ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at criminology, investigative techniques in the field of polygraphs, and its controversial but arguably indispensible roots in biofeedback. Polygraph use in police psychology is one of the medical-psychological outgrowths of assessment and treatment originally tested in research settings. Police psychology offers effective and scientific lenses to scrutinize what may be the best attempt at reality and truth. The polygraph is one tool that investigators, clinicians, and researchers use in determining deception or truth. Polygraphs are used routinely in some departments for police officer and civilian candidates applying for law enforcement positions or promotion to higher status positions within an agency. Civilization requires precedents in establishing the weight of law. The polygraph can be the determining factor in the innocence or guilt of an accused citizen during lawful investigative procedures. Being a real detective/investigator is preparation for being a skilled and culturally competent polygraph examiner not vice a versa.
