Witness testimony is also known to be flaky. We are entering a world where video can be faked(probably easy to tell currently if it’s fake but in a few years…).
Short of a confession(which honestly has its own concerns regarding how it was obtained, knowledge of their rights etc) , what are actually good evidence of someone’s guilt?
I can see possession crimes(the officer searched you and found meth hidden inside your sock) or financial (you claimed to have this asset and used it as collateral for a loan but that asset really belonged to your sister’s husband) but for example rape and murder cases what can be used as solid evidence?
Posession crims can easily be planted by the officer or someone else. The current US prison system is based around getting tax money for locking people up, so any evidence will be questionable while that money incentive is in play.
What’s even worse is that there is evidence that people trained to be eye witnesses, like police, actually perform worse than the general population because they over estimate the reliability of their memory due to said training.
Most forensic “science” is bullshit. Even DNA can read to wrongful convictions.
And hair analysis
And arson investigations
So much of it. Blood splatter analysis, voice print analysis, handwriting analysis, a lot of analyses involving firearms, etc.
Polygraphs, don’t forget polygraphs!
Oh yeah, polygraphs are homeopathy-level bullshit.
This is true but AFAIK you cannot use a polygraph test or its findings in court in the United States
Witness testimony is also known to be flaky. We are entering a world where video can be faked(probably easy to tell currently if it’s fake but in a few years…).
Short of a confession(which honestly has its own concerns regarding how it was obtained, knowledge of their rights etc) , what are actually good evidence of someone’s guilt?
I can see possession crimes(the officer searched you and found meth hidden inside your sock) or financial (you claimed to have this asset and used it as collateral for a loan but that asset really belonged to your sister’s husband) but for example rape and murder cases what can be used as solid evidence?
Posession crims can easily be planted by the officer or someone else. The current US prison system is based around getting tax money for locking people up, so any evidence will be questionable while that money incentive is in play.
It also shouldn’t be illegal to have meth in your sock
What’s even worse is that there is evidence that people trained to be eye witnesses, like police, actually perform worse than the general population because they over estimate the reliability of their memory due to said training.