Mental health professionals are commonly asked to provide expert testimony on an individual’s future risk in legal proceedings.  In fact, in sexual violent predator (SVP) hearings (20 states) and death penalty sentencing (21 states) experts commonly present evidence on future risk, and it is the central legal question being decided by the court.  Unfortunately, the quality of expert testimony offered on these issues varies greatly.  My program of research explores how jurors are influenced by expert opinions based upon more scientifically accurate (actuarial risk assessment) and less scientifically accurate (unstructured clinical judgment) risk testimony.  It also examines if jurors' perceptions of the expert testimony can be affected so that they more accurately weigh expert testimony of different scientific quality.

Biographical Information

Dr. Dan Krauss is a Professor of Psychology at Claremont McKenna College and a plenary faculty member at Claremont Graduate University. His primary research interest is in the interaction of law and clinical psychology. He has published numerous research articles and book chapters relating to clinical psychological evaluations for the courts, legal and psychological expertise, and jury decision-making. He is the co-author of Forensic and Legal Psychology (Worth Publisher 2012), has co-edited three books, and is co-editor of the Law and Public Policy: Psychology and the Social Sciences book series by the American Psychological Association Press. Dr. Krauss is licensed to practice law in Arizona, is a member of the United States Supreme Court bar, and has served as a United States Supreme Court Fellow to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California, a diplomate in forensic psychology, and board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. In 2010, he was awarded the Early Career Research Award by the Western Psychological Association. Additional information about Dr. Krauss can be found at: http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/academic/faculty/profile.asp?Fac=251.