Lie detectors in UK courts?
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On tonight's One Show, forensic psychiatrist Don Grubin told us that lie detectors, also known as polygraphs, are 80 to 90% accurate. He pointed out that eyewitness accounts are only 65 to 70% accurate, and they're admissable as evidence in UK courts.
Also in the film, retired police officer Clint Elliot told us that polygraphs could be used to help steer an investigation the right way - speeding up process of bringing criminals to justice.
The family of Michael Shields believe that the tool could make a difference to Michael's case. Michael was convicted of trying to kill a man in Bulgaria, and his family believe that a lie detector test could help to prove Michael's innocence.
But lie detectors remain controversial - their test results are not accepted by UK courts, because of doubts about their accuracy. As Chairman of the British Polygraphic Association Bruce Burgess said: "The problem being that if you get a judge or jury accepting the evidence of the polygraph, it could be used as a guilty or innocent tool... and we could do away with the court. And we can't do that, it wouldn't be a justice system."
Do you want to see lie detectors in British courts? Do youÌýtrust the polygraph to protect the innocent and convict the guilty?
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