Polygraph E-Book at Issue in Federal Civil Suit

George Maschke writes "The question of whether a patient in the state of Iowa's Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders (CCUSO) may read AntiPolygraph.org's free e-book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, was at issue in a recently-decided federal civil suit (Willis v. Smith, et al.). The CCUSO relies heavily on polygraphs in its treatment program. The e-book in question provides relevant information that the directors of the CCUSO don't want patients to know. See, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector at Issue in Federal Civil Suit."

Comments

Forum post clearly biased.

[theapodan]

From the forum post:

"It seems clear that Smith and Steflik are concerned not so much with the well-being of the patients entrusted to their care as they are with protecting themselves from being held accountable by those patients for their ill-founded practice of making key decisions about treatment based on such junk science as the polygraph."

Suuure, theres no bias in this at all.

Lots of sensationalism though.

Re:depends...

[George Maschke]

The state of Iowa civilly committed the plaintiff in this case to a mental institution based on the argument that he is a "sexual predator" and a danger to society. He had previously been incarcerated for a sex crime, but he completed his sentence. So he is not now supposed to be being punished for his crime, but rather receiving treatment for a putative mental disorder.

For further information than is provided in the article, see the court's 35-page ruling (also linked in the article):

http://antipolygraph.org/litigation/willis/willis- v-smith.pdf

Re:*sigh*

[shaitand]

He is not an inmate. He did his crime AND he served his time. In this case Iowa very loosely skirted double jeopardy by persuing civil action against him after he was released.

The civil case got him ordered to treatment, so he is not a convict or serving time for criminal acts, he is being forced to seek treatment because he is messed up in the head.

Re:*My* Rights Online?

[wolf-]

Last I checked once you serve your time for a crime you no longer have less rights than the rest of us (unless you were released early under the condition you agree to have less).

Might I suggest you "look" some more then.

Voting "Rights":
* Only two New England states--Maine and Vermont--allow all felons to vote.
* Twenty-eight states prohibit felons who are on probation from voting.
* Thirty-two states prohibit felons who are on parole from voting.
* The states that prohibit felons who have served their complete sentences from voting are hardly the old Confederacy: Only five of the thirteen states fall in that category.
* Conversely, of the old Confederacy, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia all allow some felons to vote.

Gun "Rights":
* Under federal law, those convicted of a felony are forbidden from purchasing or possessing firearms and explosives
(exceptions: 1965 amendment to Federal Firarms Act of 1938 allowing felons to request "relief"

Seems that despite "serving your time" you are still not granted the same "rights" as other citizens. Why is that? A persons's "rights" ar eno longer valid when their "rights" trample the rights of another. The state has determined, that should you violate the rights of another, to the point of a felony convition, your then lose the right to participate in the democratic process (Amendment 15, 18, 24, 26)(And we wont go into the one person one vote garbage which is NOT in the constitution) and that you cannot enforce your desire to reobtain your rights to such through your "right" to firearm possession and ownership ( Amendment 2).