A wise old law proffessor advised my class never to take a polygraph. I ignored his advice because I graduated flat broke and badly needed a job as a prisoner advocate with the Maricopa County Sheriff's office. 

I naaively thought  scrupulous candor would get me through.  It did not. Questions about sexual conduct were so shocking  I was unexpectedly shocked and upset, undoubtedly causing erratic responses. Other questions were about  trivial youthful misconduct I had utterly forgotten, but though I was embarrassed I answered truthfully.

The test ended earlier than expected and I never heard any more about the job. 

I wish that wise old law proffessor had told us what I learned from this;  the polygraph works, if at all, by bluff.  I am occasionally asked about taking a polygraph. I  advise as my old prof did, do not submit to polygraph, if possible, and to his advice I add: if you must submit, do not admit  wrongdoing. 

Lie if you must. Certainly admit to nothing illegal.

If  the operator interprets you being deceptive, that's at most his subjective judgment,  not admissable in court. There still exists a doubt in your favor. If you admit wrongdoing, the test has worked by intimidation, and you have erased all doubts.  You can find yourself fired, even prosecuted.

That poly was for working in a prison setting, not required  for being a lawyer. The Bar knows polygraph is bogus.

Real irony is the level of scrutiny a lawyer endures to get admitted.  Far and away more than any other proffession. If I  rely on no evidence but a person's proffession to decide whether to trust, I trust an attorney over anyone,  knowing the strict scrutiny we pass before becoming an officer of the court.

Yet, a few lawyers prove  unworthy of trust later on and give the rest a black eye. Sadly, a flawless  history at the time of applying for admission is not an infallible predictor of  future honesty. 

If you think all lawyers are liars,  to avoid getting what  you  expect when you need one, you can and should check any lawyer's record with his/her bar.   

Gee, is that off the polygraph subject?

nonombre wrote on Aug 10^th, 2005 at 4:40am:


Even lawyers can make typos.  Confusing a typo with ones inability to spell is akin to assuming deception when none exists.

Mark Twain once said, "Any man who can't spell a word at least three different ways is narrow-minded"