What if a jury could decide a man's guilt through mind reading? What if reading a defendant's memory could betray their guilt? And what constitutes 'intent' to commit murder? These are just some of the issues debated and reviewed in the inaugural issue of WIREs Cognitive Science, the latest interdisciplinary project from Wiley-Blackwell, which for registered institutions will be free for the first two years.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100120085459.htm

Welcome to scary st central, please stay seated until the vehicle of your damnation has come to a complete stop...

15 years ago the CIA had proven 'recognition' reactions in the brain to stimuli. So they say words and show pictures. If you have knowledge of these things and recall they can detect this. I personally wouldn't have an issue with someone being hooked up to a polygraph during testimony at a trial. That said the polygraphs can be fooled so the more techniques we have for confirming truthful or incorrect statements the better.

If you don't want to be caught then don't commit crimes. It's worked out pretty well for me so far...

my only issue is with the inevitable abuse of the technology - ie: in government cases rigging of the machines to provide a false positive to convict based on a political adjenda

sort of like the voting scam when bush got in, risky risky stuff

annnnd.. what if the subject has a psychological case and feels guilt toward a crime they did not commit? (happens a lot when a family member feels responsible for the death of another even if it was out of their control)

i cite the episode 'Justice World' of Red Dwarf as an example :)

This is all bull----, the only lie detection technology allowed in a courtroom should be 100% scientifically proven in several double blind tests. Then and only then should it be allowed as evidence. Currently Australian courts do not admit polygraph evidence. Neither do american courts despite the FBI widely using the technology.

FWIW, the polygraph only measures a relative amount of stress and can be fooled by clenching your bum-hole and then releasing it slowly. Most polygraph confessions rely on the subject not knowing that the machine is not perfect and coaxing an answer out of the person once the test is over.

even the guy who invented it claimed that it was not accurate for testing people on questions of guilt...

:: Bother... said Pooh as he forged Christopher Robins suicide note.

Don't forget your psychopathic murders/serial killers who the majority of the time see their acts as moral and justified, and as such would have very little if any guilt at all...

Just check out the latest episode of house

:: They have those?!

hmmm, i really should get around to watchin that :)