! A Primer on Overdose Prevention Centers
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Aficionados of The Wire may fondly remember a key third-season storyline in which Major Howard “Bunny” Colvin—commander of the Baltimore Police Department’s Western District—created “free zones” in which substances could be sold and used without police interference as long as violence and homicide remained at bay (Simon & Kostroff Noble, 2002-2006). Crime rates dropped precipitously, the use and selling of substances were kept out of the public eye, and community morale improved. However—and perhaps most importantly—substance use was viewed not solely as a public safety problem, but also as a public health problem. Unfortunately, when news of the so-called “Hamsterdam”—and concerns that West Baltimore had “legalized” drugs—reached high-level police and political command, Major Colvin’s initiative was quickly shut down.
This Legal Update column seeks to:
(1) overview harm reduction, the set of principles and strategies underlying OPCs;
(2) outline OPCs and the evidence behind them;
(3) chronicle the social and legal impediments towards the broader expansion of OPCs; and
(4) discuss potential legal, clinical, and forensic implications of OPCs.
Read the full column >
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2023 Saleem Shah Award: Call for Nominations
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The Saleem Shah Award is an annual award co-sponsored by the American Academy of Forensic Psychology and the American Psychology-Law Society recognizing early career excellence and exceptional contributions to the field of psychology and law. The focus of a nominee’s contributions may be in any area of forensic psychology practice, research or public policy. The recipient must have received their doctoral degree (or law degree, whichever comes later, if both were earned) within the last six years; year 2016 or later, inclusive of 2016. The award includes $2,000 as well as the opportunity to give the Saleem Shah Address at the next meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society.
Nominations are due by Midnight EST on November 30, 2022, and must include each of the following:
- A letter detailing the nominee’s contributions to psychology and law
- A copy of the nominee’s vita. Self-nominations will not be considered
Nominations should be sent electronically, in PDF or Word format, to Shannon Bader, Ph.D., ABPP, President-Elect of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology at shannonmariebader@outlook.com.
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Undergraduate Paper Award Winners
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This year, we had 12 complete submissions for the undergraduate paper award. The committee worked over the summer to read and rate each submission. It was a difficult choice choosing the winners as all submissions were very well written and timely in nature. We are proud to announce the top three winners for the 2022 APLS Undergraduate Paper Award:
First place:
Student: Mackenzie Thomas
Title: Differences in Criminogenic Needs and Risk Prediction
University: MacEwan University
Mentor: Sandy Jung
Second place:
Student: Abiodun Akinseye
Title: Art, Race, and the Carceral System: Perceptions of Criminality in Artful Expression
University: Butler University
Mentor: Fabiana Alceste
Third place:
Student: Siham Hagi
Title: Racial Bias in Adults’ Judgments of Children’s Lies: Are White Children more likely to be Believed than Black Children?
University: Luther College, University of Regina
Mentor: Sarah Zanette
Thank you!
Undergraduate Paper Award Committee
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Take a look at the latest research briefs for short summaries of the latest articles relevant to psychology-law.
Read the research briefs >
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BRIDGE Committee Award Programs:
Call for Applications 2023
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The AP-LS BROADENING REPRESENTATION INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, AND GLOBAL EQUITY OR BRIDGE Committee is seeking applicants for two award programs. As part of the BRIDGE Committee initiative to increase diversity within AP-LS, and the profession as a whole, these award programs support research for undergraduate and graduate students. Please take a few minutes to review the program descriptions below and consider if you or any students you know might be eligible, and encourage them to apply. Also, please feel free to forward this information to any colleagues who might be interested in these award programs. Award submissions will be accepted starting September 15, 2022 through January 15, 2023. Recipients will be announced in February 2023.
Submit Your Application for these Awards
Access Path to Psychology and Law Experience Program
The purpose of the Access Path to Psychology and Law Experience (AP) Program is to increase diversity within psychology and law by increasing the pipeline of competitive graduate school applicants from groups that currently are underrepresented in the field, including racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, LGBT individuals, and disabled students. AP is designed to encourage faculty members to recruit students from underrepresented groups into their research labs. It provides financial support for the students to obtain meaningful research experience and attend the AP-LS conference as well as other opportunities for mentoring and development. It is the intention of the BRIDGE Committee that many of the students in the AP program will apply for graduate training related to psychology and law and ultimately become professionals in the field. The AP program primarily targets undergraduate students, but students from terminal master’s degree programs will also be considered. Award submissions will be accepted starting September 15, 2022 through January 15, 2023. Recipients will be announced in February 2023.
