Ever since there has
been people roaming on this Earth, crime has existed. Criminal behavior is in
our blood. Throughout the years crime has evolved, which gave us the need to
evolve our crime solving skills, as well. We have increased our knowledge,
technology, man power, and anything else you can think of to answer each
criminal case with the truth.
One of these breakthroughs was the invention of
the Polygraph machine, or as most people referred to them as lie detectors. This machine could actually measure all the sign your body
gives off no matter how minuscule they are. Of course, like any other device
people are skeptical. For example, the Polygraph can measure deceitfulness only
if the examiner asks the right questions.
There have been ongoing arguments
about whether or not the Polygraph should be administered in court as evidence.
Speculators of the Polygraph machine argue that tests can be beaten by someone
who believes that they are being truthful in the answers they are giving. However,
the fact remains that this is only a piece of evidence and no case should be
solely based on a lie test.
There are some states that would take a lie test as
evidence, there are some states that are against it, and there are even some
states that give the test in court in front of juries. Today there are at least
17 states that now admit the results of stipulated lie tests and polygraphic
examinations as evidence. In my opinion, every state should allow for Polygraph
tests to be used as evidence in courts because there is one vital piece of
information I have not said yet; no one has to take the test if they do not
want to. It is only for cases where both parties have agreed to take the test.
In
today’s society the Polygraph machine is everywhere. There have been numerous
shows, books and movies using this almost century old science.
I also agree with you I think every state should allow the polygraph test, but only if the person agrees to do it. It is convenient and it saves time in finding out the truth. I also feel like lie detector tests are one of the best ways to scare somebody in telling the truth, and if somebody does not want to take a polygraph then that could mean they have something to hide. Over all it was a great story on polygraph.
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with you on this one, the polygraph in my opinion is just a tool to point you in the right direction kind of like a flash light. Even though polygraph test have been in the field for a long time, I still do not see them being admissible in court. There are a lot of problems with the polygraph and at time are often inconclusive with the results. I believe that police officers can use them as a guiding tool to find a suspect then collect evidence and statement against that person, in order to get a conviction. But I do not see the polygraph as enough evidence to help support the use of them in a legal court because the proof needs to be beyond a reasonable doubt to convict and I believe that there is plenty of reasonable doubt in a polygraph machine.
ReplyDeleteI would also have to disagree with you. I think the polygraph can be used in many different ways to help you form a case and decipher between truth and lies to an extent. But I do not think that it should be able to be used to base a criminal case on. It isn't reliable enough to put someone's future on the line. It can be beat sometimes and it can also be wrong. Because it isn't that reliable it becomes more of a liability in court than anything. As I stated earlier, it is a good starting point in terms of kicking off an investigation. Interesting viewpoint and post
ReplyDeleteIts a good idea, but the polygraph is not 100 percent accurate and there are numerous ways to beat a polygraph test. I wouldn't recommend having something in court that has alot of flaws. That is just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI took a polygraph while I was testing for the Normal Police Department. It was in a weird creepy mans basement. I didn’t get called back after that portion of the test to interview with the board. However, I did ask the guy how he came to do these tests for the department and he said that he attended a two week course and then passed an exam. That doesn’t sound like the most comprehensive training in the world. I guess if we use it to select our police officers we can use it to select our criminals. The problem with polygraphs is that they rely on a baseline and the differences to that baseline when certain questions are asked to tell if someone is lying. Fool the baseline and you fool the test. It can be done simply by tensing your body. Something so incredibly easy to fool should not be allowed in courts.
ReplyDeleteThe good old polygraph test is by far one of the most controversial items in American history. The reason being it goes against the 5th Amendment. I say this because you don't have to incriminate yourself and that is exactly what the polygraph test is designed to do. For instance, the polygraph detects deception and it works best if the administrator ask the right questions. So if your in the courtroom and the prosecutor is asking you questions that are bias and solely committed to you telling on yourself then this is unconstitutional. Administering these test would not give the defendant a fair chance. Another reason I would not recommend the polygraph is the fact that you can beat it. I believe the whole purpose of a polygraph test is to prove the defendant guilty. If the defendant beats the polygraph then it was no point in using it at all. This is just me though.
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree. Yes the courts should be able to use test results as evidence however they should only be able to use it as aseren87 pointed out above with the flashlight analogy. Its should only be used to point in a certain direction, because after all the polygraph tests aren't 100 percetn accurate. They are both beatable and faulty especially if someone is trained or has trained themselves to ultimately control their bodily signs when being asked a question. I disagree with the use because simply put thet aren't efficient all the time. By using yes or no questions you can only get so far. I also think that they shouldn't be used unless consent was given by both parties to take the test. Bottom line, is its a cool piece of technology, but it's getting more and more outdated. However until we develop something more accurate the polygraph will remain in use.
ReplyDeleteMy main problem is that many people know how to beat the polygraph test, and if the evidence is uses then it could really hurt the case instead of help it. There are people who are trained to know how to beat these kinds of tests. I do agree however, that in most cases the evidence would be very beneficial to the case. Would help find justice in the overall sense.
ReplyDelete