California Prisons Ban High-Tech Lie Detector
On August 16, 2024, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) announced a ban on use of the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA). The controversial technology analyzes voice tremors that supposedly betray when a prisoner is lying. But it has been found scientifically unreliable—one expert said it was no better than using a “Ouija board or astrological chart.”
CDCR announced the policy change the previous May. Following its publication that August, a 45-day period for public comment expired on September 30, 2024, after which the rule change was slated to take effect.
Decades of research went into debunking CVSA, showing it is no better than a coin flip at determining truthfulness. As far back as 2008, the National Institute of Justice discovered in a field test that CVSA was able to detect only 15% of lies about drug use. Yet CDCR used the technology for over 20 years.
In 2017, prisoner Raymond Whitall alleged that Salinas State Prison guards beat him, and medical records documented his injuries. But his grievance was dismissed after a CVSA exam indicated he was lying. Whitall has filed a civil rights suit against the guards involved in federal court for the Northern District of California, where a trial is currently set for January 2025. He is represented by attorneys with Fenwick & West LLP, and PLN will update developments as they are available. See: Whitall v. Gutierrez, USDC (N.D. Cal.), Case No. 18-cv-01376.
A San Francisco Chronicle investigation found at least 13 other California law enforcement agencies continue using CVSA, primarily in the hiring process. Berkeley Police officials are now reviewing their use of the tool, which University of San Francisco law professor Richard Leo called “professional malpractice.”
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
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