Polygraph Exams of Sexual Offenders

A relatively new approach to treating sex offenders has been utilized over the last few years with great success. This new approach employs a different strategy from that which has been used in the past. This strategy is known as the multidisciplinary team approach. The approach uses the proven methods of therapy, probation and polygraph that have been in place for years. Now they have been combined to become a very effective tool for managing convicted sex offenders.

The vast majority of convicted sex offenders are not confined and are living amongst the general population. This fact is a cause of major concern for probation and parole officers regarding their specialized caseload and how these individuals need to be monitored. During the past few years, probation and parole officers have learned that they have to supervise and deal with convicted sex offenders differently from their normal caseload. The therapeutic community has also learned that convicted sex offenders have different issues and behaviors that have to be addressed which are also remarkably different from other patients that they were used to treating. The therapists have also been challenged regarding the integrity of the sex offenders concerning their behavior while in treatment. This includes issues dealing with the denial of the offense for which offenders have already been convicted.

Through various forms of psychometric testing and other tools recently developed, the task of treating and monitoring sex offenders has become more focused. It was discovered that by having more open dialogue and communication between the therapist and probation officers, there was a very positive benefit of having a heightened awareness regarding the behavior of the sex offender. Recently, another component has been added to this team--a trained polygraph specialist.