NCJ Number
243791
Journal
Polygraph Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: 2013 Pages: 112-127
Date Published
2013
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article examines the role of polygraph examinations in 215 exonerations since 1939.
Abstract
Accelerated by the precision of DNA testing, the criminal justice system has seen an unprecedented number of exonerations from wrongful convictions. This article examines the role of polygraph examinations in 215 exonerations since 1939 and finds that the polygraph was an excellent guide to the truth in those cases. With such a record of success in real cases involving real people who were wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit, the polygraph should be used more often, in the interest of justice, to prevent future wrongful convictions and correct those which have already occurred. (Published Abstract)