Bigfoot is less pseudoscience than a 'polygraph'.
Posted on 06/13/2017 6:21:32 PM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
WATERLOO - Polygraph testing will soon be used to help supervise and treat local sex offenders.
The Seneca County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to contract with Michael Schank, owner of New York State Polygraph Service of Himrod, to provide the exams under the supervision of the county Probation Department, which will work in conjunction with the Mental Health Department.
The service was recommended by the Public Safety & Jail Construction Committee Nov. 28 as a part of the county's new comprehensive sexual offender treatment program. The initial suggestion came from William Kelly, a licensed clinical social worker under county contract. He and county probation officers Steve Acquilano and Tyrone Thomas provide group therapy for sex offenders.
“I think it's going to be effective,” County Attorney Steven Getman said Thursday. “Studies have shown you get more admissions by offenders about illegal activities, and the polygraph appears to act as a deterrent.”
He said a person is more apt to be truthful when submitting to a polygraph - also known as a lie detector - and that the state has been using the tests as an effective tool to monitor parolees.
Getman said a study by the U.S. Department of Justice found that more than half of the sex offenders nationwide were in violation of their supervision requirements, which resulted in them being given new treatment plans or returned to court for further action.
He said the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Albany ruled in May that lie detector tests can be used on sex offenders for the purposes of supervision, case monitoring and treatment.
“Other states are doing it,” Getman said. “It's been going on on the West Coast for 30 years. It started in the 1970s in Oregon and Washington state. As more funding becomes available, its use is being expanded.”
The county's contract calls for paying Schank $200 to $250 per test, depending on the level of complexity, as well as mileage. Offenders are to reimburse the county.
Testing will be at the discretion of program leaders.
Getman announced the formation of a task force Sept. 12 to oversee convicted sex offenders and coordinate county services to reduce recidivism and prevent the crime from happening in the first place.
On Sept. 28, The Board of Supervisors adopted a local law prohibiting Level 2 and 3 sex offenders from living within 500 feet of any place where children congregate.
“We've had no complaints or violations,” Getman said. “We've had no one attempt to challenge the law.”
Bigfoot is less pseudoscience than a 'polygraph'.
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