Cosponsored by the Judicial Institute of Maryland and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and funded solely by public funds from a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U. S. Department of Justice and assistance from the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, the JSS prepares judges to manage better cases involving complex science and medical issues.

The JSS will feature interactive sessions and hands-on laboratory work with brain cells and tissues. Judges, it is hoped, will now have a better grounding in bioscience and biotechnology to prepare for cases that may appear in future litigation or alternative dispute resolution cases. Topics in the area of neuroscience will include: brain development, neuroimaging, antisocial personality, neuro-engineering, insanity defense, the dementias and brain stem cells.

(Editor’s Note: See the next page for a sample of program highlights that are potential still photography and video opportunities and www.mdcourts.gov/windowsmedia/astarvnr.wmv for video news release. Media are invited to attend the sessions, but attendance must be coordinated in advance. For more information and to receive credentialing for the event, call the Court Information Office at (410) 260-1488.)

Gross Neuroanatomy Studio*                                               
Guided by JHMI neurosurgery residents and fellows, a series of case vignettes making claims about brain injury, illness, mis-wiring or genetic defect will be presented. Brain slices will be examined and larger-than-life brain models will be capable of disassembly. This lab will be repeated hourly through 4:30 p.m.

* The above series of case vignettes will be repeated at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Neuroscience and Technology Mini Electives  (The sessions will be held at 2:30 p.m.)

The State of Neuroimaging Research and PET Scans
Largely inadmissible until recently in court because of its experimental nature, the session’s instructor will demonstrate the kind of evidentiary exhibits typically produced by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans. Judges will discuss whether, in right case, would they order PET for confirmation of dangerousness or recidivism or propensities toward sexually predatory conduct.

Operationalizing the Insanity Defense                      
Judges will discuss the substantial uncertainty, which confronts the insanity defense in an era of encroaching neuroscience. Judges will discuss the extent to which insanity defenses raised in their courtrooms introduced novel evidence.

Neuro-engineering; implants and other prostheses             
What is the current state of the science and the technology assessment of brain implants and prostheses holding promise of overcoming brain-based disabilities such as vision loss, hearing loss, movement disorders and other prominent deficits resulting from aberrant development, genetic risks or injuries?  Judges will discuss when could/should brain prostheses be ordered by the court?

The Dementias                                                                      
The dementias come in many forms and our instructor will provide a classification by developmental age. The role of neuroimaging in diagnosis and prediction of the dementias will be featured. Judges will be asked to consider whether drug, radiation, laser, deep brain stimulation or transcranial magnetic stimulation were found effective in preventing dementias and thereby lengthening the period of lucid competence they would order a petitioner to undergo one or more such treatments.