Are Polygraph Examinations Helpful in Criminal Investigation Cases?

Abstract

In 2012–13 police organisations of European countries started discussing whether polygraph examinations are needed in crime investigations. There are many who find polygraph examinations useless and outdated. Lithuanian experts working with polygraph examination have accumulated sufficient experience in this field; but we discovered that EU Member States have a different experience and regulations in this area. For this reason, we have prepared a questionnaire (Council of the European Union Draft Note No 18030/12) which was distributed among the Member States. The main purpose of the questionnaire was to find the best ways and practices to use polygraphs and other unconventional tools in the investigation of criminal cases, to combat serious organised crime and other offences. The first results of the questionnaire were presented in the summer of 2013 in the Council’s Working Party on General Matters including Evaluation (GENVAL) meeting and the final results will be disclosed at the end of 2013.