Another Volley in the Neurolaw Wars

The Times Online has a nice little article on the neuroscience of free will and the place of scientific findings in the courtroom.  It’s similar to the fantastic article that the New York Times ran a couple months back.

My inclination is to agree with the first commenter on the Times Online article.  The main insight provided by neuroscience should be that guilt, personal responsibility, and punishment are outdated concepts.  Because we can no longer distinguish between the person and the body, we have to start doling out prison sentences as practical measures, not a moral ones.  The role of the courts and prison system should be rehabilitative and deterrent, not punitive. Well that’s my two cents at least.