FAQs About the Polygraph
Background Information
The polygraph technique, known popularly as “lie detection” has been in use in the United States for almost a hundred years. Over the last few decades, polygraph examinations have proven to be one of the most powerful, robust and useful scientific tools in criminal investigations and personnel screening. It is routinely used in almost all major investigations in advanced countries employing this forensic tool. Prosecutors routinely make use of polygraph examinations to decide whether and which legal charges to file. It is well publicised that agencies like the CIA, FBI, National Security Agency, US Secret Service and the US Department of Defence etc employ polygraph examinations for investigations and personnel screening. Today, polygraph examination is used in more than 56 other countries world-wide, including Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. The U.S. with between 3 and 4 thousand active polygraph examiners in the government and private polygraph companies is undoubtedly home to more examiners than any other countries.
In Singapore, polygraph examinations have been used since 1977, mainly in government law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies and the military as a scientific tool for personnel screening, investigations and interrogation. The Prosecutor's Office also uses them to decide on charges to file. Since the establishment of Polygraph Investigative Services in 2001, local as well as regional private companies have engaged its polygraph services to help solve difficult workplace crimes and screen employees. Foreign government agencies have also engaged Polygraph Investigative Services to assist in their criminal investigation. Defence lawyers have also sent their clients for polygraph examinations.
What Does a Polygraph Examination Consist Of?
At the outset, the examiner obtains a complete background information on the case. The polygraph examination proper consists of 3 phases. During the first phase, the pre-test phase, the examiner discusses with the subject the issue under examination, thoroughly reviews all of the test questions that will be asked during the examination, and assesses the subject’s emotional and physiological suitability to undergo the examination. The testing phase consists of a series of tests where the subject’s physiological responses are recorded as the subject answers a set of questions reviewed earlier. During the post-test phase, the examiner reviews all examination data obtained and interprets the polygraph charts, from which the examiner will reach one of 3 conclusions – that the subject is telling the truth; that the subject is not telling the truth; or that the results are inconclusive. Upon completion of the examination a verbal report will be given to the client, followed by a written report which consists of a synopsis of the case information, a list of the relevant test questions, the subject’s answers, and the examiner’s opinion as to the subject’s truthfulness or deception. Polygraph examinations are strictly voluntary in nature and do not violate a subject’s human rights.
How Accurate is the Polygraph?
There are now about 25 research studies available on the accuracy of the polygraph examination. In ‘real life’ cases, researchers have found it very difficult to assess the accuracy of polygraph examination because the ‘ground truth’ criteria are often lacking i.e. it is not possible to find a representative sample with which one can establish with certainty who is and is not actually telling the truth. Based on the studies now available, experts assess the accuracy of polygraph examinations administered by a competent examiner to be about 90%. Level of skill and experience of the examiner plays an important part in the accuracy of the examination. Comparative studies have shown that polygraph examinations yield an accuracy that equals or exceeds that of many other forms of evidence. In one study, it was shown that polygraph examination produced an accuracy that was comparable to results obtained by document examiners and fingerprint analysts, and exceeded that of eyewitnesses.
The polygraph is often wrongly portrayed as a "lie detector". Nothing is further from the truth. What the polygraph does is - it records changes in the subject's stress level as manifested in his or her respiration, Galvanic Skin Resistance and cardiovascular activity when asked a series of test questions comprising control, relevant and "baseline" questions. The polygraph does not detect lies. In fact, its function is very similar to that of an x-ray machine - it does not detect illnesses. The polygraph examiner carefully studies all available case data and physiological data collected and make an assessment of the subject's truthfulness, deception or an inconclusive result. The process is highly complex and the accuracy of the result is dependent on the skill and experience of the examiner. The process is quite similar to how a doctor or surgeon makes a medical diagnosis. Hence it is erroneous to generalise and say whether the polygraph is reliable or unreliable. Rather, it should be whether the particular polygraph examiner carrying out the test is reliable or unreliable.
Is Polygraph Evidence Admissible in Court?
Although the polygraph has been in use in the United States for almost a hundred years, this technique is relatively new in the Asia Pacific region. There is no court ruling on the admissibility of polygraph evidence in most of these countries, including Singapore. In Japan, polygraph evidence is admissible in court. In the United States, most states permit polygraph examination results to be used as evidence where parties have agreed to their admissibility before the examination is given, under the terms of a stipulation. In one US state, New Mexico, polygraph evidence is admitted in the same way as other scientific evidence.
