MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior

10/13/2026

Join the Boston Public Library on Thursday, October 22, for "Memory on Trial: Can We Trust What We Remember?", an interactive online presentation featuring Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director and Senior Fellow in Law and Applied Neuroscience at CLBB and the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School.

Dr. Tabashneck will explore how memory is formed and changed, including the effects of stress, trauma, suggestion, and interrogation. Attendees will learn what neuroscience can and cannot tell us about eyewitness testimony, false confessions, and the reliability of our everyday memories.

Register at the link in the comment section below.

10/08/2026

In a new article on Bill of Health, the blog of the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, breaks down the complex intersection of law and severe mental illness through the lens of the Lindsay Clancy trial.

Dr. Tabashneck examines why a severe mental health diagnosis does not automatically classify a defendant as legally insane. She highlights the critical distinction under Massachusetts law between simply knowing conduct was wrong versus meaningfully appreciating its wrongfulness, as well as the separate volitional question of whether mental illness impaired the ability to conform one’s conduct to the law.

Find the link to the full article in the comment section below.

10/07/2026

The adolescent brain continues to develop well beyond age 18, shaping judgment, risk-taking, impulse control, susceptibility to peers, and capacity for change.

On Monday, October 26th, the LA Law Library will host CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, during Pro Bono Week for “The Adolescent Brain in Court: What Every Lawyer Should Know.”

The one-hour presentation will translate research on adolescent and emerging-adult brain development into practical insights for lawyers working with young people and emerging adults. Using real-world legal examples, Dr. Tabashneck will explore what neuroscience can, and cannot, tell us about culpability, decision-making, and rehabilitation.

📅 Monday, October 26, 2026
🕛 12:00–1:00 p.m. PT
📍 Live via Zoom

Register for free here:

The LA Law Library is a selective government depository for both the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) and State of California materials.

10/02/2026

CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, and Senior Fellow in Law and Applied Neuroscience at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, was featured in a Q&A with the Petrie-Flom Center. In “Every Person Has a Story,” Dr. Tabashneck discussed her work at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and law, including her role in leading the CLBB NeuroLaw Library, which she describes as “a library that makes neuroscience accessible to attorneys, judges, and people who are incarcerated, so that they can better advocate for themselves using accurate science.” She also discussed the neurolaw training program CLBB developed with Edovo, training judges and other legal professionals in neuroscience, CLBB’s young adult diversion program with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, and amicus briefs addressing issues including solitary confinement and sentencing youth to life without the possibility of parole.

Read the full Q&A here: https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2026/09/30/every-person-has-a-story-a-qa-with-law-applied-neuroscience-senior-fellow-dr-stephanie-tabashneck/

09/29/2026

🧠 Rethinking Justice Through the Lens of Brain Science

The final session of the free four-part webinar series from the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior (CLBB) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) takes place tomorrow!

The fourth and final session, Understanding Cognitive Decline and the Financial Exploitation of Older Adults, takes place September 30 from 3–4 p.m. ET.

Led by Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD, Executive Director of the MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior and Professor at William James College, and Rohan Kandeshwarath, JD, Equal Justice Works Fellow at the MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior, this session will explore the latest scientific and medical understandings of cognitive aging and decision-making. The discussion will translate this research into practical guidance for legal decision-makers, while examining key legal issues including supported decision-making and advance directives.

The session will also address how legal professionals can recognize, prevent, and respond to cognitive decline and potential financial exploitation while protecting the autonomy and dignity of older adults.

Throughout the four-part series, CLBB and NLADA have explored how neuroscience and behavioral science can inform legal advocacy, client-centered practice, and justice system responses across the lifespan.

Register for tomorrow's final session. Registration is free: https://my.nlada.org/events/event-registration/?id=e8a6a357-a38a-f111-9b47-6045bd7fc845

09/22/2026

🧠 Rethinking Justice Through the Lens of Brain Science

The free four-part webinar series from the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior (CLBB) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) continues tomorrow!

The third session, Addictions in Court: The Science of Addiction and Implications for Practice and Policy, takes place September 23 from 3–4 p.m. ET.

Led by Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director and Senior Fellow in Law and Applied Neuroscience at Harvard Law School, this session will examine how scientific advances have transformed our understanding of addiction and substance use disorders. The discussion will explore the neurological, psychological, and behavioral factors that influence addiction, as well as the implications of current research for legal representation, sentencing, treatment recommendations, diversion strategies, and criminal legal policy.

The series concludes September 30 with a session exploring cognitive decline and the financial exploitation of older adults.

