Fairbanks, Alaska Sex Offenders Face Polygraph Screening

The Associated Press reports in “Convicted sex offenders will take polygraph tests” published 18 November 2006 by the Anchorage Daily News:

FAIRBANKS — Convicted sex offenders in Fairbanks will have to take lie detector tests as a term of their parole or probation.

Plans are under way to expand a polygraph test pilot program started last spring in Anchorage, said Portia Parker, deputy commissioner for the Alaska Department of Corrections.

“We have to know what’s going on in their heads in order to treat them better,” Parker said Thursday in remarks before a local civic organization.

Studies have found lie detector tests to be an effective tool in monitoring and treating sex offenders, Parker said.

Parker said almost 40 other states already require rapists and pedophiles to undergo polygraph testing upon release from prison. The practice has been challenged in court, but a federal appeals court upheld the use of polygraph testing on a convicted sex offender in May after a New York man sued, saying it violated his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination.

Results of polygraph tests are rarely admitted as evidence in court. “This has nothing to do with prosecuting people,” Parker said. “It has nothing to do with court. This is a treatment tool.

“It has a proven positive effect. It puts responsibility on the offender to change their behavior.”

Between 100 and 120 sex offenders are released from prison in Alaska every year, Parker said.

She said the challenge is having a large enough pool of polygraph examiners trained to work with the offenders. The pilot program in Anchorage relies on a contractor who travels here from Washington state.

“We’re not getting resistance from sex offenders to taking the polygraph, but they are being deceptive because they have been for years,” Parker said.

The National Academy of Sciences reportedly rates the median accuracy of polygraph testing on parolees at nearly 90 percent, provided the examiner is properly trained.

Alaska tops the nation for its prevalence of sexual assault and sexual abuse of minors per capita, according to Parker.

It is unclear on what basis it is claimed that the National Academy of Sciences “rates the median accuracy of polygraph testing on parolees at nearly 90 percent, provided the examiner is properly trained.” The NAS’s report, The Polygraph and Lie Detection makes no such claim. On the contrary, the Committee to Review the Scientific Evidence on the Polygraph found (at p. 2) that “Almost a century of research in scientific psychology and physiology provides little basis for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy.”

Comments 2

  • Some are required to register for much lesser crimes of flashing, prostitution, incest, and a host of other offences.
    Contrary to the media’s torch, grouping all registered sex offenders as dangerous.
    The DOJ in a report states American politicians and Law enforcement has lied to the public.
    Ask yourself why would anyone who wants to bring peace and happiness to earth, would wish their personal pain on the rest of the world?
    This selfishness is the reason victim’s advocates continue their terrorist style of activity. To share encourage suffering rather than peace is evil.
    See how 3 year old children have been placed on the registry and how citizens are held indefinitely after their sentence has been served.
    See it now on You Tube at
    http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=evil9999999999999999Webmaster@theevilnextdoor.com
    Fax:818.237.5599

  • “The National Academy of Sciences reportedly rates the median accuracy of polygraph testing on parolees at nearly 90 percent, provided the examiner is properly trained.”
    This is what her babys have to say about it.
    SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
    Basic Science “The National Academy of Sciences”
    Almost a century of research in scientific psychology and physiology provides little basis
    for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy. Although
    psychological states often associated with deception (e.g., fear of being judged deceptive) do
    tend to affect the physiological responses that the polygraph measures, these same states can
    arise in the absence of deception. Moreover, many other psychological and physiological factors .
    (e.g., anxiety about being tested) also affect those responses. Such phenomena make polygraph
    testing intrinsically susceptible to producing erroneous results. This inherent ambiguity of the
    physiological measures used in the polygraph suggest that further investments in improving
    polygraph technique and interpretation will bring only modest improvements in accuracy.
    Polygraph research has not developed and tested theories of the underlying factors that
    produce the observed responses. Factors other than truthfulness that affect the physiological
    responses being measured can vary substantially across settings in which polygraph tests are
    used. There is little knowledge about how much these factors influence the outcomes of
    polygraph tests in field settings. For example, there is evidence suggesting that truthful members
    of socially stigmatized groups and truthful examinees who are believed to be guilty or believed
    to have a high likelihood of being guilty may show emotional and physiological responses in
    polygraph test situations that mimic the responses that are expected of deceptive individuals. The
    lack of understanding of the processes that underlie polygraph responses makes it very difficult
    to generalize from the results obtained in specific research settings or With particular subject
    populations to other settings or populations, or from laboratory research studies to real-world
    applications. nearly 90 percent, provided the examiner is properly trained. Show us this we cant find any thing any where even suggest such a this if we read what the so called experts say half way soundsconvincing to us then every one will back slide in the end they will say its junk Sciences ok “testing on parolees at 90 percent accuracy” What we read is theirs real distinction one size fits all. “90 percent accuracy” What fry the 10% fry the 10% we know it’s more than that withsanctioned charging them $300.00 every test every 2 to 3 weeks draining their savings to say the least their different forms of abuse this is just one touchier. Plz Get back to us asap with facts proof on this “testing on parolees at 90 percent accuracy” The programs I know about it disrupts interferes with I could tell you how.Theirs allot of injustice we would like to clean up this is just one. If we call you on this plz corporate. Have fun peace. oh the federal and state government can use polygraph testing for job screening but privet sectors cant lol.

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