E-Petition re use of lie detectors pre-trial

[Rights Fighter]

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/PolygraphTest/

Lie detectors are considered accurate enough to use in parole applications and post-parole in order to check that an offender (and/or alleged offenders) are not re-offending.

They are not used pre-trial as they are considered to be inaccurate. Both assertions cannot be true!

Please sign this petition if you have not already done so.

Many thanks

[Raptorace]

What a pathetic reply from the government. New government now though, worth a new petition?
Personally I arranged a polygraph test at considerable expense to me so I could wave it at any person who possibly thought I could be capable of the rape being alleged. However no one that knows me has been in any doubt but I'm glad I have the test result just in case. I forwarded a copy to the police, don't suppose it will do the slightest bit of good. Will find out next week I guess....

[Rights Fighter]

I see I posted this back in 2008 - over two years ago.

I am currently working on (yet another) an appeal. In this case the guy took a lie detector test and was told by his solicitor and barrister that that evidence was inadmissible at trial. Being desperate, when he went to give evidence he waved the result (that he did not sexually abuse his daughter) towards the jury. The judge laughed at him saying "well Mr X, that was a complete and utter waste of £800 wasn't it????"

So that didn't work unfortunately - and clearly these tests are still not admissible at trial.

[LS]

It's because with the reliability of lie detectors being as unrealistically low as it is (63% to 97%) no one on the justice side would want to accept that a lie detector result showing someone's innocence might actually have any merit.

Far better to accept (their own) lie detector results showing the person to be guilty.