Lie Detector Tests

[Holly Goodhead]

I understand JB passed the above but haven't placed much weight on it given they're not admissible in UK courts.

However I note the Gov is set to use them when deciding whether or not to release convicted terrorists. 

[Caroline]

I understand JB passed the above but haven't placed much weight on it given they're not admissible in UK courts.

However I note the Gov is set to use them when deciding whether or not to release convicted terrorists.

They don't detect lies, they detect stress reactions.

[steve_trousers]

Why not just go the whole hog and play spin the bottle, or toss a coin. Or how about using tarot cards to determine guilt or innocence. They have about as much scientific value. It's risible that some states in the US still think them admissible as evidence.

Lest us forget one famous example - the so called Green river killer, Gary Ridgway, passed his lie detector test and went on to murder another dozen women while the police switched their attention to some poor innocent fellow who failed his. It's clear that people react differently to these tests.

Given what we know, I find it astonishing that we are still talking about lie detector tests in 2020.

[Holly Goodhead]

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/21/lie-detector-tests-planned-for-convicted-terrorists-freed-on-licence

[Caroline]

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/21/lie-detector-tests-planned-for-convicted-terrorists-freed-on-licence

It doesn't matter who is using them or for what - they aren't lie detectors - they simply measure stressors