Forensic tool or scam?

This topic may seem confusing at first glance. Further research on the internet reveals the diametrically opposed views on a polygraph (lie detector): fortune telling or science?

We have relevant experience and can arrange polygraph tests in criminally relevant cases, which – depending on the scope and cost-effectiveness – can be conducted either with us or abroad. We fundamentally reject arrangements related to partner fidelity.

While polygraphs are highly regarded even at the CIA and FBI in the USA, they are not officially recognized as a truth-finding instrument in Austria and may not be “ordered by the authorities.” Although there is nothing wrong with a voluntary test (perhaps initiated by a detective), the result naturally has no legal relevance.

Nevertheless, in very specific exceptional cases, such as investigations that have stalled and seem hopeless, this method can not only be beneficial but also a ray of hope. Sometimes, even discreetly, for the police, whose hands are officially tied.

Because, as experience shows, the polygraph test means pure stress for the subject. It takes several hours with a specially trained psychologist and aims to register and interpret changes in respiratory rate, pulse, blood pressure, and skin resistance in response to pre-determined questions.

It gets interesting when a subject blurts out in haste, can’t handle the pressure, and ultimately even makes a confession. It becomes admissible when they divulge pertinent insider information. As an extreme example, if they not only confess to murder but also reveal the location of the body or the murder weapon.

A polygraph test can also be a lifeline for sought-after retrials. In Germany, in a civil case in 2000, it contributed to the reopening of the trial of a person convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 11 years in prison. The sensation over the acquittal obtained in 2010 was perfect.