Issues Surrounding the Use of Polygraphs

This is the transcript of a hearing by the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate for the purpose of taking the initial step of educating the Judiciary Committee on polygraphs, their accuracy and reliability, as well as the policy and potential legal issues that may arise from the use of polygraphs as a screening tool in the counterintelligence context.

There is a wide variety of opinions and research on the use of polygraphs. There are those who believe they are completely unreliable and actually detrimental to security. Others see polygraphs as an important tool in an overall security program. This hearing looked at the science and policy behind the use of polygraphs as a counterintelligence tool.