Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of polygraph testing in high-risk domestic abuse cases.

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)