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Thesifer
06-13-2005, 01:40 PM
I was sitting here thinking about it .. And wondering..

If the US Came up with a 100% Effective (No Mistakes EVER) Truth Serum..

Would you want it to be used for Court Cases? ...

I'm not sure how to figure out if its 100% Effective.. but if it were.. What
would your thoughts be?

Invasion of Privacy? Or a Better System then what we have now?
InfiniteNothing
06-13-2005, 01:53 PM
I think this would be an asset to the system.

Caveats:
It could be used only for felonies
Only questions of guilt on innocence could be asked (no motive or oportunity questioning)
A jury still had final say

Maybe Caveats:
It is not required
A religious objection exemption
CrystalDuck
06-13-2005, 03:11 PM
As a potential jury member, I'd like to know that whenever someone is under oath they are telling the truth. It's too hard to make a judgment based on the facts if someone is lying to you. I don't see why it should be limited to felonies, but I think that some new rules would have to be implemented. Perhaps the judge would have to okay every question or the witness would have the option to not answer questions. I'd rather hear nothing than hear a lie.
g222leav
06-13-2005, 04:26 PM
it's called ecstacy, and it comes in a pill form...
ShawnLee
06-13-2005, 09:52 PM
That's tough... I like IN's points. The answer then is yes, but no.

I'd like it to be used, but the truth inadvertantly leads to other things. Maybe a closed-session discovery phase where you and your lawyers could have a chance at clearing the record of anything irrelevant before admission to the public in court.
zenbooty
06-14-2005, 06:58 AM
I was sitting here thinking about it .. And wondering..

If the US Came up with a 100% Effective (No Mistakes EVER) Truth Serum..

Would you want it to be used for Court Cases? ...

I'm not sure how to figure out if its 100% Effective.. but if it were.. What
would your thoughts be?

Invasion of Privacy? Or a Better System then what we have now?
This would be acceptable only if all government officials were required to take a daily dose. And all corporate officers, for that matter :D.
molecularfire
06-14-2005, 08:50 AM
Yes. The purpose of the legal system is to figure out what happened. I don't see the logic in inhibiting that at every turn (claiming invasion of privacy and what not) and then criticizing the system for not getting the job done.
Gothic Girl
06-14-2005, 08:54 AM
Yeah, but there's telling the truth, and then omitting some of the truth. As a person who is involved in a lawsuit, I would not like that to be used on me. I'm not saying I lie under oath, but I don't always tell the whole truth either. It makes me wonder if you would spill your whole beans.
Bires
06-14-2005, 09:06 AM
If it was voluntary, it would be similar to a polygraph. People used to trust them, but lately people haven't because some people, through training/hypnotism, have been able to fool them.

I suspect, through American ingenuity, someone would find a way to defeat the serum, and we'd be back where we are now.
ShawnLee
06-14-2005, 09:08 AM
Yeah, but there's telling the truth, and then omitting some of the truth. As a person who is involved in a lawsuit, I would not like that to be used on me. I'm not saying I lie under oath, but I don't always tell the whole truth either. It makes me wonder if you would spill your whole beans.Well, technically you're supposed to tell the whole truth, but...

Here's my thing. Truth isn't subjective, but the way it spins is. Now, there are things in my life that I've done that would look really stupid if a judge asked me about it in open court but made perfect rational sense at the time. Now I'm a relative choirboy, but even for me there still needs to be a standard of allowing you to spin it for your own side.

And that's without even going into privacy issues.
riskykougra
06-14-2005, 02:40 PM
Well if they did come up with such a serum they better make sure it has worn off before the person who took it gets home to their significant other....or they may find themselves in alot bigger trouble. :gle:
Mathcop
06-14-2005, 02:57 PM
Well if they did come up with such a serum they better make sure it has worn off before the person who took it gets home to their significant other....or they may find themselves in alot bigger trouble. :gle:

:bow:

That's the important issue!
mcs328
06-14-2005, 03:48 PM
Depends on the question. Like..."Did you kill so and so". You're answer is "Yes". What you didn't add or needs to be asked next is "Was it self-defense or do you think it was necessary to protect your own life". Or maybe you're asked a question that has nothing to do with a case but the questions taints the jury because the questions reveals a perceived personality flaw or racism or something.