In Frontiers in Psychology, new work from Nova Fellow and director of the Center for Justice and Mental Well-Being Alan C. Logan, Invited Faculty Pragya Mishra, Scientific Advisory Board members Gregg Caruso and Colleen Berryessa, and colleagues challenges a core assumption of criminal justice systems.
Many criminal justice systems are built around the belief that people freely choose harmful behavior based mainly on character or willpower. Drawing on advances in biology and neuroscience, the authors show that decision-making is deeply shaped by factors like brain structure, metabolism, environment, and even the gut microbiome. Rather than simple “bad choices,” behavior often reflects a complex interplay of biology and lived experience—many aspects of which are outside an individual’s immediate control but can change over time.
This work calls for a reconsideration of how society understands responsibility, punishment, and prevention. By integrating emerging fields that examine how genes, environment, and biology interact, this research points toward more effective and humane approaches that focus on reducing harm, supporting behavior change, and addressing root causes. It suggests that justice systems grounded in science, rather than outdated assumptions, could lead to better outcomes for individuals and communities alike.
