Original reporting and commentary about polygraphs, voice stress analyzers, and other purported "lie detectors."
In episode 102 of the legal podcast Excited Utterance, Vanderbilt University law professor Edward K. Cheng (@edwardkcheng) interviews Northumbria University senior lecturer in law Kyriakos N. Kotsoglou (@Kyri_Kotsoglou) about the use of polygraphs in the United Kingdom, with an emphasis on Kotsoglou’s new article, “Zombie Forensics: the use of the polygraph and the integrity of …
The Guardian’s science editor, Ian Sample, sits for a polygraph “test” and reports on the British Ministry of Justice’s growing reliance on the pseudoscience of polygraphy. Excerpt: The Ministry of Justice introduced compulsory lie detector tests for sex offenders in 2014. But now the controversial technique is poised to become more widespread in the British …
In a case that calls to mind Grogan v. Paolella et al. in the US, a polygrapher in the UK has sued a fellow polygrapher for defamation. The Independent’s Jerome Taylor reports: Lie detectors at war (but who’s telling the truth?) It’s not just Jeremy Kyle and Trisha Goddard who are rivals: the polygraph experts …
BBC News reports: Sex offenders to face lie tests Sex offenders in some parts of England and Wales could be made to take compulsory lie detector tests to see if they are still a danger to the public. The Ministry of Justice said a pilot scheme would test the use of polygraphs for offenders living …
BBC News reports on a call by the charity, Barnardo’s, for lie detector testing and GPS tracking of pedophiles in the UK. Excerpt: Children’s charity Barnardo’s is calling on the government to use lie detector tests and satellite tracking to monitor sex offenders. It claims pilot studies in the UK have shown promising results. One …
The Telegraph reports. Excerpt: Sex offenders will face compulsory lie-detector tests, the Government has announced. Ministers want to use polygraph tests on sex offenders who have been released from jail on licence. The move will ensure they are telling the truth about their behaviour, such as obeying bail conditions to keep away from schools and …
Don Mackay reports for the Mirror: PAEDOPHILES and other sex offenders could fool lie detector tests, experts warned yesterday. As part of bail conditions the Home Office is drawing up plans to use polygraphs to monitor whether sex offenders will strike again. But the British Psychological Society said the tests could be beaten – and …
BBC News reports. Excerpt: Convicted paedophiles would face mandatory lie detector tests in parts of the UK under plans put forward by the government. The measure is in the Management of Offenders and Sentencing Bill, which was published on Thursday. The Home Office says 148 tests have been carried out on sex offenders since a …
Independent crime correspondent Jason Bennetto reports: Sex offenders living in the community are to take compulsory lie-detector tests after a study found 85 per cent were reoffending or breaching parole, or had failed polygraph tests. The Home Office intends to introduce a law to force those offenders released from prison under community and probation orders …
Nigel Morris and Ben Russel report for the Independent on secret UK government plans to use voice stress analysis to evaluate work-related claims: Secret plans by the Government to use lie detectors to weed out fraudulent benefit and compensation claims were last night condemned as an invasion of privacy. Ministers are examining whether to adopt …