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Author
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Topic: Testing mom on instructing daughter / molesting allegations
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citypopo7
Member
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posted 05-05-2013 09:28 AM
  
I work for a state agency and am called upon to administer tests for smaller agencies who don't have polygraph services. I was recently contacted about running a test on a dad who's 4 year old daughter disclosed that he put his penis in her mouth. There is a bad divorce going on between mom and dad and there have never been any allegations like this before against dad. The dad (with his attorney's approval) has agreed to be tested. However, now the investigator wants mom tested first on the issue of did she coach / instruct her daughter to say what she said. Mom has also agreed to be tested. I have never conducted a test on the issue of coaching / instructing. Have any of you? If you have, can you please give me some feedback or guidance. Also, if you can think of any reason why that type of test should not be conducted then let me know that as well. Thanks for your input. IP: Logged |
Barry C
Member
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posted 05-05-2013 11:18 PM
This issue came up here a few weeks ago (ugly divorce and all). The examiner used questions like "Did you coach your child to make a false report?" "Did you coach your child to lie to the police?" You want to test the issue (i.e., the behavior of the examinee), which is coaching the child to tell a fabricated story. You don't want to test on what the child did: "Did your child lie to the police?" is a bad question. You don't want to simply ask if she coached the child the make a report. That could be true. After all, if she told the child to tell the police the truth, she coached her, but there is nothing wrong with that. I would go through how the child allegedly made the disclosure. (The fatal flaws in the last case came when the examinee changed the story in to post-test, after a DI exam.) Either the child disclosed it on his or her own, or mom helped prompt the initial disclosure. Find out, as best you can, exactly what was said, when it was said, etc. That will be important in assessing the disclosure. It's possible a kooky mom asked, "Did daddy do so and so?" and the child said "yes," and mom helped develop the story from there, with more suggestions. If that's the case, mom may not have deliberately coached (which is what your question is). It's unlikely a mother would just ask the question out of the blue like that, but if so, the issue becomes one of suggestibility, and that's probably outside your area of expertise. You should already know how the disclosure was made (or claimed to have been made), making the out of the blue theory unlikely. I think the child was taped by the examinee giving his "spontaneous" story. (How lucky to have a recorder on at the time, huh?) In the pre-test, the examinee said that was the second disclosure - after the child was asked to tell the story one more time (for the recording). That was the first time the examinee told that part of the story, and then case went flush. IP: Logged |
citypopo7
Member
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posted 05-06-2013 11:26 AM
Barry, Thanks for your reply. My understanding of the case is that the girl disclosed this to the grandmother and then the grandmother informed mom. I understand what you mean by the “out of the blue” questioning by mom but that does not appear to be the situation in this case. There are some other issues with this whole case but that is typical. I was thinking about asking mom something along the lines of “Did you coach your daughter in making that allegation?” In my pre-test I would make sure mom understands what "that allegation" means. My reasoning: I don’t know if I should use the word false in the question because I think it gives the appearance that I have already determined the allegation is false. Any thoughts about that?
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liedoctor
Member
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posted 05-06-2013 11:59 AM
I believe I would test the father first. then, if he passes, mom would be my next subject...Just my 2 cents... IP: Logged |
Poly761
Member
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posted 05-07-2013 01:52 AM
The only reason I can think of not to test mom at this time is the allegation has been made the father committed a specific crime. The father denies the allegation and he is agreeing to submit to a test. As an investigator I would want to work on the primary issue and suspect. In this case, in a sense, he is being handed to the investigator. If mom were to be tested and scores NDI the father/suspect will still have to be tested. If the father scores DI I would hope an admission/confession could be secured (also resolves the coaching concern). Since an attorney is involved, during pretest, I would want to learn if the suspect was already administered an examination regarding this issue. If the father scores NDI what are the chances a prosecutor will pursue the mother? Slim to none? I believe it would be a waste of time & money to start with mom. END..... IP: Logged |
Barry C
Member
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posted 05-07-2013 11:04 AM
quote:
“Did you coach your daughter in making that allegation?”
All parents coach their children to talk the the police. It's natural. Just saying, "Tell the nice policeman what you told me" is coaching. The question is whether she coached the child to make a report she (mom) knew was false becuase she (mom) made it up and put the words in the child's mouth. The father is cleaner, and it is worth starting there if you can. Of course, that won't get you an admission that the allegation if false if mom is the real criminal here. IP: Logged |
citypopo7
Member
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posted 05-07-2013 05:05 PM
Thanks for the input. I spoke with the investigator earlier today and the decision has been made to test only the father at this time. Thanks again for everyones help. IP: Logged |
skipwebb
Member
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posted 05-08-2013 06:12 PM
Very good decision to test father first on allegations of child. If he passes, then move on to mom.IP: Logged | |
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