How Does Polygraph Serve As an Investigative Tool?
‘Smart’ offenders commit crimes in such a manner as to cover their tracks and make it difficult to identify the culprit or to prove guilt. Sophisticated crooks know how the authorities operate and they resort to countermeasures. In the workplace, the culprit could be one of many staff working in an office but there are no leads. Such a scenario is typical of many crimes committed. Routine police investigations in such cases may end in a ‘dead end’ and the employer winds up having to live with the uncaught offender. Investigators find themselves in situations where there is a complete lack of information/evidence, information gaps or only circumstantial evidence. Often, it is a case of one man’s words against another. At other times, different people give grossly different versions of the same event or a person gives an account that cannot be independently verified. In such situations, polygraph examination is the most effective means to determine the credibility of a person’s statement. It expeditiously and accurately guides the investigators to channel resources in the right direction by exonerating the innocent and narrowing down suspects or identifying the perpetrator. Investigative resources can then be focussed on gathering evidence on the culprit. Many a times, this leads to the guilty confessing his crime through skilful interviewing or interrogation.
On the other hand, the polygraph examination can also be used for less complex cases like determining the credibility of the statement of a witness, informer, suspect or an accused person in any investigation, or just an individual involved in any dispute. Our wide ranging expertise covers investigations into employee theft, commercial fraud, corruption, violent crimes, drug offences, industrial espionage, and threats to corporate security.
Why Use Polygraph for Personnel Screening?
Pre-employment Screening
While most job applicants are honest and hardworking individuals, some of them try to gain a job by misrepresenting their background, employment history, education, experience, and abilities on their resume and application. Consequently, some individuals are hired who eventually put the employer, co-workers, and members of the public at risk because of their inappropriate behaviour. Conventional screening methods like interviewing, checking with characters referees and past employers are inadequate, especially for positions of trust. Furthermore, conventional methods cannot be used to screen foreign employees. Even for organisations with access to criminal and other official records, they find that such records are inadequate. It is for this reason that many well-known organisations like CIA, FBI, US Department of Defence and private sector organisations rely on polygraph pre-employment screening. Polygraph screening often reveals reliable information not obtainable by any other means. These include concealing/falsifying background information or qualifications, criminal records, undetected crimes like theft from previous employers, fraud, corruption, drug offences, violent behaviour, membership of undesirable or subversive groups and other unsuitable behaviour.
With heightened security as a result of the September 11 attack, it is even more compelling for organisations, which are potential targets to consider polygraph screening to guard against infiltration or sabotage.
Polygraph Investigative Services looks into the different requirements of individual clients and develop customised screening programmes to meet individual needs.
Periodic Employee Screening
Periodic employee screening is akin to an organisational ‘health check’ to detect workplace crimes and malpractices early, before the cumulative effect results in considerable financial loss, damage to reputation or even bankruptcy. Security and intelligence agencies in advanced countries use it for counter-espionage screening. With the increasing reliance on computer technology and the Internet, computer crime has become a major concern among large corporations and law enforcement agencies. Security systems, internal controls and audits are not fool-proof to prevent computer and other workplace crimes like theft, fraud, corruption, collusion with vendors/suppliers, sabotage, theft of corporate or state secrets etc.
From time to time, one learns from the media about massive accumulated financial losses suffered by organisations as a result of employee theft, which went undetected for long periods of time. Most of these crimes are detected by accident. It is more and more apparent that corporate fraud is becoming a real growth industry of the 21st century. In the last few years, numerous local and foreign banks in Singapore fell victims to theft of milions of dollars by their own staff. In late 2001, bunker surveyors from more than a dozen Singapore companies were convicted of corruption. In 2000, an airline staff in Singapore was convicted of embezzling a staggering sum of $35m over 13 years. In Singapore's largest case of commercial fraud, a senior staff of a local brewery was convicted in 2004 of swindling 4 foreign banks of $114m over a four-year period.
In Singapore, the well-publicised case of the Football Association of Singapore using polygraph screening of players and match officials in the S-League to detect or deter corruption, is an example of this application.
Corporate fraud can strike to any company, anytime.
Contrary to popular belief, corporate fraud happens to good companies and effective managers.
Our decades of experience in polygraph personnel screening provides organisations with an effective proactive means to detect and/or deter such crimes. For many companies the time to act is now; for some, now is too late.
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