Ya I went and still going through this with my husband,. They put my husband on a probation hold for being tired going into his poly. I know it's hard to not be nervous, but make sure that your son has a good night sleep and is well rested going into it. That is one big thing. They are going to talk to him before they hook him up and they are going to try to get him wound up, he needs to not let what the guy says get to him or else he will fail. They technically cant send him back to jail for failing a poly. They can not be used in courts mfor one and two they can't charge him again for the same thing. They can tell him that to scare him, but that is what they do. They want to set people up to fail. But let your son know that as long as he sleeps well the night before, doesn't let the guy giving the test get to him and stays calm everything will be ok

He can't go back to prison by failing the poly alone... that is a for sure.

My husband has anxiety... He was nervous about the first time he took it. He passed. He didn't have anything to lie about. Tell your son that if he has nothing to lie about, then there is no reason that he won't pass.

Polys are about what YOU believe is the truth, not what IS the truth. Because they are based off of heart rate, sweat and breathing if you believe what you are saying, a poly is as good as passed.

Tell him to not be nervous, I have not taken a poly but once in college I was hooked up to the machine and saw how it all worked... it looks scary, it feels like an invasion of privacy, but it will be over soon...

check out antipolygraph.org and have him check it out too.. might help him to research about it?

Thanks.. We're waiting. It might not happen but it might. I'll let him know about them 'prepping' him for it.

I know him, just the word 'computer' which put him in prison is going to do something. He's not good at not being nervous about this stuff.
The therapist says they have a good polygraph guy but if they make him take it I'm going to find my own. I don't trust them.

The Polygraph easily the worst thing I experienced on probation, I never had a penile plethysmograph which id imagine would be much worse.

What is the poly for? Is it a maintenance poly or a full disclosure?

I'm not sure what the poly is for.
Since his therapist, who also does sex offender treatment, and my son's PO have no history of anyone not having to take SO treatment they act, sometimes, like that's what he's taking.

The poly has been a question from the beginning. It's supposed to go with SO treatment but he's not taking SO treatment. I'm trying to find a new lawyer who might want to fight this battle. My son is so stressed out that it's put him in a dark place. He shouldn't have to take this, he shouldn't be a RSO.. so it's been really strange dealing with this stuff.

A polygraph is to trip up the probationer and get him to admit to something which might be an issue, possibly leading to revocation.

If a probationer fails a question on the polygraph----or if it is inconclusive----the examiner will quiz the probationer why he might have failed that particular question.

In an effort to "explain his way out of trouble" the nervous probationer all too often talks too much, says the wrong thing, and then he is really in hot water. The polygraph really acts as another interrogation tool.

When asked why he failed a certain question, a probationer would do well to just say, "I don't know," and leave it at that than trying to come up with reasons why he failed. Too much talking with anyone in LE is always a problem.

It is a lot like talking to the police---don't do it.

It is not anything about the management of sex offenders; it is about information gathering on the part of the PO.

rewdiazepam

My husband has completed SO treatment and isn't required to take anymore... but he still is polygraphed... He passes and we move on... Apparently the first time he went in, his PO said that he was the only one that passed that were his charges.

You can refuse but there will be consequences... an attorney will probably advise you that if there is nothing to hide that it will be easier to comply than to fight it as he is on supervision. And once he passes it, the PO will start to trust even more...

I was never on probation and never had a polygraph, but let me ask one question.

If an innocent person went to trial and was convicted and sentenced to prison plus probation after his release from prison, would he take a polygraph? I suppose he would if ordered, but could he still deny his guilt in a polygraph examination?

How would that work?

rewdiazepam

Expect them to say there is something wrong with the results. This is standard practice to try to get you to volunteer more information. Don't fall for it! If they say that just say "Okay". It's a trick!

Slow deep breathing helps you to relax. Pause before answering any question, then answer on an exhale. That's what I did. They should be asking you questions with a yes or no answer.... Not an elaborate answer. Exhale Yeeeessss, exhale Noooooo.

The poly is still not admissible in court but it is a tool for your probation officer to violate you. Just be calm and deliberate in your answers and you'll do just fine.

If he has been convicted and the appeals have been exhausted or the deadlines have passed, then YES they will have to comply and admit guilt. Even if they are innocent. It is the only way to complete treatment.

I know it seems stupid but who said the DOC did anything with logic...

If it's a full disclosure sexual history that is pretty uncomfortable. I felt like I was getting cross examined by a complete jerk and I didn't have much to hide. I don't understand why he had to take a poly if it was only MH therapy.

Rew, they wanted him to take a poly before sentencing and he refused. I don't blame him.

Would any person on this earth, innocent or not, be told they need to take a polygraph in order to live in society, what would their answer be? If you turned to your PO or therapist and asked them to take a poly, would they just think it was normal? , just part of their life. Taking a Poly is NOT NORMAL and no one else who's released from prison is made to take them. It's total BS.

Wisonsin... He's not on 'treatment'. He's taking short treatment for mental health., not SO.

I don't know how it works in your state Nak, but for me they wanted a sexual history poly, which as I said was a terrible experience. That was right when I got on probation. Then I had maintenance polys every 6 months.

I would imagine the parole and probation office are asking for a full sexual history poly from your son to "make sure" there isn't anything else he needs therapy for. Your son is in a very unique situation where the judge specifically said no SO treatment. I have never heard of any other case where that has happened.

What are everyone's thoughts on having Nak's son go back to the judge and try and block a sexual history poly since he is only in therapy for MH.

Nak, I am not arguing with you that it isn't right... but I know how the system works and when the system holds all the cards, one must choose their battles depending on what they are doing the poly for. It could be just a maintenance poly which isn't like a history poly.

Since it has worked in the past, going back to the judge and asking about it might be something that an attorney could do for you, but in my experience whenever you go back to a judge they could be a wild card and make something mandatory on you. Also, would this be considered a change in sentence if they were go back for anything other than clarification? An attorney's opinion is in order I think, because of the kind of case that Nak's son has.

My BF had to take a Poly shortly after being released from jail and put on probation. It was the complete history. They asked him about 50 questions while he was not hooked up yet, and then he was only asked 5 questions from all the 50 while strapped to the machine. The 50 questions were so stupid (have you had sex with an animal, etc). Completely ridiculous. They ask you the five actual questions three times and look for any difference in reaction. I think you can ask the polygrapher to reword a question if you don't feel comfortable. Remember, nobody can tell if you are lying. We are not that advanced yet. So, don't let that intimidate you. They can only sense reactions but have no way of telling if you are lying!! It is a machine that has been used for 100s of years. It can NOT tell if you are lying. I would probably fail because I get nervous, but as long as he sticks to his answer, they can not see if he is lying. Like Rew said, if they say there is an inconclusive response, just say "I don't know why that would be". They want people to admit to something. Don't ever admit to anything, unless it is harmless and not self incriminating. They pretend they can read your mind, and they CAN NOT! Breathe, and stick to your answer. My guy passed that one. He has a maintenance one coming up, but he has nothing to hide. Your son should be fine.