UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE

SIBALOM, ANTIQUE
COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION
Chapter II: METHODS OF DETECTING DECEPTION

STARTING ACCURATELY

Learning Objectives
When you have completed this chapter,
you should be able to:
• Know the methods of conducting
different early and ancient methods
of detection,
• Enumerate the different Forerunner
of Scientific Methods of detecting
deception, know the modern
methods of lie detection in
application to police work
• Know and understand the underlying concepts and factors behind the accuracy and
reliability of polygraph examination as well as understanding flow of the procedure and
the importance and functions of the primary components of polygraph machine.

STIMULATING LEARNING
If given a chance to choose which kind of trial by ordeal that you would experience to
prove your innocence of a crime committed, what will it be?
A. Being Placed inside a cage with the tiger
along with other suspects where those who
will be eaten will be deemed innocent?

B. Drinking the juice of a poisonous fruit and

hope you’ll never die for you to be declared
innocent?

C. Dipping your arms in a boiling water hoping

not to have burns to be innocent?

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 INCULCATING CONCEPTS
METHODS OF DETECTING DECEPTION

Early methods of detecting deception

ORDEAL, TRIAL OR JUDICIUM DEI IS A COMMON METHOD OF DECIDING GUILT OR

INNOCENCE
AND A PRACTICE OF REFFERING DISPUTED QUESTIONS TO THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD,
DETERMINED BY VARIOUS MEANS, PARTICULARLY PHYSICAL TESTS.

ORDEAL – A SEMI – MAGICAL METHOD OF DETERMINING GUILT OR INNOCENCE. THE

MOST PREVALENT WERE THOSE OF FIRE, WATER, AND THE WAGER OF BATTLE.

1. RED HOT IRON ORDEAL –

PRACTICED IN THE HILL TRIBE
OF NORTH BENGAL. The accused
had to walk nine marked paces while
carrying a red hot iron in his hands.

2. WAGER OF BATTLE – the

judgement of GOD was thought to
determine the winner, and the
defeated party was allowed to live as
a recreant, that is retracing the perjury
that had been sworn.

3. ORDEAL BY BALANCE –
practiced in the institute of Vishnu,
India. A scale of balance is used, in
one end the scale the accused is placed
and in the other end is a counter
balance.
4. ORDEAL BY WATER - in this type of ordeal, the water was symbolic of the flood of the Old
Testament, washing away sin from the face of the earth, allowing only the righteous minority to survive.
A. BOILING WATER
ORDEAL – consist of
lifting a stone out of a
boiling water, with the
hand inserted as deep
wrist and as deep as the
elbow for more serious
offenses.

B. COLD WATER
ORDEAL – it is the usual
mode of trial for
witchcraft. If then knot
tied near the suspects body
of the suspect is not wet
after submerged in water is
proven to be a witch.

5. ORDEAL BY RICE CHEWING –

performed with the kind of rice called
sathee/sathi, prepared with various
incantations. The person on trial eats
the rice, with the face to the east and
then spits upon a pea leaf.

6. ORDEAL OF THE RED WATER –

also known as the ordeal of the sassy
bark or red water is used in the wide
region of eastern Africa. Those
accused of a crime were forced to
drink a poisonous red liquid which
is actually emetic forcing them to
vomit all the counted food items
they swallowed. If some of the
foods were missing in the vomit,
they are held guilty.
7. ORDEAL BY COMBAT – the
aggrieved party claimed the right to
fight the alleged offender or pay a
champion to fight for him. If still alive
after the combat, the loser might be
hanged or burned for a criminal offense
or have a hand cut off and property
confiscated in civil actions.

8. ORDEAL OF THE CORSNEAD

(Ordeal by blesses bread) – a priest
puts corsnaed or hallowed bread into
the mouth of the accused with
various imprecations. If the accused
swallowed it he was freed from
punishment.

9. TEST OF THE EUCHARIST -

This was applied chiefly among the
clergy and monks. Drinking the juice of
a poisonous fruit called “Tangena”, the
accused will be spared from death if
he/she is not guilty of Angel Gabriel
will descend from heaven to save the
accuse.

10. ORDEAL OF THE BIER – In

England, it was customary for the
accused to approach the bier where the
corpse lay. In the view of the witness,
the wounds of the victim were observed
to see if they began to bleed again.
11. ORDEAL OF THE NEEDLE – a red
– hot needle was made to pierce the
lower lip of the alleged criminal and if
blood flowed from the wound, he was
deemed guilty.

12. ORDEAL BY HEAT AND FIRE –

the accused walked barefooted over red
hot coals, or was made to walk through
fire, if he was unharmed by fire he was
considered innocent.

