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Items to be considered during the meeting that may be of interest to APLS members include: the renewal of APA’s recognition of forensic psychology as a psychological specialty, a resolution to oppose mental health screening questions on character and fitness examinations for licensure to practice law, a reiteration of APA’s opposition to discrimination in light of the resurgence of hate crimes and other forms of discrimination, a policy statement on APA’s position on race conscious admissions policies (in light of the current cases before SCOTUS), and an update to the APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major. Your Council Representatives, Jason Cantone (cantone@gmail.com) and Margaret Bull Kovera (mkovera@jjay.cuny.edu), will report back after the meeting with actions taken by APA. If you want to learn more about what is on the APA agenda or if you would like to provide feedback on any of these issues, please reach out to them.

To see the opinion, authored by Justice Barrett (with Thomas and Alito dissenting), see https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-376_7l48.pdf. Gorsuch cited APA’s brief in his concurring opinion: "…considerable research “[s]ubsequent to Congress’s enactment of ICWA” has “borne out the statute’s basic premise”—that “[i]t is generally in the best interests of Indian children to be raised in Indian homes.” Brief for American Psychological Association et al. as Amici Curiae 10–24" (p. 12 of Gorsuch’s concurring opinion). If you would like to help APA in its environmental scanning for appellate cases that might be informed by psychological science in the form of an amicus brief, please contact Margaret Bull Kovera at mkovera@jjay.cuny.edu, who chairs APA’s Amicus Curiae Expert Panel.

Every day, psychology and psychologists are highlighted in the news, and APA is keeping close watch. APA Media Watch is a weekly newsletter that distills mainstream news coverage of APA members, fellows and staff quoted in news stories as well as APA journals recognized by name and APA news releases referenced by major media. Best of all, it’s free.

In anticipation of the document’s upcoming revision, comments are being accepted for the 2014 edition of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, American Educational Research Association (AERA) the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) at https://commentinggov.apa.org/. Closing deadline for comments is 5:00 p.m. EDT on August 14, 2023. You may contact Marianne Ernesto (Mernesto@apa.org) with any questions.

Organizations that provide certifications in APA-recognized specialties and subspecialties may apply to be recognized by APA here so that individuals with a certification from the organization can have that credential listed in the APA membership directory. The Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology (CRSSPP) is accepting comments for the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology renewal application.

Closing deadline for comments is 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 7, 2023. You may contact Dr. Jennifer Taylor (jetaylor@apa.org) with any questions.

If you have not visited the AP-LS website recently, it has had a makeover! One of the resources we update regularly is the syllabi collection. Over the years, members have provided us with copies of their syllabi to share with other members. The collection has 70+ syllabi for undergraduate and graduate courses, and for several relevant courses (e.g., forensic psychology, legal psychology, mental health law, correctional psychology, psychology of juries). This summer, as you are preparing a new course or just want to refresh one, please check out the syllabi collection for ideas! And, if you have taught a course, please consider sharing yours on the AP-LS website! To submit your syllabus, use the online form that is also available on the website.

Bias is a pervasive aspect of human thought and behavior that influences how we perceive, interpret, and respond to the world around us. Individual biases, which may be implicit or explicit, also contribute to structural biases in the systems we create. Bias is a problem in the justice and legal systems because they are built upon assumptions of fairness and equality. 

Social scientists who study the justice and legal systems can contribute greatly to our 

understanding of bias and its underlying mechanisms, consequences, and potential 

interventions. It is critical for social scientists to address these issues and to disseminate our knowledge in an accessible manner. 

To this end, Law and Human Behavior seeks submissions for an upcoming special issue on Bias in the Justice and Legal Systems edited by Lucy Guarnera, Jennifer Perillo, and Kyle Scherr. We define bias as the influence of irrelevant factors (or the misapplication of relevant factors) to create systematic deviations in how people solve problems, make decisions, or form judgments.  We are soliciting submissions that examine the influence of bias in the justice and legal systems including, but not limited, to: 

• Attorneys (charges, disclosure, plea bargains, jury selection) 

• Civil (child custody, personal injury) 

• Education (school discipline, Title IX) 

• Forensic experts (selection of cases, assessment of evidence, formation of opinions, task relevance) 

• Immigration (legal status, deportation) 

• Incarceration and other legal sanctions (risk assessment, mental health, infractions) 

• Judges (excluding/limiting expert testimony, rulings, sentencing) 

• Juries (credibility assessments, deliberation, verdicts) 

• Law enforcement (stops, arrest, use of force, interrogations) 

• Military (courts martial, intelligence interviewing, information gathering) 

• Pretrial (detention, bail, access to quality legal representation) 

• Reentry & community corrections (probation, employment, housing, education) 

• Wrongful conviction, exoneration, & confession 

Because these systems consist of multiple decision-points, with the potential for one judgment to influence others, we will give particular preference to papers that examine the accumulation of bias at multiple decision-points within and across systems. Cumulative disadvantage and similar frameworks may be relevant here. We also encourage submissions investigating bias related to individual identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, sexual or gender identities, immigration status), as well as structural biases inherent in conflict resolution and adversarial processes (e.g., accessibility, availability of resources). 

