Editorial: Polygraphs play too prominently in sex offender treatment

5-28-17 Colorado:

The Denver Post Editorial Board

The 25 members of the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board need to overhaul their system for assessing the risk of and providing treatment for the state’s many incarcerated sex offenders.

Never has that been more clear than after reading how dependent the assessment and treatment system is on the use of lie detector tests, known as polygraphs.

The Denver Post’s Christopher N. Osher reported that Colorado has spent $5 million over seven years on polygraph tests for convicted sex offenders, used as a key part of determining whether these criminals should be eligible for release, and if so what supervision should look like. Often sex offenders are required to take multiple tests over the same subjects if they fail or have inconclusive results, with both the state and the criminals picking up the tab, and they regularly get tested as part of parole.

We’re inclined to agree with Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, that “it borders on a scam.”

We are glad to hear that over the years the role passing a polygraph plays in determining the future of a convicted sex offender has somewhat diminished. Passing a polygraph is no longer required for consideration of release, but a failed polygraph can still be a huge hurdle for an inmate to overcome and it requires repeated testing often at huge expense to the state or the felon. Officials are treating the imprecise tests like drug tests, which can also get false positives but are at least scientific enough to be admissible in court.

The Sex Offender Management Board needs a complete overhaul. We called for lawmakers to revisit sex offender sentencing and treatment laws in January after Osher reported the state was spending $44 million to hold 1,300 prisoners beyond their parole eligibility dates because they hadn’t received the requisite treatment. ..Continued..