Integrative themes: Prospects for Developing a "Psycholegal Lexis"

The articles in this issue are analyzed for integrative themes, with a special focus on their relevance for the development of a "Psycholegal Lexis" (PL). These themes include (a) whether forensic case studies fall within the purview of "science," as envisioned by Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; (b) issues in implementing the PL proposal, such as the need for more systematic forensic case outcomes and the possible rigidity of a stare decisis use of forensic case studies; (c) the synergistic interconnection between the pragmatic psychology underlying the PL proposal and therapeutic jurisprudence; and (d) ways in which the 8 case studies in this series illustrate the value of creating a new, peer-reviewed, electronic journal database, with the tentative working title, "Pragmatic Case Studies in Forensic Psychology: Method and Database." The article concludes with a series of conceptual and practical recommendations for justifying and establishing such a journal.