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Peggy Heil
Post-conviction polygraph testing in sex offender treatment and supervision
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About Peggy Heil
Peggy Heil served as the Sex Offender Treatment and Monitoring Program (SOTMP) director at the Colorado Department of Corrections, where she was a leading figure in the development and implementation of post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing (PCSOT) programs. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and has served as a Mental Health Professional Representative on Colorado's Sex Offender Management Board. Heil worked with sex offender treatment programs since before Colorado's 1998 Lifetime Supervision Act and headed the SOTMP program for the Department of Corrections.
Heil's research focused on the application of polygraph testing in sex offender treatment and supervision, particularly examining how polygraphy could enhance disclosure of offending histories and aid in risk assessment. Her landmark 2000 study demonstrated that the polygraph showed promise as an intervention for eliciting admissions of past sexual offending behaviors, finding dramatic increases in victim and offense admissions among incarcerated sexual offenders. Her 2003 research on crossover sexual offenses investigated admissions from sex offenders participating in treatment who received polygraph testing, revealing that many offenders victimize across multiple age, gender, and relationship categories—challenging assumptions about specialized offender typologies. Her work emphasized using polygraph testing to verify offenders' self-reported histories and develop more comprehensive treatment and relapse prevention plans.
Working closely with a consistent team of Colorado-based researchers including Sean Ahlmeyer, Kim English, and Bonita McKee, Heil contributed influential research to the field of PCSOT that shaped national practices. Her work appeared in a 2000 special edition of Polygraph journal dedicated to post-conviction sex offender testing, and she authored a chapter on "Sex Offender Polygraph Testing in the United States: Trends and Controversies" with Kim English. Her research has been widely cited in policy documents, legal proceedings, and subsequent scholarly work on sex offender management, contributing to the establishment of standards for post-conviction polygraph testing across the United States.
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Researchers who have co-authored studies with Peggy Heil.
Publications [4]
All peer-reviewed studies by Peggy Heil in our database.
Sex offender polygraph testing in the United States: Trends and controversies
By 2009, approximately 80% of adult sex offender treatment programs in the United States employed polygraph testing despite persistent scientific, ethical, and legal controversies. Polygraph testing substantially increased disclosure of… [002] 2003 • CROSSOVER OFFENDING Sexual AbuseCrossover Sexual Offenses
Polygraph-assisted disclosure revealed that sex offenders’ criminal histories grossly underrepresented their actual offending patterns. Many showed crossover between victim types undetected by official records. [003] 2000 • KEY DISCLOSURE STUDY Sexual AbuseThe Impact of Polygraphy on Admissions of Victims and Offenses in Adult Sexual Offenders
Landmark study showing that polygraph testing dramatically increased admissions of previously undisclosed victims and offenses. Found substantial increases in reported victim counts and offense variety when polygraph was incorporated into… [004] 2000Improving the Effectiveness of Sexual Offender Treatment
Polygraph-assisted containment substantially increased offender disclosures of previously unreported victims and offenses, and the examination was found to support rather than undermine therapeutic alliance when embedded within a multi-disciplinary team…Explore all research.
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