Actually, Sluggo, perhaps you misunderstand or perhaps I just didn't say enough. When a polygrapher prepares for a polygraph, he or she first speaks with the detective or investigator in charge of the case. Before that time, the polygrapher usually knows nothing about the case. Because a criminal polygraph is what they call a "single issue" test (unlike a screening polygraph where there are usually multiple issues), the polygrapher asks the detective or investigator what the most important issues is. The most important issue might be whether the suspect touched that child's private parts. The single issue, then, is addressed in a question such as, "Did you touch that boy's penis?" or "Did you touch that girl's vagina?" A single issue polygraph is very, very focused, always on what the detective or investigator feels is the MOST important issue. The detective or investigator tells the polygrapher which most important question, based on the evidence, needs to be addressed in the polygraph. When people hire a private polygrapher--someone who freelances as a polygrapher, perhaps after his or her retirement--THEY play the part of the detective or investigator. THEY provide the polygrapher with the issue THEY want addressed. In the case of a defendant, the defense attorney requesting the exam plays that very important part. The attorney provides the issue to the polygrapher. Remember, the hired polygrapher doesn't know the case beforehand. In fact, the hired polygrapher often simply does an exam addressing the issue provided, and the chips fall where they may. So you see, when a polygrapher is provided an issue to address which is NOT the strongest issue that should be addressed, then the examinee may pass the polygraph. For example, in the above example, instead of being provided with "Did you touch that boy's penis?" the attorney might tell the polygrapher that the question should be "Did you force that boy to have sex?" Either act is a crime, right? But a defendant can easily rationalize his way out of the latter question if "all" he did was touch that boy's penis, rather than engage in penetration with the child. It is very, very important that the strongest issue be addressed. People are fascinating creatures. They can rationalize or justify just about anything, so it is important that, when the issue is addressed by the polygrapher, it be the strongest and most important issue possible. What Gino, George and others without experience don't know because they haven't been there is that very often when a person produces a false negative it is not because the polygraph didn't work, but because the correct issue was simply never addressed.
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