How reliable and accurate are polygraph exams?
While the polygraph technique is not infallible, research clearly indicates that when administered by a competent examiner, the polygraph test is the most accurate means available to determine truth and deception. Since 1980, a compendium of research studies — encompassing 80 research projects, involving 6,380 polygraph examinations, and 12 studies of the validity of field examinations following 2,174 field examinations — indicate an average accuracy rate of 98%. Are polygraph exams admissible in court? Contrary to popular belief, polygraph results are admissible in most courts across the country. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the issue of admissibility so it has been up to individual jurisdictions to allow or disallow them. Most jurisdictions allow them if both the plaintiff and the defendant have agreed to have the results of the test be admissible, prior to the examination being conducted.
