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<p>Sections 28 to 30 of The Offender Management Act 2007 (the 2007 Act) enable a polygraph
licence condition to be added to the release licence of certain sex offenders. Initially,
the condition was available in only eight Probation Trusts, by way of a pilot of mandatory
polygraph testing. In July 2013, following research by Kent University it was agreed
to make the condition available nationally.</p><p> </p><p>Several criteria must be
met for a sex offender to qualify for mandatory polygraph testing:</p><p> </p><ul><li>the
offender must be over 18;</li><li>the offender must be subject to a period on licence,
having received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more;</li><li>the offender must
be on licence for a specified sexual offence as defined by part 2 of schedule 15 to
the Criminal Justice Act 2003; and</li><li>the offender must be assessed as high or
very high risk of serious harm and high or very high risk of reoffending.</li></ul><p>
</p><p>In limited circumstances, offenders who are not assessed as high or very high
risk of reoffending may be required to undertake polygraph testing by way of licence
condition. For this to be approved, there must be evidence of dynamic risk factors
which indicate an increase in risk such that that risk may be mitigated by polygraph
testing.</p>
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