Do you think polygraph tests are a reliable way to find out if someone is lying? Or is a polygraph 'iffy' as evidence of lying? How many REAL criminals have been nabbed by polygraph evidence as part of an investigation? What other uses does polygraph testing have and can it be abused?
2006-09-24 13:06:01 · 13 answers · asked by carledwards99andtonystewart20fan 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
a polygraph can not be used in criminal trials, it is not allowed in US courts as valid evidence in any criminal procedure.
It is still used in some civil matters and also for employment testing but its validity is not accepted by US courts.
2006-09-24 13:08:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If there was a machine that could seriously tell you whether someone was lying or not, people would be buying them left and right. The polygraph is at best a guide, based on the experiences of the test administrator. Results are never specific or accurate, just accumulated and judged as a whole, which means they have little if any value as far as determining the truth. They more precisely determine the physical affects that the questions have on the subject.
2006-09-24 20:12:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
As a Criminal Justice grad, I can tell you that the polygraph test is indeed a useful tool in determining whether or not someone is telling the truth, but is by no means accurate. It IS more accurate than most people think, however.
I bet you're gonna get alot of answers on this saying it is easy to beat. That is FALSE! I'd say that maybe only one person in 50 could beat it. (In one of my CJ classes we learned how to defeat the polygraph--if you want to know email me and I'll elabortate. I did it twice druing the class using this method.)
It's not admissable in court, however, due to the fact that it CAN be beaten. But law enforcement usually ask a suspect to submit to one anyway, so if you're innocent it will behoove you to take it and pass it, as the cops value the results very much, unlike judges.
One thing to remember about polys: they measure stress from lying. So an insane person who has no guilt or stress about what he did, or doesn't even know he committed one, will pass the test. This is a major reason the test is inadmissable in court.
2006-09-24 20:32:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
The person in question is prepped before taking a polygraph (according to my roommate who is a Criminal Justice major) by filling out a type of questionaire thus giving them ample time to actually think about what is to be asked of them creating a bigger struggle to lie.
2006-09-24 20:33:40 · answer #4 · answered by suaveymcsuave 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had to take regular poly's on a job I had some years back. The machine works on me. We had a most skillful technician/interrogator in our company. He was able to use that machine to get me to admit to things that I thought would be secret forever. The machine works best on people who care about the degree of their honesty and have personal standards of honesty. The machine doesn't work on sociopaths who don't believe there is anything wrong with deception. The skillful interpretor can sort out the truth and deception and also recognize that person who is not a good candidate for poly testing if he has enough access to them. Problem is the person who is guilty has no legal requirement to submit to the test.
2006-09-24 20:20:38 · answer #5 · answered by Norman 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Polys measure physical responses. Physical responses can be caused by a variety of factors, however. Many DA's stay away from polys. They are now using voice stress analysis, which is more accurate and acceptable in court...
2006-09-24 20:40:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
i dont think the polygraph should be used to get someone on jail
its way too inaccurate
2006-09-24 20:10:48 · answer #7 · answered by alvaro the cool guy 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
yes ... theyre very accurate unless a person has been specifically taught to defeat them. however, as in any form of questioning there is the ability to manipulate an answer by asking provocative questions ... for example, they may ask somthing totally off the topic like did you ever have a sexual thought about ur mother ... then they could come to a conclusion that your lying and attack your character all around the actual question and answer to the crime making a person look bad....
2006-09-24 20:12:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Polygraph testing is fairly accurate, but some people have figured out ways to outsmart this device. It is not perfect.
2006-09-24 20:13:24 · answer #9 · answered by Bethany 6 · 0⤊ 5⤋
Not really accurate.......people can make themsevles beleive anything. Just like Goerge Constanza said, it's not a lie if you beleive it's true!
2006-09-24 20:10:57 · answer #10 · answered by cognitively_dislocated 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