Sex offenders required to take lie detector tests
The Parole Board's new strategy will apply to 4,500 ex-convicts under lifetime supervision.
TRENTON - New Jersey sex offenders are now required to take lie detector tests to ensure they are obeying the terms of their parole.
The state Parole Board instituted the requirement as part of a new strategy to manage 4,500 convicted sex offenders who are under lifetime supervision.
Captain Anne McGrath, who heads the state's Sex Offender Management Unit, says 13 offenders have taken polygraphs so far.
"The public does have a right to be protected. . . . If we recognize a risk factor, we need to address that," McGrath said.
The Parole Board plans to update educators and police on the latest approaches to sex-offender supervision during a conference in Camden today. McGrath is among the panelists who will talk about the use of polygraphs.
Several states already use the tests, including New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In New York, the use of polygraphs on sex offenders on probation was affirmed by a state appeals court.
The tests are among various restrictions parole officers can impose on sex offenders they supervise. Others include limiting where they work and live, restricting their contact with minors, banning them from using the Internet or engaging in online chats, and requiring them to wear GPS tracking bracelets.
Lie detector tests are used to make sure offenders are telling parole officers the truth. Experts say the tests help parole officers identify high-risk situations for offenders and aid counselors in the treatment of sex offenders.
However, tests cannot be used as a basis to bring new charges against an offender, said Capt. Steven Tallard, who commands the South Jersey sex-offender unit.
McGrath said lie detector tests are similar to the use of urine samples to monitor drug use.
Polygraph testing can be expensive and time-consuming to administer. A polygraph machine costs about $10,000; it takes an additional $5,000 to train someone how to use it, McGrath said. And a lie detector test takes about three hours to administer.
New Jersey enacted the first sex-offender notification statute, Megan's Law, which requires convicted offenders to notify the state of their whereabouts so law enforcement agencies can notify the public about sex offenders living in their communities.