Designed for attorneys, social workers, mitigation specialists, investigators, judges, policymakers, and other justice system professionals, the series bridges the gap between research and practice, offering practical insights into how current science can inform legal advocacy and justice system responses.

Register for tomorrow's session or the full series. Registration is free: https://my.nlada.org/events/event-registration/?id=e8a6a357-a38a-f111-9b47-6045bd7fc845

09/08/2026

🧠 Rethinking Justice Through the Lens of Brain Science

The free four-part webinar series from the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior (CLBB) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) continues tomorrow!

The second session, Debunking Myths: Understanding the Science of Trauma and Memory, takes place September 9 from 3–4 p.m. ET.

Led by Judith Edersheim, JD, MD, Founding Co-Director of the MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, this session will explore how trauma affects brain function, judgment, emotion regulation, impulse control, and memory. The discussion will also examine how memories can be influenced or distorted, with implications for false confessions, eyewitness testimony, and other legally relevant contexts.

The series continues September 23 and 30 with sessions exploring the science of addiction and its implications for practice and policy, followed by cognitive decline and the financial exploitation of older adults.

Designed for attorneys, social workers, mitigation specialists, investigators, judges, policymakers, and other justice system professionals, the series bridges the gap between research and practice, offering practical insights into how current science can inform legal advocacy and justice system responses.

Register for tomorrow's session or the full series. Registration is free: https://my.nlada.org/events/event-registration/?id=e8a6a357-a38a-f111-9b47-6045bd7fc845&fbclid=IwY2xjawUDyr9wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUNQNExSZE9XTjFtWDNGMUxzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe4PNYadOxKlM_G2w5OKGydTJO_S6UaMBx72RxRA4r_Di9dCiOEErJgbEpRPg_aem_ULsYwApoSyyTlaH-Jj4hyw

09/01/2026

🧠 Rethinking Justice Through the Lens of Brain Science

A free four-part webinar series from the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior (CLBB) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) begins tomorrow!

The first session, The Developing Brain on Trial: Updates on Juvenile and Young Adult Justice, takes place on Wednesday, September 2 from 3–4 p.m. ET.

Led by Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD, Executive Director of the MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior and Professor at William James College, the session will explore what current neuroscience tells us about brain development, impulse control, judgment, foresight, and young people's capacity for change. The discussion will also examine the implications of this research for mitigation, sentencing, plea bargaining, and juvenile and young adult sentencing case law.

The series continues September 9, 23, and 30 with sessions exploring trauma and memory, addiction, and cognitive decline and the financial exploitation of older adults.

Designed for attorneys, social workers, mitigation specialists, investigators, judges, policymakers, and other justice system professionals, the series bridges the gap between research and practice, offering practical insights into how current science can inform legal advocacy and justice system responses.

Register for tomorrow's session or the full series. Registration is free: https://my.nlada.org/events/event-registration/?id=e8a6a357-a38a-f111-9b47-6045bd7fc845

08/26/2026

🧠 Rethinking Justice Through the Lens of Brain Science
📅 September 2, 9, 23 & 30 | 3–4 p.m. ET

CLBB's free four-part webinar series with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) begins next week!

This series will explore the growing body of neuroscience and behavioral science research that is reshaping our understanding of human behavior and its implications for legal advocacy, client-centered practice, and justice system responses.

The first session, The Developing Brain on Trial: Updates on Juvenile and Young Adult Justice, takes place on September 2 from 3–4 p.m. ET.

Designed for attorneys, social workers, mitigation specialists, investigators, judges, policymakers, and other justice system professionals, each session will bridge research and practice and offer practical insights that can inform representation, decision-making, and policy.

Join us for one session or the entire series. Registration is free: https://my.nlada.org/events/event-details/?id=e8a6a357-a38a-f111-9b47-6045bd7fc845&reload=timezone

08/17/2026

The Boston Globe recently featured the work of CLBB Affiliate, Dr. Abigail Judge, highlighting her efforts to support women experiencing trafficking, substance use, and homelessness at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston.

Dr. Judge is a clinical and forensic psychologist who cofounded the nonprofit Boston Human Exploitation Advocacy Team (HEAT). Through street outreach and a nighttime safe space, HEAT provides support to women experiencing sexual exploitation and substance use. The article describes HEAT’s use of wristbands bearing the names of women who have died from overdose or homicide. HEAT’s private cellphone numbers are tucked inside, allowing women to call for help at any hour.

Read the Boston Globe feature, “Inside the lifeline for trafficked women at Mass. and Cass,” here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/13/metro/inside-the-lifeline-for-trafficked-women-at-mass-and-cass/