When there is a trial, some people are often afraid of polygraphs, this is understandable, since they can detect if you are lying or not. However, in most of the world, including Spain, these devices cannot be used as evidence in a trial, which is why this title: The polygraph serves as evidence in a trial.
However, they can be very useful to researchers, providing valuable information that can be used in other ways. On this occasion, we are going to talk a little about this and how it really works.
Why doesn’t a lie detector serve as a test?
Polygraphs are considered a pseudoscience, i.e., although they may serve as a guide, they are not legally accepted. That is to say, with the results they obtain through these, it is not possible to issue a conviction, even if the result is conclusive.
This applies not only in the criminal field, but in any other legal field. The results of the polygraph fall within the scope of what is known as expert evidence.
That is to say, although the result may be condemnatory, as long as it is not supported by convincing evidence, it would have no relevance.
According to some researchers, neurologists, psychiatrists and other specialists claim that there is not much basis to accept this as evidence. It is for this reason that the legal authorities do not take this as a real test even though it has achieved very good results.
How do investigators use a polygraph?
Today, polygraph testing is becoming more and more widespread and these devices are becoming more and more accurate. Although it is legally invalid in court, it can be used in other ways.
In the investigative field, this test is used quite frequently by intelligence agencies and even by the police. This can provide valuable information on where the research should be directed.
In addition, it serves to confirm hypotheses and other types of information, so it can become vital in investigations. So, this test has a lot of benefits at the police level to which you can get a lot of benefit.
the polygraph
How reliable can the results obtained be?
Generally speaking, the results that can be obtained by means of a polygraph can be quite reliable. This is because the body’s physiological variations do not lie, which means that you can achieve very good results.
Of course, the outcome of a polygraph test does not depend solely on the device, as other things are involved. For example, the software that records the results and the person who interprets the results.
Therefore, these results can be very variable, but generally speaking, the results you can obtain are quite good and accurate.
In this sense, we have that, for any research, the result that they are going to obtain is going to be important. That is why these tests are important, both for law enforcement agencies and for different companies that use them in different ways.
Can it be used in a defendant?
Regardless of whether the result of this test is taken as a legal test, it is important to mention that it can be applied at any time. However, legally, this requires the consent of the person who is going to undergo the evaluation.
That is, in the event that the accused or the investigated person refuses to submit to the polygraph test, it could not be performed.