We welcome submissions that use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods to address theoretical, methodological, and practice issues involving bias. To maximize the potential impact of this Special Issue, we ask authors to write in a manner that is accessible to readers outside their discipline, including lay readers. In addition, every submission must contain a section that explicitly addresses the practical and policy implications of the work. 

Authors interested in contributing a manuscript for the Special Issue should submit a 

nonbinding letter of intent by July 15, 2023. This letter should include (1) tentative title, (2) brief description of the manuscript in 500 words or less, and (3) all authors and affiliations. Please email letters of intent to LHB.bias@gmail.com. 

Authors who submit letters of intent will be notified if they are invited to submit a full manuscript for consideration. The deadline to submit a manuscript is November 1, 2023.  Authors should refer to the Submission Guidelines on the Law and Human Behavior website (https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/lhb?tab=1) and prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the Seventh Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Authors should submit electronically using the Editorial Manager web portal (https://www.editorialmanager.com/lhb/default.aspx) and specify in their cover letters that they would like their submissions to be considered for the Special Issue on Bias in the Justice and Legal Systems. 

Questions about the Special Issue or the potential appropriateness of particular submissions can be sent to LHB.bias@gmail.com or directed to the editors, Lucy Guarnera (lag8e@virginia.edu), Jen Perillo (JTPerillo@salud.unm.edu), or Kyle Scherr 

(scher1kc@cmich.edu). 

This year, Division 41 will feature 11 sessions and 61 posters.

Join us for an incredible conference with an impressive lineup of speakers and sessions that will enlighten and empower you. You won't want to miss our invited session on the Competency Crisis, where experts will address the national public health crisis surrounding competence-to-stand-trial evaluation and restoration services. We also have a social justice advocacy session that explores psychologists' critical role in de-criminalizing mental illness, and we'll hear from a panel of distinguished experts present a scientific review paper (2.0) on police-induced confessions, examining risk factors and recommendations. Our sessions are chaired by top professionals in the field, including Daniel Murrie, PhD, Tomina Schwenke, PhD, and Saul Kassin, PhD, and feature thought-provoking discussions led by esteemed psychologists. Don't miss your chance to join us for this unforgettable event and gain valuable insights into the most pressing issues in psychology and law today. 

We will also have our business meeting, our social hour, and several co-listed sessions with other divisions. Register now for an exciting and informative experience!

Registration is open. Find pricing and travel information at convention.apa.org.

Sarah Shaw has stepped down as Assistant Student Editor of the newsletter. We would like to thank Sarah for her hard work over the past 6 years. We wish her all the best in the future!

We welcome Jennifer McArthur as our new Student Assistant Editor. Jennifer will work closely with the other editors and the management team to continue to bring you relevant information.

The American Psychology-Law Society invites proposals for new titles in its book series, which is now published by APA Books. We publish authored and edited volumes on current issues at the intersection of psychology and law. Books are typically a state of the science synthesis of a body of existing research with implications for practice and/or policy. Authors and editors should have a substantial and recent track record of publication and/or practice in psychology or law, and at least one should hold a doctorate in psychology or closely related behavioral science. If you have a proposal for a new book in the series or you would simply like more information, reach out to a member of the editorial team. We would be happy to tell you more.    

The editorial board members are:

EDITOR

Meg Ternes
meg.ternes@smu.ca

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Taylor Petty

tepetty@usi.edu 

STUDENT ASSISTANT EDITOR

Jennifer McArthur

jennifer.mcarthur@dal.ca 

CONTENT EDITORS–RESEARCH BRIEFS

Kelly McWilliams
kmcwilliams@jjay.cuny.edu

Veronica Johnson
vjohnson@jjay.cuny.edu

CONTENT EDITOR–LEGAL UPDATE

Lori Hoetger
lhoetger@gmail.com

CONTENT EDITOR–TEACHING IN PSYCH & LAW

Casey LaDuke

ttc@ap-ls.org 

CONTENT EDITOR–CAREER CORNER

Kamar Tazi
aplsstudent@gmail.com 

CONTENT EDITOR–CLINICAL & FORENSIC PRACTICE

Danielle Rynczak
danielle.rynczak@umaddmed 

AP-LS seeks to advance the science of psychology - law and the translation of psychology - law knowledge into practice. Our mission tis to enhance the well-being, justice, and human rights though science and practice of psychology in legal contexts.

Archives of the newsletter are available at https://ap-ls.org/newsletter.

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 Division 41 of the American Psychological Association All rights reserved.