The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.

The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.

Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.

The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.

The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.

Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.

The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.

The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.

Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.

The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.

The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.

Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.

Following release from prison, terrorist and terrorist-connected offenders are subject to robust risk management arrangements and stringent licence conditions which can include electronic monitoring, residence in Approved Premises and, where eligible, polygraph testing.

The Government commissioned a process evaluation to review the use and operation of the polygraph licence condition on offenders convicted of a relevant terrorist or terrorist-connected offence. Published in October 2023, the review found that polygraph testing had become well-embedded in operational practice and was viewed by stakeholders as an effective risk management tool. The evaluation concluded that polygraph testing can provide probation practitioners with risk information they otherwise would not have had, contribute to assessments of compliance, and support further investigative and risk management activity.

The process evaluation can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/652d3ed0d86b1b000d3a4fdc/use-operation-counter-terrorism-polygraph-examination.pdf.

The Probation Service has used polygraph testing for high risk sex offenders since 2014 and for terrorist offenders since 2021. In July 2021, the Ministry of Justice commenced a three-year pilot of polygraph testing with high risk domestic abuse perpetrators.

We will close three operational gaps in the use of polygraph through the Criminal Justice Bill.

Currently, certain offenders convicted of murder cannot be polygraph tested on licence even if they have also been convicted of a serious sexual offence, where the sentence for the sexual offence has expired before they are released on licence. The Bill will permit polygraph testing with those offenders convicted of murder who are assessed as posing a risk of sexual offending on release.

It will also make sure that an offender sentenced concurrently for a sexual and a non-sexual offence, where the sexual offence expires before or during the licence period of the non-sexual offence, can be polygraph tested throughout their entire licence period.

Finally, the Bill also extends polygraph testing to a cohort of serious offenders who committed a non-terrorism offence, such as conspiracy to murder, as an act of terrorism or for the purposes of terrorism but did so before the relevant legislation came into force, which enables the Court at the point of sentencing to make a formal ‘terrorist connection’ determination.

Prior to mandatory polygraph testing of high-risk sexual offenders on licence being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with such sex offenders was published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).

The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 introduced polygraph testing for terrorist offenders and came into force in June 2021. As of 12 July 2023, 92 polygraph tests have been administered by polygraph examiners working within the Probation Service National Security Division.

The Government committed to undertake a review of its use with terrorist offenders after a two-year period and report on its findings. The report will be a process evaluation focusing on specific points raised in the House of Lords including the numbers of terrorist offenders subject to testing, how results of polygraph testing have been used, the effect of testing on monitoring of licence conditions, and how frequently terrorist offenders are recalled to prison on the basis of polygraph test results. An impact evaluation is not feasible due to the low volume of eligible cases within this timeframe. The report is scheduled to be laid before Parliament in Autumn 2023.

Prior to mandatory polygraph testing of high-risk sexual offenders on licence being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with such sex offenders was published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).

The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 introduced polygraph testing for terrorist offenders and came into force in June 2021. As of 12 July 2023, 92 polygraph tests have been administered by polygraph examiners working within the Probation Service National Security Division.

The Government committed to undertake a review of its use with terrorist offenders after a two-year period and report on its findings. The report will be a process evaluation focusing on specific points raised in the House of Lords including the numbers of terrorist offenders subject to testing, how results of polygraph testing have been used, the effect of testing on monitoring of licence conditions, and how frequently terrorist offenders are recalled to prison on the basis of polygraph test results. An impact evaluation is not feasible due to the low volume of eligible cases within this timeframe. The report is scheduled to be laid before Parliament in Autumn 2023.

Prior to polygraph testing being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with high-risk sex offenders on licence was undertaken and a report published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).

In July 2021 the Ministry of Justice commenced a three-year pilot of polygraph examinations with high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators on licence. The aim of the pilot is to evaluate the efficacy of polygraph in managing high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators using a randomised control trial which is being independently evaluated by the Cambridge Centre for Evidence Based Policing. The pilot also includes a process evaluation and, as part of that, we will seek the views of external stakeholders, including victim and survivor groups, about the use of polygraph testing with this group.

At the end of the pilot, the evaluation report will be laid before both Houses and will be used to make a decision whether to roll it out across probation nationally. Once the evaluation has been completed it will be published on gov.uk.

Due to it currently being piloted, the polygraph policy framework does not currently cover testing of domestic abuse perpetrators. However, the policy sets out the general requirements for how probation practitioners must liaise with partner agencies when a sex offender or terrorist offender is subject to polygraph testing. They are required to inform relevant partner agencies that someone has a polygraph testing condition on their licence and of the outcomes of any tests which take place, including any significant disclosures the person makes. The polygraph policy framework is publicly available here: Polygraph examination policy framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Prior to polygraph testing being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with high-risk sex offenders on licence was undertaken and a report published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).

In July 2021 the Ministry of Justice commenced a three-year pilot of polygraph examinations with high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators on licence. The aim of the pilot is to evaluate the efficacy of polygraph in managing high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators using a randomised control trial which is being independently evaluated by the Cambridge Centre for Evidence Based Policing. The pilot also includes a process evaluation and, as part of that, we will seek the views of external stakeholders, including victim and survivor groups, about the use of polygraph testing with this group.

At the end of the pilot, the evaluation report will be laid before both Houses and will be used to make a decision whether to roll it out across probation nationally. Once the evaluation has been completed it will be published on gov.uk.

Due to it currently being piloted, the polygraph policy framework does not currently cover testing of domestic abuse perpetrators. However, the policy sets out the general requirements for how probation practitioners must liaise with partner agencies when a sex offender or terrorist offender is subject to polygraph testing. They are required to inform relevant partner agencies that someone has a polygraph testing condition on their licence and of the outcomes of any tests which take place, including any significant disclosures the person makes. The polygraph policy framework is publicly available here: Polygraph examination policy framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Prior to polygraph testing being fully rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with high-risk sex offenders released on licence was undertaken and a report published in 2012. The report is publicly available here:

The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Provisions in the Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 introduced polygraph testing for terrorist offenders, and those provisions came into force in June 2021. The Government committed to undertake a review of its use with terrorist offenders after a two-year period, and report on its findings.

The report will be a process evaluation focusing on specific points, including the numbers of terrorist offenders subject to testing, how results of polygraph testing have been used, the effect of testing on compliance with licence conditions and how frequently terrorist offenders are recalled to prison on the basis of polygraph test results. The report is scheduled to be laid before Parliament in Autumn 2023.