When I was the manager at a retail store that had a major problem with "shrinkage" (theft by employees), I was required to take a Polygraph test in order to keep my job. I agreed. I had nothing to hide. Or so I thought!!
The administrator was one of the top 10 biggest idiots I have ever encountered in my life. In addition, the test itself was painful. I had a previously collapsed vein in my arm caused by an overly aggressive nurse determined to get everything she needed in one draw. Yet the administrator INSISTED on using that arm. He sneered while he asked the questions. He was a sarcastic schmuck. In other words, a complete jerk who apparently got his kicks harassing teenage girls.
While I had never stolen a single thing from that store EVER, I failed my polygraph test miserably. Completely.
I would never steal something if for no other reason than I know myself well enough to know I'd probably forget I stole it, wear it into the store a week later, and get busted.
*LOL*
Everyone else passed, and I know for a fact one of them stole something. Go figure? After being falsely accused and humiliated by the branch manager, I was demoted from manager to minimum wage sales clerk. Same hours and same job at a fraction of the pay. But I was telling the TRUTH!!
After stewing over it for a few weeks, I decided I wasn't going to get mad, I was going to get even. While I never stole anything myself, I did tell my friends to help themselves to whatever they wanted while I looked the other way.
I'm sure their expensive tests and false accusations did wonders for their shrinkage problem. They failed to catch the real theives, and got new ones to boot.
Since this experience, I don't trust those machines or their results at all. After a week sick in bed with nothing to do but watch dreadful daytime TV, I had to wonder how many lives have been ruined by false results on the likes of the Maury Povich, Steve Wilkos, Dr. Phil, etc. shows.