Polygraph Essay

2006 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History of Polygraph

The idea of a technique that can help people seek the truth has been around since 1878 thanks to the work of Angelo Mosso. It was not until later on that the polygraph was modified and used in conjunction with law enforcements. The polygraph was first used in 1895 and later on modified to modern technology and computerize around 1992. Polygraph has been around for centuries but is still an inconsistent technique and grounds for errors at court. The polygraph can cause the case in court to be grounds for dismissal and well as a mistrial. The polygraph also crosses the line within the Constitution specifically the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments by violating the due process and the self-incrimination guarantees which are part on these …show more content…

The polygraph is a very controversial topic when comes to the introduction of the techniques into court. The polygraph technique has not changed since first developed in 1895. What the polygraph does is measures the blood pressure fluctuation, pulse rate and respiratory rate changes. The rate of the blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate not only changes due to the body being stressed because the person is lying, but it also changes due to anxiety, anger and medical conditions. This will affect the accuracy on the technique and give inconsistent readings within the results (Gailus, C., 2008, November …show more content…

Louis, Kemper had confessed of killing her son and setting the house on fire after police officer had told her that she had failed the polygraph test. The judge in this case had let the information and the results of the polygraph come in to court as part of the evidence of the State. Later in the trial, the judge decided to call the case a mistrial as the jurors had heard and gathered too much information of the case that could sway their judgment. The case was also questioned in the matters of a suspect confessing to a crime after falsely having been accused of failing the polygraph test when in fact she had passed the polygraph. The defendant’s lawyer had stipulated to the Supreme Court that the confession had been corrupted by the detective involved in this case. Later on in 2006 the case had been blocked by the Supreme Court (Matthew, F.,

Show More
Related

  • Genovevo Salinas Case Study

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1992, Houston police officers found two homicide victims in a house at an unspecified time. The investigation of this homicide led them to defendant, Genovevo Salinas, where the police asked and the defendant agreed to accompany the police officers to the station where the defendant was questioned for about one hour. Police collected shotgun shells from the murder scene, which is the home of the two brothers that have been shot and killed. The defendant, without being detained and read his Miranda rights, voluntarily answered most of the police officer’s questions about the murder stated earlier. This interview lasted about one hour and both the officer and the defendant agreed it was a consensual encounter. He became very quite once the officer’s asked if under ballistics testing the casing, found at the crime scene, would match the shotgun the defendant owned. After this question the officer asked other questions and the defendant did answer the rest of the questions asked. Police also found a witness who said Salinas admitted to killing the victims. In 1993, Salinas was charged with the murders, but could not be located. 15 years later, Salinas was finally captured. The first trial ended in a mistrial. During the second trial the prosecutors used the silence the defendant had at this time, even over the objection of the defendant, as evidence of guilt in Texas state court. He was convicted, in both State Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals.

    Read More

  • Lie Detector Test

    437 Words  | 1 Pages

    George Maschke and Gino Scalabrini write, “But fear of being falsely accused may also entail physiological responses measurable by the polygraph and result in truthful persons being accused of deception” (p. 89). The America Psychology Association writes, “An honest person may be nervous when answering truthfully and a dishonest person may be non-anxious. (para. 7).Being nervous because of a test and being scared of being falsely accused could portray the idea of being guilty, when really that is not true. Someone just nervous because of the test could produce inaccurate results.

    Read More

  • Compulsory Videotaping Of Interrogations Research Paper

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    In today’s technology-reliant world, we are constantly aware of being videotaped as a means of documenting potential law-breaking as well as deterring future crime. Whether we’re shopping at a store or driving on a busy road, there are cameras watching at all times. Subsequently, many people might be surprised to learn that criminal interrogations are not typically recorded, and that the law does not require them to be. In a high pressure situation such as this, where there is certainly a chance of police officers using suggestible or coercive methods to obtain a suspect’s confession, it is of the utmost importance to require interrogations be videotaped. If confessions without a videotaped interrogation were inadmissible in court, there would be less likelihood of police-induced false confessions.

    Read More

  • The Use of Polygraph Testing in Law Enforcement for Investigative and Hiring Tools

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    The polygraph became a valuable tools used by the different varieties of law enforcement agencies as either investigative information for evidence. By the same token, used as a hiring process in the different departments. It is used to determine the truthfulness of suspects, witness, victims, informants, and in employees. Yet there is question on the accuracy of the results when they are turned out to be not as expected, and whether or not it should be used in the process of employment. This paper will explore and discuss the art of utilizing ...

