Some Psychodynamic Reflections On Polygraph Examinations With Sex Offenders
| Published date | 01 December 1999 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059904600404 |
| Date | 01 December 1999 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Some Psychodynamic
Reflections On
Polygraph Examinations
With Sex Offenders
With the approval of the authors of ’The Use of the Polygraph in the
Community Supervision of Sex Offenders’, Probation Journal
invited Jude Deacon both to offer some general observations and to
comment on the case for such methods made in that article. She
adopts a psychodynamic approach, in particular exploring the role
of external inhibitors to offending in the context of social and
organisational defences against anxiety.
n
being invited to comment on the
use
Statutory provisions for extended sentences
of the polygraph examination
and
periods of supervision
have
in work with sex offenders, as espoused by
substantially changed the work of the
the article The Use of the Polygraph in the
Probation Service, which is now invested
Community Supervision of Sex Offender
with the task of &dquo;exercising constant
(Wilcox et al, 1999), I initially found it
vigilance&dquo; over sex offenders (H.M.
difficult to do so. The West Midlands
Inspectorate of Probation, 1998). These
Probation Service Sex Offender Unit has a
changes have taken place within a social
well-deserved excellent reputation and a
climate of increasing fears about risks and
groupwork programme given pathfinder
expectations that statutory agencies can,
status by the Home Office. Influenced by
and will, accurately predict risk and
this and the credentials of the authors, it
omnipotently protect the public from all
seemed easy to concur with this
harms (Clarkson, 1997). This expectation
impressively evidenced piece offering
has been fuelled by increasing public and
reliable access to the truth about sex
media preoccupations with the perceived
offenders’ activities. On thinking about
dangers posed by sex offenders in the
such interventions in the context of criminal
commumity.
justice policy, I found it easier to identify
my reservations.
Legislative changes throughout the
i
1990s have raised the profile of the
Probation Service within the Criminal
In this context, it is tempting to welcome an
Justice System, and it is supervising
apparently objective and reliable device
increasingly more dangerous offenders.
that will help professionals to confidently
241
predict the risk of harm by accessing ’the
necessarily impact on the reasons for
truth’ about sex offenders’ behaviour.
denial. It may not, therefore, make it any
Indeed, one cannot argue with any
easier to formulate an account of what took
improvement to existing procedures for
place with which offender and practitioner
detecting and protecting vulnerable victims
can
both agree. Denial is an understandable
whose needs must override those of the
response to addressing difficult and painful
offender. Similarly, given beliefs about the
material. It is important to consider what
relationship between deviant sexual fantasy
function denial performs for the individual
and risk (Wolf, 1985), albeit that research
who may have severe difficulties within
seems inconclusive (Langevin et al, 1998),
their relationship to reality and be
practitioners may welcome any device that
employing it as an unconscious defence
assists them to engage offenders in this
against despair, suicide, or psychotic
notoriously difficult area. Whilst the
breakdown.
’penile plethysmograph’ may be able to
The polygraph examination suggests a
identify deviant fantasies, it would seem
denial of the boundaries between internal
that the polygraph examination can further
and external worlds reminiscent of the
confirm...
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