For more information about the AP Program, please contact the program Chair, Dr. Jason Lawrence at jason.lawrence@dmh.mo.gov.
AP-LS Diversity in Psychology and Law Research Awards
The purpose of the Diversity in Psychology and Law Research Awards is to promote diversity within the American Psychology-Law Society by supporting student research on psycholegal issues related to diversity as well as research by students from underrepresented groups. Projects are eligible for consideration for this award if (1) they investigate topics related to psychology, law, diversity, and/or multiculturalism (e.g., research pertaining to psycholegal issues on race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, etc.) or (2) if the principal investigator is a member of an underrepresented group, including racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, LGBT individuals, and students with disabilities. Consistent with the mission of the BRIDGE Committee, these awards are intended to facilitate the research of individuals from groups that are underrepresented in AP-LS, as well as research about issues of potential interest and importance to such groups. Award submissions will be accepted starting September 15, 2022 through January 15, 2023. Recipients will be announced in February 2023.
For more information about the Diversity Program, please contact the program Chair, Dr. Evelyn Maeder at evelyn.maeder@carlton.ca.
Diversity Travel Awards
As part of an initiative to increase diversity within AP-LS, the Minority Affairs Committee will provide travel awards to students from underrepresented groups (i.e., racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, LGBT individuals, and students with disabilities) who are presenting research at the American Psychology-Law Society Conference. Seven competitive travel awards in the amount of $500 will be given. Award submissions will be accepted starting September 15, 2022 through January 15, 2023. Recipients will be announced in February 2023.
For more information about the Diversity Travel Award program, please contact the program Chair, Dr. Amanda NeMoyer at ann38@drexel.edu.
Submit Your Application for these Awards
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On September 15, APA sent members an email ballot for the APA President-Elect and APA Board of Directors elections. This year, the AP-LS Executive Committee asked each APA President-Elect candidate three questions about issues relevant to AP-LS. Please refer to the August AP-LS newsletter for those questions and responses so you can make an informed decision. If you are an APA member and did not receive a ballot, contact APA at elections@apa.org.
The APA Board of Educational Affairs is requesting comments on two documents relevant to undergraduate psychology education. The first document, APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major: Version 3.0 is currently in its second round of review. Comments are due October 26. More information is located on their website.
APA also seeks comment on the APA Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology. As stated by APA, "Whereas Guidelines 3.0 describe a set of curricular goals, student learning outcomes, and foundation and baccalaureate indicators of learning progress, the Quality Principles define the actions that faculty members, programs, and departments can take, and the ongoing practices they can adopt, to create a high-quality, stimulating, and inclusive learning environment designed to maximize student learning and professional development." Comments on this second document are due October 18. More information can be found on their website.
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LHB Reviewer Mentoring Program
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Have you always wondered how people get to be reviewers for prestigious journals? Are you interested in becoming a reviewer for Law and Human Behavior, the official journal of AP-LS, but don’t know what that means or how to get training and experience with providing strong reviews? Do you have limited or no access to a mentor that can help provide this type of experience? If so, now is your chance to develop your reviewer skills!
The LHB editorial team is continuing its Reviewer Mentoring Program in 2023. The program will kick off at the AP-LS Conference in Philadelphia with an in-person training and will continue throughout the rest of the year. The program is designed to provide advanced graduate students (in 3rd, 4thor 5th years of study) and ECPs (within 10 years of last terminal degree) with training and mentoring specifically in conducting strong peer reviews. We will be selecting a small group of reviewers to participate in the workshop in March 2023, and we will match those participants with Reviewer Mentors. Mentees will be assigned 1-2 manuscripts to review throughout 2023, under the guidance of their Reviewer Mentor. If you would like to be considered for this program, please complete the application by December 31, 2022.
Apply Now to Be a Reviewer
If you have questions about the program, please contact our Associate Editor, Jenni Cox at jennifer.m.cox@ua.edu or Editor in Chief, Bradley McAuliff at bradley.mcauliff@csun.edu.
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Apply to become a Fellow or Distinguished Member of AP-LS
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According to our bylaws, “Full Members nominated for Fellow in the Society must provide evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions in the area of psychology and law. All candidates for Fellow must be endorsed by at least two Fellows of the Society. In addition, all candidates for Fellow must meet the requirements of the bylaws of the Association. Full Affiliates nominated for Distinguished Member in the Society must provide evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions in the area of psychology and law. All candidates for Distinguished Member must be endorsed by at least two Fellows or Distinguished Members of the Society.”
