This exploratory study investigates utility of New Jersey’s sex offender polygraph policy. The findings: The polygraph is an essential tool in determining residency with minors but not the sole determining tool. There does not appear to be any definitive, comprehensive pattern to predict the selection of offenders for polygraph examination, to exam results, or to the changes made to offenders’ case plans postpolygraph This suggests that there is no alternative way to produce the tangible supervision and treatment effects of the polygraph policy The polygraph policy appears to increase the ability of parole officers to detect parolees’ failure to comply with conditions of supervision before they can escalate to behaviors warranting new arrest 80% of treatment providers report that one individual in the treatment group being polygraphed has an effect on the rest of the group o Polygraphing one offender in a treatment group produces a “vicarious” effect; individuals who have not been referred for or polygraphed have reactions to group members’ experiences o The policy appears to encourage honesty with parole officers and treatment providers o The domino effect is the most common; if one offender comes back from exam and says he came up deceptive, others will begin admitting their behavior