Law and Human Behavior

Law and Human Behavior is published by APA and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Deception detection and forensic psychology, Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending and Jury Decision Making Processes, together about 37.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)

Law and Human Behavior, the official journal of APA Division 41 (American Psychology-Law Society), is a multidisciplinary forum for empirical manuscripts examining the interface between human behavior and the law (including the criminal justice and legal system, and the legal process).The editorial team is seeking submissions on diverse topics. The journal publishes original, theory-driven, quantitative and qualitative research from a variety of fields, including law, psychology, psychiatry, criminology, and criminal justice. The journal focuses on research with direct and significant implications for the policies of the criminal, juvenile, civil, family, and immigration legal systems and the functioning of other persons involved in these systems. Authors are strongly encouraged to situate their research in the law and discuss implications for mental health professionals, the legal system, legal practice, and relevant policies. Traditional topics for the journal include forensic and correctional assessment and intervention; law enforcement; eyewitnesses; interrogations, confessions, and deception; juries; therapeutic legal philosophies; approaches to punishment and supervision; violence risk assessment; and psychopathy. Research attending to matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion is desired. The journal primarily publishes empirical manuscripts, although methodological or theoretical papers that make a significant contribution will be considered. PRISMA-based meta-analytic reviews and systematic reviews of previous research also are encouraged. We are looking for manuscripts that deepen our understanding of current issues and/or expand the scope of inquiry about human behavior in legal contexts. More About The Journal

From the journal's Aims & Scope

Research area (LetPub): Multiple

CAS Journal Ranking

Database indexing

SSCIScopusLetPub

International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub

Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.

Impact

Impact factor

3.2LetPub · 2026-09-13

Impact factor (publisher)

3.2Publisher website · 2026-09-29

5-year impact factor (publisher)

3.5Publisher website · 2026-09-29

CiteScore 2026-06

5LetPub · 2026-09-13

SJR 2026-06

1.01LetPub · 2026-09-13

SNIP 2026-06

1.61LetPub · 2026-09-13

h-index

153OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

i10-index

1,503OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

2-year mean citedness

1.97OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

Self-citation rate

9.4%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Share of gold OA articles

39.37%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Volume

Articles per year

42LetPub · 2026-09-13

Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.

No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.

A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.

The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.

Publisher

APA

ISSN

0147-7307

Electronic ISSN

1573-661X

Society / sponsor

APA Division 41

Official links

• Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
• Submission system ↗Publisher website
• Special issues ↗Publisher website