Members nominated for Fellow or Distinguished member status through AP-LS must provide evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions in the area of psychology and law. The deadline for receipt of all application materials (nominee’s materials and endorsers’ materials) is 1 December. For Fellow status (unless you are already a Fellow in another division), apply through the APA Fellow Portal. For Distinguished Member status and if you are already a Fellow in another APA division, email materials to ebrank2@unl.edu. Visit this link for more information.
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Psychology, Public Policy, and Law -
Fellowship Announcement
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We are very pleased to let you know that the journal has secured funds from APA’s P&C Board to fund two editorial fellowships for early-career psychologists (ECPs) from historically excluded groups. This is a momentous and exciting step forward for our program’s efforts to address systemic racism, in line with several recent APA resolutions. Both fellowships will begin on 1 January 2023 and will involve an honoraria stipends of $1,000 USD.
These fellowships are designed specifically to elevate opportunities for ECPs from historically excluded groups (particularly Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, as well as members from other communities which have been historically excluded from leadership opportunities in research and publishing).
The fellowships are open to qualified candidates who have completed their education/training and are no more than 10 years postdoctoral, including current members of the journal’s editorial board. Candidates would typically hold a position at the rank of assistant professor (or equivalent, such as a research scientist), although individuals in non-academic positions and suitable qualifications are also eligible. The fellowships will last one year, and fellows will receive a stipend of $1,000 for the year.
Qualified candidates should have experience conducting peer reviews, and expertise in topics of cultural and ethnic diversity is desirable. We also look for evidence of a broad perspective, good judgment, exceptional communication skills, and strong management skills, as well as a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The fellows will work closely with the journal’s Editor, Michael E. Lamb, or one of the associate editors, Nancy Steblay and Tess Neal, to develop their editorial skills. Each fellow will manage approximately 6 to 12 manuscripts over the course of the year. This process will include screening manuscripts for appropriateness, identifying reviewers, making an editorial decision based on reviews, and shepherding the manuscript through to publication if accepted, all with mentorship from the editor or associate editor. The successful candidate will also be expected to participate in monthly meetings with their mentor to ensure goals are met. Most of these meetings will be video teleconferences, although in-person meetings at scientific conferences are also possible. Upon successful completion of the fellowship, Editorial fellows will become members of the journal’s editorial board if they are not already.
Please encourage interested and qualified candidates to send an application to mel37@cam.ac.uk by October 31, 2022. They should include a cover letter introducing themselves, their expertise, and an explanation of why they would be appropriate candidates as well as a copy of their CV. Appointments will be made in the fall and the positions will begin at the start of 2023.
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Call for Grant Proposals: Research to Enhance the Impact and Diversification of Psychology
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The American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) invites research proposals for Research to Enhance the Impact and Diversification of Psychology & Law Research. The intent of this grant initiative is to advance a more interdisciplinary science that addresses understudied topics in psychology and law, as well as to broaden the discipline and amplify its practical impact. Proposed projects must investigate new or understudied topics in psychology and law, enhance the diversification of psychology and law research through novel theoretical or methodological approaches that are cross-disciplinary in nature, and/or promote the impact of research by considering novel populations or new problems or processes within the legal system; the proposed project is to include collaboration with practitioners or policymakers.
Pre-proposal submissions will open on October 4 and the deadline is October 15, 2022. Selected pre-proposal submissions will be notified in November if they are selected to submit a full proposal and full proposals will be due in mid-December.
Pre-proposals can be submitted at awards.ap-ls.org. Visit this link for more information.
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The American Psychology-Law Society invites proposals for new authored and edited volumes on psychology-law topics for its book series (now published by APA Books). If you are considering authoring or editing a new volume, please reach out to a member of the editorial team. We would be glad to discuss your ideas with you.
● Monica Miller, Division 41 Book Series Editor, mkmiller@unr.edu
● Monique Bowen, Division 41 Book Series Associate Editor, mbowen2@antioch.edu
● Jemour Maddux, Division 41 Book Series Associate Editor, jm@rule702.co
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The 2023 AP-LS Conference will be held at the Marriott, Downtown, Philadelphia, PA, 16-18 March 2023.
You can direct any conference-related queries to the Conference Co-Chairs, Andrea Avila and Miko M. Wilford at conference@ap-ls.org. Please visit the AP-LS website for further conference-related news.
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On the Job or Postdoc Market? AP-LS Job Postings
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Newsletter Editorial Board
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AP-LS seeks to advance the science of psychology-law and the translation of psychology-law knowledge into practice. Our mission is to enhance the well-being, justice, and human rights though science and practice of psychology in legal contexts.
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