One of the worst things that can happen to anyone is getting falsely accused of something they did not do. Oftentimes this leads to court hearings and in unfortunate cases, the innocent might be subjected to possible jail time, especially if there is a lack of physical evidence to support claims of innocence. This is usually found in cases wherein there is a case of mistaken identity. Getting punished for something one did not do is quite frankly, a very unpleasant experience to say the least.
Witnesses of mistaken identity cases are usually unreliable as well as physical evidence might be lacking or inconclusive, which leaves the judge and jury to base the final decision on hearsay and unreliable witness accounts. One possible way to clear the accused is by holding a lie detector test. It is quite possibly the only way to clear one’s name especially if there is lack of supporting evidence. The polygraph exam is the decision maker for the entire case.
Is it really that reliable?
A lot of people who have witnessed a polygraph test keep on asking whether or not the results of the polygraph test is really accurate or not or how can they tell if the accused is lying or not since they have seen in the movies that polygraph tests can be beaten. While polygraph tests can be beaten in the movies, it remains beatable in the movies.
In the real world however, beating a polygraph exam can be really hard, especially when the examiner is a seasoned veteran in that field. This means that if the accused is lying just to get the sympathy of the jury, it will be detected by the polygraph and the same goes for the accused if he or she is telling the truth as well.
The machine and exam is only as reliable as the examiner overseeing it. These licensed examiners have been professionally trained and have graduated from an accredited polygraph school are well capable of overseeing the polygraph test.
But what if the accused is a minor?
There are instances that the accused might be well below the legal age, subjecting these individuals to a polygraph exam is possible as long as there is a written consent from the parent/s or guardian of the individual in question. However, one cannot subject the individual in question to a polygraph test if he or she is below 14 years of age.
Can nervousness make or break the exam?
While being nervous before any exam is quite natural, not being nervous before a polygraph test is quite rare, or if the person accused is quite confident that he or she is innocent. Nervousness alone though isn’t grounds to fail a polygraph test since the recorded spikes from being nervous is quite different from the spikes recorded because of lying which means that being nervous alone will not affect the results of the polygraph exam.
It isn’t really that uncommon for people to get accused of something they did not do. It happens all the time, around the world. What helps the wrongfully accused, as well as the jury in determining whether or not the person of interest is innocent or guilty is the polygraph exam.
