Can they make me take a polygraph???

[stefano]

I really hate what your family is doing to each other. I recommend you seek out help from a family counselor or clergy (if applicable). There is some deep rooted problem here that needs compassion and understanding, not polygraphs and judges. Life is short--all of you need to put more love into your hearts and work this out.

[sctopshelf]

  I believe you are most likely guilty. However, the sheer fact that you are posting on this wall clearly answers your own question. NOONE CAN MAKE ANYONE TAKE A POLYGRAPH.  If you had been made to take the test and your answers were of any true legal consequence, most likely you would be behind bars where access to this site is probably not on the daily activity guide. Just do right and you'll never have these concerns.

[Daniel]

In Massachusetts can you be forced to take a lie detector test? Can you refuse to take one?

[tiffany]

can i go to jail for false statement even tho it isnt false just worded wrong. can the cops make me take a lie detector test.what happens if i take it can they use the results in court can i go to jail

[stefano]

can i go to jail for false statement even tho it isnt false just worded wrong. can the cops make me take a lie detector test.what happens if i take it can they use the results in court can i go to jail 

Tiffany, I'm sure most competent people on this website would tell you to speak to a lawyer. The moderator often suggests this website: http://www.martindale.com/

Good luck.

[George W. Maschke]

Tiffany, depending on the circumstances, yes, it is possible to go to jail for a false statement. But the police cannot compel you to submit to a lie detector "test," and you would be wise to refuse. If the police had enough evidence to charge you with a crime, they wouldn't be asking you to take a lie detector test.

The "test" is often just a pretext for getting a suspect into an interrogation room without a lawyer present. Interrogation methods can be deceptive, manipulative, and coercive. Innocent people have gone to jail because they falsely confessed after being accused of deception on the polygraph.

As Stefano indicated, you really should get a criminal defense lawyer and not speak any further with the police without your lawyer at your side.

[tiffany]

thank you for your advice however i have been to a lawyer but just cant afford one. what are my options without one.

[George W. Maschke]

Don't submit to any offer of a polygraph "test" and don't speak any further with the police. At all. If you are charged with a crime and cannot afford a lawyer, a public defender will be appointed for you.

For more on why not to speak with the police, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE

[megan r 123]

I got a phone call a little bit ago from the police. I am being accused of takeing someones pain medication! They want me to come down to the station tommorow to take a polygraph test.. My question is do i have to take it? An if i dont what is the consiqences if i dont take it? An if i dont when they ask me if im ready to take what do i tell them when i say im not takeing it?

[George W. Maschke]

I got a phone call a little bit ago from the police. I am being accused of takeing someones pain medication! They want me to come down to the station tommorow to take a polygraph test.. My question is do i have to take it? An if i dont what is the consiqences if i dont take it? An if i dont when they ask me if im ready to take what do i tell them when i say im not takeing it?

Megan,

No, you do not have to take the polygraph "test" and you would be wise to refuse it (even if you initially agreed). Your refusal to submit to this fraudulent "test" is not admissible as evidence in a court of law. If the police had enough evidence to arrest you, they would have already done so. You don't have to offer any explanation as to why you're refusing to take the polygraph, but you might mention that you've read the information available on this website.

In any event, as the videos linked in this message thread discuss, you would be wise not only to not take the polygraph, but to not speak further with the police without a lawyer at your side.

[blah]

this crazy lady is trying to press charges on my mom and i bc she came over and fell asleep then left then forgot her purse here so she came back to get it. but now she claims she had $140 and thinks one of us stole it, can she make us take a lie detector test over that? we'll take it, but its very offensive especially if my mom was asleep and i was in my room on the phone.

[D.B]

a guys wallet was stolen from work and out of the 5 of us the cops want us to take a polygraph!!! i refused and now people at work point there fingers at me as if i did it! should of i have taken it? because i feel I'm going to lose my job! ALSO do it look bad if the other for guys said yes and all passed do it make me the bad guy for refusing? 

[George W. Maschke]

D.B.,

You made the right decision. Polygraphy is a pseudoscientific fraud. It is inherently unreliable, and as used by police, it is little more than a ruse for getting a gullible suspect to submit to an interrogation without a lawyer present.

You may indeed come under suspicion for refusing the polygraph. And more so if allthe others who agreed to be polygraphed "pass" this bogus "test."

However, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) prohibits private sector employers from taking any adverse action against an employee on the basis of polygraph results alone (or on the basis of an employee's refusal to submit to a polygraph interrogation).

Employers who violate the EPPA can be held liable for substantial damages. You may want to seek out a lawyer with experience in labor law.

[Fair Chance]

Dear Readers,

How sad that it is almost ten years beyond my polygraph "witch hunt" and I still keep reading about present days horrors concerning this device.

The bottom line: it is only as effective as the you believe it is.

Ten years later and the perpetuation of the "polygraph examiner myth" that they can detect truth from lies is still going on. Science is no closer than ten years ago in its ability to tell truth from deception using breathing, heart rate, and perspiration measurements.

Sit back, sip a good cup of coffee or a shot of Jim and think about the concept of someone being able to develop a thread of fact that somehow measures those body reactions.

A groom to be at his wedding is sweating profusely to the point that the priest offers him a towel to wipe his sweaty palms before the mass.  Is he going to lie about his proposed lifetime of commitment?  Maybe, just maybe, he realizes what a lifetime of commitment is and he is sweating over his ability to fulfill such a daunting commitment. His sweat and anxiety have much more to do with his realization and personal honesty that this is a big deal and he wants it to work. He wants to fulfill his dreams and commitment to a woman of his dreams.

Thank God that we do not polygraph an applicant to get married before they are issued a license. I think the rejection rate would even surpass the FBI's rejection rate!

That is one polygraph for sure that I would have failed. My wife will attest that after twenty-five years of dedicated marriage, sweaty palms during a promise of fidelity are a good thing! It proved that I did have many apprehensions and emotions upon that day.  My heart was beating quickly, my breathing  was altered, and my palms were spewing moisture at every opportunity. Thank goodness I passed her background check first or I would have never stood a chance!

Regards.

[stefano]

Thank God that we do not polygraph an applicant to get married before they are issued a license. I think the rejection rate would even surpass the FBI's rejection rate!

Thanks for that thought provoking discourse F.C. A novel idea would be to suggest that all Members of Congress submit to a lifestyle polygraph "exam" and when they refuse ask them to explain their pecksniffian stance whereby it's prudent for federal officers, but inappropriate for those entrusted with the welfare of the nation.