Consensus Meeting Legal Psychology

Yesterday, at the Faculty Club in Leiden, approximately 35 legal psychologists from the Netherlands and Flanders came together at the Consensus Meeting Legal Psychology, organized by Jan de Keijser, Annelies Vredeveldt and Henry Otgaar. The aim of this meeting was to engage in in-depth discussions to identify areas of consensus and disagreement, highlight existing knowledge gaps, and explore what is needed to advance legal psychology as an applied science.

The afternoon featured lively and fruitful discussions on how legal psychologists can inform legal practice. Topics included the role of  statement consistency as a sign of credibility and the evidentiary sources necessary for writing expert witness reports. The meeting ended with reflections from Melanie Sauerland and Peter van Koppen about the future of legal psychology. Plans are underway to establish a Dutch Association of Legal Psychologists that meets annually, of which this meeting was the historic first.

We would like to thank all attendees for their thoughtful and insightful contributions.