Nicole,

In view of the public position I have taken, I have been forced to give considerable thought to the issue you raise.  My feelings are as follows:  The polygraph format most commonly used in this country, the control question test (CQT), results in considerable error...wrongly finding the innocent deceptive (false positive error) and also finding the guilty to be non-deceptive (false negative error).  As is the case with our judicial system as it applies to criminal defendants, I would prefer to have ten times as many of the latter error than the former, i.e., that ten guilty people be freed before and innocent individual might be falsely branded.  In order to likewise protect the innocent polygraph examinee from the inherent error in the process, others and I have determined that the only way, prior to various governmental groups ending these polygraph programs, is to provide countermeasure advice.  

Beyond this fairness consideration, with regard to the guilty, no deceptive polygraph result will be sufficient in and of itself to convict anyone, confessions can be obtained quite apart from the polygraph process, convictions are largely built upon good criminal investigative work, and because the CQT polygraph exam has very little diagnostic value, essentially any prop (photocopy machine, colander on the head, etc (both reported to have been used successfully in the past to obtain confessions) can be employed with equally satisfactory results in the hands of the skilled polygraph interrogator.  If serious diagnostic value from a polygraph exam is sought to aid in criminal investigation, information-based exams (discussed on other threads) should be employed.  Those which are central nervous system (CNS) based are much less likely to be able to be countermeasured as well.  In summary, the benefits of the CQT polygraph exam can be obtained through means other than a polygraph examination, these benefits do not justify the costs and damage associated with these tests, but if administered, the associated costs do justify the teaching and utilization of countermeasures.

Drew Richardson