Polygraph - Honest people keep failing the polygraph, how is this fair and why do federal agencies keep using them?

Polygraphs are no better than the person administering the exam. While in Detective training, we were given a mini-course in how to operate and administer a test. We had all these fancy stats and successful investigations blown up our skirts right after I took a test and bald-faced lied about something asked (nothing incriminating, folks). Dummy said I aced the exam. Truth is, Carlos, there are hundreds of environmental, psychological, medical, mental, and physiological reasons that can affect an honest person's results. But the pre-exam and the capabilities of the operator "should" mitigate them. Conversely, a pathological liar can beat an exam, but a competent polygraphist should be able to see through the BS. Therein, lies the reasons why polygraphy tests are not admissible in CRIMINAL cases. They are admissible in CIVIL cases, and are pervasively used by private industry in the hiring process or internal issues such as thefts.

I hasten to add that I am referring to the public, the civilian world. The military has its own set of rules as to the application and admissibility of polygraph tests. Ten percent of the test is the subject's physical and mental state. Ninety percent is the polygraphist' skills and expertise.

And, I further hasten to add, it takes years to become an expert polygraphist, many years. I once met the top polygraphists in the FBI and the CIA. Some of those boys looked like they'd been around when Hoover was a Boy Scout (or, in his case, Girl Scout, I reckon).

I loathed taking the Lifestyle. I had nothing to hide, but even knowing the end game, I still defaulted to thinking about those post-its from work that made their way to my home, or that time that I lied to Mom in high school about why I broke curfew. My base-line always spiked, so I was highly stressed throughout the whole ordeal. Oh, and they asked such inane questions, I would laugh and have to be recalibrated. Sucked all around. But, I survived. :)

1SG (Join to see), many people confess to things when faced with a polygraph.....it is not always what the machine tells you, it is often what the person tells you themselves in fear of being found out by the machine.