13. TRIAL OF THE CROSS – the

accuser and the accused were placed
under the cross with their arms
extended or crosswise and the first to
move his hands or suffer them to fall
was held guilty.

14. TRIAL OF THE WAXEN SHIRT –

the accused was dressed in cloth
covered with wax and walked barefoot
over burning coals. If he was unhurt by
the fire and the wax did not melt, he
was considered innocent.
15. HEREDITARY SIEVE METHOD –
beans were thrown into a sieve as the
name of the suspect was called,
mentioned this ordeal. If the beans
jump out of the sieve, the owner of the
sieve is innocent. If the beans remained
in the sieve the person named is a thief.

16. DONKEKY’S TAIL ORDEAL -

The suspect is required to enter a dark
tent and inside the tent is a donkey.
The tail of this donkey is covered with
soot. The suspect is told to pull the tail
of the donkey. When the suspect
comes out with a dirty hand, he is not
guilty as he is not afraid to pull the
donkeys tail because he did not
commit any wrong. A person who
comes out of the tent with a clean hand
is presumed guilty as he is afraid to
pull the donkey's tail, a manifestation
of guilt at that time.

17. ORDEAL OF THE TIGER – the

accused and accuser are placed inside
a cage of a tiger, if the tiger spare one
of them he is considered innocent.
POPULAR COUNTRIES THAT PRACTICED TRIAL BY ORDEAL

• Burma – the accuser and the accused were given each identical candle and both were lighted at
the same time. The holder of the candle that consumed faster was adjudged the liar.
• Borneo – The accuser and the accused were presented by shell fish placed on a plate. An
irritating fluid was then poured on the shell fish and the litigant whose shell fish moved first was
adjudged the winner.
• Greece – A suspended axe was spun at the center of a group of suspects. When the axe stopped,
whoever was in the line with the blade was supposed to be guilty as pointed out by the divine
providence.
• Nigeria – The priest greased a feather and pierced the tongue of the accused. If the feather passed
through the tongue easily, the accused was deemed innocent.
• Europe and Early United States (17th Century) – Trial by water are commonly used on
those accused of witchcraft.

FORERUNNERS OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF DETECTING DECEPTION

• Hypnotism – Introduced by an Austrian physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734 – 18150) in 1778.
These effects produced were attributed to the state of mind of the subject whereby he is set up, and
thereby instructed to sit quietly and gazed at flashing light or shiny objects tangled in front of his
eyes and to cooperate with whatever the hypnotist would like him to do.

• Word Association Test – It was introduced in 1879 by an English Scientist and Anthropometrist
Sir Francis Galton (1822 – 1911) and was developed by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) – a
Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. This method is done
by giving the subject a long list of carefully selected words, pictures or objects with the instruction
to respond with the very first word that may come to the subjects mind.

• The Truth Serum – Introduced by Dr. Edward Mandel House (1858 – 1938). The subject is
injective with the drug Hysocine Hydrobromide to a point of unconsciousness, an influence called
as the “ House of Receptive Stage” or the “ Twilight Zone”

• Narco – analysis or Narco – synthesis – Administered with the drug called Sodium Amytal or
Sodium Penthotal, which practically the same as the administration of truth serum.

• Intoxication – practiced by means of drinking alcoholic beverages by the subject up to the point
of intoxication.

• Psychological Stress Evaluator – using a PSE machine, this method detects levels of stress in a
person’s voice when lying. This method can detect, measure and graphically displays the voice
modulations that we cannot hear.
Methods of Detecting Deception through Regular Police Works

The police methods sought to answer the legal investigative process are the so called “Five Wives and
One Husband” technique or the 5 W’s and 1H which stands for WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY
and HOW. These questions are used to gain the so called “Three Eyes” (3 I’s) of investigation which
refers to the following:
1. Information gathering – Through record check, surveillance and intelligence check.
2. Investigation – Through interrogation and/or interview to obtain admission or confession.
3. Instrumentation – Through criminalistics processes with the use of the different investigative
forensic sciences such as medico legal or forensic medicine, forensic chemistry, forensic
photography, forensic ballistics, questioned documents examination, dactyloscopy, and
polygraphy or deceptohraphy.

Modern Methods of Detecting Deception

Throughout the centuries, man continued to experiment with more scientific methods in
determining truth and deception with the following scientists who have contributed much in the
development of the scientific instrument known as the “Polygraph” thus, the polygraph technique was
used as the scientific means of detecting deception.
 EVALUATING LEARNING

Will be given on a proper schedule through our Google

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ENRICHMENT

Please watch these videos for further understanding about Chapter

II:
On Ordeal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU21FOYk7V8
On Hypnotism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMYNTnoEyQ
On Word Association Test (W.A.T.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKa4SiAFIF0
On Truth Serum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri-6K897bs0