[delichon]

The polygraph doesn't have to emit any useful data at all to be very useful in interrogations. Like a bomb doesn't have to have any explosive in it to clear a building. Interrogation is a head game and a complicated box with knobs and buttons and maybe even blinking lights makes a fine prop.

And there's enough ambiguity in it that it's easy for the operator to believe it helps. Like a dowser with their rods, a clergyman with a holy book or an astrologist with a horoscope. That gives them the power boost of sincerity.

[bigiain]

I'd like to say "I'm always surprised to hear that a government agency administers institutionalized mental abuse". But I'm not surprised at all.

ACAB, Including being B to other C.

[awakeasleep]

Everyone repeats this old canard but no one has any evidence even anecdotes to show that a polygraph machine is better than any other way to head fake someone in an interrogation

[lazide]

Why would it have to be better to still be used?

[Conan_Kudo]

If people believe it, that's enough. It doesn't have to be good, it just has to mess with people enough.

[IAmBroom]

It's dumber than that.

If the people telling the interviewers to use polygraphs believe the suspects will believe in polygraphs, it's enough.

[citizenpaul]

As normal HN shows that "power structures" completely eludes them as a group.

Here is why lie detectors exist.

1. They are legal. 2. Abusive interrogation of US citizens is not legal.

A polygraph is a risk assessment. If you break under completely safe sanctioned questions. You are gonna spill everything if someone from the others side is questioning you.

This person could have just shown up and shrugged for X hrs and they would have had no more than 1 polygraph every 10 years. Instead they kept doing exactly what the test is concerned about. How easy are you to break? Which is why they kept getting more and more tests. They were considered high risk.

[Anthony-G]

This comment reminds me of one of my favourite scenes from The Wire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgrO_rAaiq0

“Americans are stupid people, by and large. We pretty much believe whatever we’re told”.

“The bigger the lie, the more they believe”.