OBJECTIVE This study examined the degree to which polygraph results affected evaluators' decisions regarding patients committed as sexually violent persons (SVPs) in Wisconsin. Specifically, we examined evaluators' opinions on patients' significant progress in treatment (SPT), suitability for supervised release, and suitability for discharge. HYPOTHESES We hypothesized that having failed a polygraph during the prior year would predict evaluators' opinions that patients did not meet criteria for SPT, supervised release, and discharge from civil commitment even after analyses controlled for other factors related to evaluators' decision making. Similarly, we hypothesized that patients taking and passing polygraphs in the year before the evaluations would predict positive recommendations for the aforementioned outcomes. METHOD All patients civilly committed under Wisconsin's SVP statute who had a Treatment Progress Report (TPR) and a Chapter 980.07 evaluation completed by a state-employed forensic evaluator in 2017 were eligible for this study; we selected a random sample of 158 participants. TPR and 980.07 evaluation reports were coded to reflect evaluators' opinions regarding SPT, supervised release, and/or discharge. All polygraph types and outcomes completed within the review period were coded. RESULTS Results indicated that taking and passing polygraphs significantly predicted favorable evaluator opinions regarding SPT after analyses controlled for other potentially relevant factors. Polygraphs were not significantly predictive of discharge or supervised release recommendations after analyses controlled for other factors. CONCLUSIONS Some polygraph outcomes may affect specific evaluator opinions regarding treatment progress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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测谎仪对评估者对性暴力者的决定的影响。


目的 本研究探讨了测谎仪结果对威斯康星州性暴力患者 (SVP) 患者决策的影响程度。具体来说，我们检查了评估者对患者治疗显着进展（SPT）、是否适合监管释放以及是否适合出院的意见。假设我们假设，即使在控制了与评估者决策相关的其他因素的分析后，前一年测谎失败也可以预测评估者的意见，即患者不符合 SPT、监督释放和解除民事承诺的标准。同样，我们假设在评估前一年接受并通过测谎仪的患者将预测对上述结果的积极建议。方法 所有根据威斯康星州 SVP 法规民事犯有治疗进展报告 (TPR) 和由州雇用的法医评估员于 2017 年完成的第 980.07 章评估的患者都有资格参加本研究；我们随机抽取了 158 名参与者。 TPR 和 980.07 评估报告经过编码，以反映评估者关于 SPT、监管释放和/或释放的意见。审查期内完成的所有测谎仪类型和结果均已编码。结果 结果表明，在控制其他潜在相关因素的分析后，接受和通过测谎仪可以显着预测评估者对 SPT 的有利意见。在控制其他因素的分析后，测谎仪不能显着预测出院或监督释放建议。结论 一些测谎结果可能会影响评估者对治疗进展的具体意见。 （PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2023 APA，保留所有权利）。