Within the project on "Law and Emotions", the study on the "place of the victim" concerns the situation of the plaintiff in the criminal trial process. This is being approached through an analysis of the evolution of the law in relation to the role of the victim in the criminal procedure. The study also deals more generally with the victim’s place in society.

Does the status of victim exist at present? Is this status compatible with a fair balance between parties at law and the presumption of innocence? Do men and women react differently about these matters? What role do the media play in this field? These are a few of the questions that this project is attempting to answer. It is being carried out by a multidisciplinary team, working with foreign partners, particularly in Germany and France. The research team hopes to be able to present conclusions that will be useful for understanding the place of the victim today. These conclusions will benefit lawyers and victim assistance centres, both of which groups are associated with our present work.

The project on “organ donation” plans to study public policies to increase awareness about organ donation among the public at large and to promote the donation of organs. We will examine in some detail the motivations and feelings that media campaigns seek to arouse among the public. Moreover, the research work will attempt to highlight the mechanisms of development of the law as regards transplantation - particularly mechanisms involving emotion.

This research will allow us to gain a better understanding of the reaction of members of the public at large: whether they are favourable or unfavourable to organ donation. Furthermore, this project aims at analysing the effectiveness and legitimacy of non-constraining means of regulation as a complement or substitute for explicit legal norms.