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...The CVSA is a modified "notebook" computer with a microphone attachment, and the microtremor content of the subject's spoken answers is displayed directly on the computer screen. When asked about validity studies of the CVSA, Dr. Charles Humble, executive director of NITV [which manufactures and markets the CVSA], replied:
Insofar as "research" that has been conducted on the CVSA, we decided very early on not to follow in the same footsteps as the polygraph only to find ourselves in the same position the polygraph finds itself in today. The CVSA is sold as an investigative tool and nothing more. Our students are taught that it is not to be used in court, to obtain warrants, or to in any way persecute anyone. The system was designed to identify innocent individuals and help remove them as suspects. All of our instructors teach that if a person is not able to "pass" the exam, it simply means that they are not eliminated as suspects--period.
I interpret this statement as meaning that CVSA users are encouraged to use the device as an interrogation tool for eliciting confessions...rather than as a test per se....
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2. Release form:[/i] Always make sure that a release form is secured (this not only protects the department, but gives the examiner a psychological edge - use it).