Mortified,
I suggest that you carefully read and re-read Chapters 3 & 4 of
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector. You'll learn how polygraph "tests" really work (and don't) and how to minimize the chances of your becoming a false positive. For further reading on polygraphy, see Professor David T. Lykken's book,
A Tremor in the Blood: Uses and Abuses of the Lie Detector. With regard to post-conviction sex offender "testing" in Colorado, there is an article in
Polygraph, the quarterly publication of the American Polygraph Association, titled "Integration of Polygraph Testing with Sexual Offenders in the Colorado Department of Corrections" by Peggy Heil, Sean Ahlmeyer, Burl McCullar, and Bonita McKee (Vol. 29 [2000], No. 1, pp. 26-35) which will be of interest to you. The article describes a ruse designed to encourage admissions whereby subjects are (falsely) threatened with increased sanctions if they fail to make admissions after a "deception indicated" outcome:
Quote:
Sanctioning Deception
The CDOC [Colorado Department of Corrections] is currently sanctioning deception as a means of improving the efficacy of the polygraph. It is common knowledge among polygraphers that the reliability and validity of polygraphy is greatly increased when the offender expects a consequence for lying....
Approximately 80% of CDOC sexual offenders tested without standardized sanctions continued to be deceptive on subsequent polygraphs. As a result, the CDOC developed the Colorado Department of Corrections Polygraph Sanctions Grid (CPSG) to improve the effectiveness of polygraph as a deterrent to reoffense and encourage admissions to deviant behavior. See "The Value of the Post-Conviction Polygraph: The Importance of Sanctions" paper in this issue for an in-depth analysis of sanctions being used across the nation.
The original idea for the grid design was presented by Walt Simon and John Murphy, community treatment providers, at a meeting to discuss these issues in March 1998. The SOTMP [Sex Offender Treatment and Monitoring Program] and Division of Adult Parole met numerous times to identify appropriate standard sanctions for sexual offenders who were deceptive on polygraph exams. The basic concept of the grid is an offender would earn progressively severe sanctions based on the severity of the behavior and whether he admitted to engaging in the behavior. The CPSG provides a comprehensive summary of disclosures, rationalizations made to explain deception, and question results. This system encourages honesty and applies an early intervention before the deviant behavior can progress to a sexual assault. The CPSG is available at the end of this paper.
...
The above-cited Colorado Dept. of Corrections Polygraph Sanctions Grid Form is simply used to encourage admissions by duping subjects into believing that they will be subject to increased sanctions if their polygraph test is scored as "deception indicated" and they make no post-test admissions.
If you haven't already done so, it would be prudent for you to speak with a lawyer regarding your situation.
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I am SO Scared (Read 7891 times)
