DIFFERENCES IN PSYCHO- PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIVITY RELATED TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENCE AND THE RELAPSE / REVEALED BY THE POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUE- ETHICAL ISSUES-

This paper proposes to highlight the ethical dimension of the polygraph examination (ethical conduct that should be taken by the examiner, especially in relation to those two categories of subjects in our research) and to establish if there are any significant differences regarding the psycho-physiological reactivity in the research made (between the recidivists and the primary offenders, on one hand, and between those who had committed minor perilous offences and those that had committed major perilous offences, on the other hand). For this matter the subjects were divided in four groups of 100 people each according to the gravity of the offence and their affiliation to the category of recidivist offenders or of primary offenders. The main hypotheses of the study were the following: It is assumed that the primary offenders have a higher degree of reactivity than the recidivists; It is assumed that the offenders who committed major perilous offenses have a higher degree of reactivity than those who committed minor perilous offences. The polygraph examiners must shape some ethical conduct, especially in relation to those two categories of subjects in our research that the results indicate a higher level of possible errors, namely the PG Group (primary offenders who have committed serious crimes), and the RU (recidivists offenders who have committed small felonies)