    Read More

  • Jailhouse Snitch Testimony Essay

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    Snitch Testimony’s are one of the most common ways that someone is wrongfully convicted. “Jailhouse snitch testimony is arguably the single most unreliable type of evidence currently used in criminal trials.” (Covey 1375) They are extremely unreliable and the most persuasive to jurors. The issue is that many them are con artists, and will do anything or say anything to shorten their sentence or make someone else suffer like them. In a perfect world snitch testimony would be a wonderful thing. If someone did something someone would tell the authorities, and boom problem solved he would get punished. But, a lot of times they don’t always tell the truth. Why wouldn’t you tell the truth you may ask? Well, let’s just say that a detective gives a

    Read More

  • Reid Investigating Method: A Comparative Analysis

    241 Words  | 1 Pages

    In order to have a fully comparative analysis on the Reid investigating method and another alternative method, I am targeting three following psychological concepts to analyze the important components of forensic interrogation, respectively are non-leading open-ended questions, false confessions and components of communication. An interrogation conducted when it is believed that the person is guilty, so if a person is guilty, which may make them feel hard to confess the terrible things they have done. Therefore, whether an investigation would proceed smoothly or not is determined by the questions the police asked. it is fairly important for police to ask questions. Since the suspects are guilty and are rarely willing to tell the fact

    Read More

  • Psychology of the Polygraph Test

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although alterations have been made to protect the validity an minimize the error of the polygraph, the results are still dependant of the subjects physiological response. Although research has shown that these alterations do in fact minimize the inaccuracy of the results, no matter what changes are made, there is still a minimal possibility that one can wittingly breach the barriers.

    Read More

  • Ethics and Necessity of Truth in Criminal Justice

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    In addition to the inherent problems related to the validity of polygraphs, there are many factors that should be considered in determining a candidate’s suitability for a law enforcement career, and many dimensions to those factors, that a onedimensional means, such as a polygraph, cannot be the basis for a fair assessment. Due to such misapplications of the polygraph it is certain that well qualified persons have been passed over for police employment to the detriment of the agency and community, as well as to the potential employee. It is also certain that less suitable persons have been hired as the result of the polygraph when a more thorough, multidimensional background investigation would have weeded them

    Read More

  • A Polygraph Test

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    A polygraph test can record a person's breathing rate, pulse, blood pressure, perspiration and other significant physiological changes that suggest a person is lying, but it should not be used as evidence in a court of law because it does not provide reliable proof of a person's physical reaction to the stress of lying.

    Read More

  • Polygraph Testing: Inappropriate for Rape Victims

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Its accuarcy is being questioned and not many states actually allow to introduce evidence to the court based on polygraph test discovery. Some states allow a certain amount of such evidence being introduced, but mainly judges are skeptical when it comes to polygraph testing.

    Read More

  • Reliability of Polygraph Testing

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Means of lie detection were used far before the modern polygraph was invented. For example, in the 18th century, a person’s hand was placed in a boiling pot of water and if their hand burned, then they were determined to be lying (The History and Basic Facts of Polygraph, 2009). Eventually the...

    Read More

  • Does a Polygraph Really Dectect Lies?

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before knowing that polygraphs/ lie-detectors actually give truthful results, you have to know what they actually are. Polygraphs are lie-detecting tests that measures and records indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the person is answering questions that are asked. Polygraphs are machines that has many sensors and a heart rate cuff connected to the machine that are placed on your body. The sensors placed on your body and the heart rate cuff placed on your stomach will sense the way your body changes physically while you are answering questions that are asked. Sensors are also placed on the suspect’s fingertips. While being questioned a piece of paper will be determining your lies by a pen drawing on the paper your different rates from your body.

    Read More

  • The History of Lie Detection and the Role Played in Judicial Law

    2824 Words  | 6 Pages

    Grubin, Don, and Lars Madsen. 2005. "Lie detection and the polygraph: A historical review." Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology 357 - 369.

    Read More

  • Deciphering Truth: The Human Inability to Detect Lies

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    It measures blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity. Today they mostly use computerized recording systems (“The Truth About Lie Detectors”, 2004). A typical test is a pretest, where the technique is exlained and the questions are reviewed, then it goes on to questioning the subject where there are different techniques. One technique is the control question test (CQT). This technique is designed to compare responses to relevant questions to control questions. Another technique is the guilty knowledge test (GKT). The GKT that has multiple choice questions with concerns only a guilty person would know. The only way this technique can work is if the investigators have information that only the criminal knows. This test has been seen used in court cases, investigations and on the tv screen. It is widely thought to be a machine that accurately tells when a person is being deceitful. The polygraph test is highly inaccurate. The only way the polygraph test works is if the suspect believes the test works and confesses or becomes extremely anxious. The accuracy of the test is questioned because the evidence for large scale research on polygraph testing compared to individual testing does not match up. The CQT has significant error rates, failing to detect criminals and to misreading innocent suspects. The polygraph is also wrong in that it does not take account for education, intelligence and level of autonomic arousal (“The Truth About Lie Detectors, 2004). There are also ways criminals have learned to “cheat” the polygraph test. Many psychologist believe that there is little basis for using the polygraph in investigations though it is still used in non-judicial

    Read More

  • Cause and Effect Essay: Lying

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    Can you remember the last time someone lied to you? Or how about the last time you lied to someone else? Did you ever stop and ask yourself why? There are so many different reasons that a person might lie. Maybe a lie about something to keep oneself out of trouble, or even a lie to impress other people. But either way there are always going to be serious consequences or effects of lying.

    Read More

More about Polygraph Essay

Open Document