UK POLITICIANS are considering new measures to combat domestic violence . Many elements of the government’s proposed Domestic Abuse Bill have been welcomed by campaigners, but it also includes a plan for those convicted of such offences to be regularly monitored after release with lie detector tests.

Lie detectors, also known as polygraph machines, measure changes in people’s pulse, sweating rate and other indicators, but they are notoriously inaccurate so it isn’t clear they can prevent reoffending.

The issue goes to the heart of a broader …