Would you take a lie detector test for a crime you DID NOT commit?

Question

I say hell no!! Yet if you don't take it ..you get treated like your guilty right? These things are not reliable and with so many corrupt police, can you trust them? I am just aksing this in relation to many cases in the media where if a suspect does not take the test they are assumed guilty. I don't think you can trust these things!!!!! and especially the police or detectives that adminsiter them.

I really dont think it is that simple....If you have nothing to hide then take it. Like bom said it is used for corecision. Just like you hear these over eager cops getting confessions out of innnocent people making them believe they committed a crime they did not. The next question is DO YOU TRUST THE LAW ENFORCMENT? if you do you need help and some strong medication. They are building thier carreers, they dont care about justice or you. I was in this situation when I was young and my thought was why take it, I did nothing wrong. Come to find out it was another neighbor kid down the street who keys up whtis car that I got blamed for. Now this guy is a sheriff, so what does that tell you. Also with all do repsect police are humane too. Even though you cannot use the result of a lie detector test in court it is enough to charge you and who wants a trial. Who wants to spend ten of thousands on a lawyer for something you did not do.

LETS FACE POLICE ARE CORRUPT AND OUT FOR THEMSELVES AND THIER CAREERS. If they dont have enough evidence to arrest why would you volunteer it. I DONT CARE WHAT THE STATS SAY, I will never take one of these!!! SEEMS I AM ALWAYS THAT 1 PERCENT!!!!!!!!! So if you are innocent then why would you take one of these is my thought, obviously they have nothing else on you anyways right?

Answer 1

The police already assume you are guilty when they arrest you, so refusing to take a polygraph will only serve as additional evidence to them, and you're not likely to change their mind if you pass anyway. The media also have a large presumption of guilt for anyone the police bring in for questioning, let alone arrest.

The important things to remember about polygraph exams are:

When conducted by a licensed and reliable examiner, they can be quite accurate -- conservative estimates are around 60-65%. This accuracy rate is equal to or surpasses that of eyewitness testimony which is routinely relied upon in courts of law without question as to its credibility or reliability.
Polygraphs are usually used only as a part of the investigation. The police in the US are permitted to deceive you about the results, so even if you pass, they can tell you you failed in an effort to get you to confess.

Answer 2

Lie detector tests and honesty tests should be reserved for instances when they are absolutely needed, such as for jobs where employees:

have access to large amounts of money
carry guns

Under the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, and the law in many states, most private employers are prohibited from requiring, requesting, causing, or suggesting that job applicants or employees take polygraph tests as a condition of employment.

Further, employers may not retaliate against job applicants or employees based on the results of a polygraph test or because of a refusal to submit to such a test.

Since the Employee Polygraph Protection Act became effective, polygraph testing of job applicants has been virtually eliminated by private employers. Behavioral or psychological testing has become more popular.

Lie detector/polygraph tests may be administered to:

certain job applicants of security service firms
certain employees of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers
Some states place additional restrictions on how lie detector tests can be administered and what can be asked. Click on any of the states shaded in yellow on the map below to learn about additional requirements for employers in those states. States colored blue do not have a law on the subject.

Answer 3

No. Lie detectors are mostly used as a tool of coercion, to gain confession. When a subject believes the detector really works, he cracks. there's a reason the results are inadmissible in court - they are unreliable.

Example: The operator will let you pick a playing card. Then 'calibrate' the machine, asking you, "Is it the 8 of hearts? Is it the 10 of hearts?" Etc. Once he names your card, he'll say something like, OK, it's working. The trick is he knew your card - it was marked. But now YOU think the machine was accurate. You think deception is impossible, so you crack. There are other such tricks like this

Answer 4

Seeing as how polygraphs are so unreliable, why would cops use a test as the sole evidence for a conviction? It'd be pretty hard to get a jury to convict only on a lie-detector test, especially if there's NO OTHER EVIDENCE around..

Answer 5

YES! However, I respect the right of anyone to refuse for whatever reason they may have.

Answer 6

If you aint got nothing to hide, what are you worried about? Take it.