Use of penile plethysmography in the court

A review of practices in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID21558404
AuthorsLisa Murphy (0000-0003-4153-5426, Integrated Forensic Program, The Royal Sexual Behaviours Clinic (SBC) Ottowa ON Canada, corresponding author), Emily Gottfried (Sexual Behaviors Clinic and Lab (SBCL), Community and Public Safety Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Medical University of South Carolina South Carolina USA), Emily D Gottfried (0000-0003-2172-2048, Medical University of South Carolina), Keana DiMario (0000-0003-4923-8573, Department of Psychology & Department of Criminology University of Ottawa Ottowa ON Canada), Derek Perkins (Royal Holloway University of London London UK), J Paul Fedoroff (0000-0001-9944-9307, Integrated Forensic Program, The Royal Sexual Behaviours Clinic (SBC) Ottowa ON Canada)
Year2020
Volume38
Issue2
Pages79-99
Publication date2020-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehavioral Sciences & the Law (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0735-3936 • E-ISSN: 1099-0798
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/bsl.2453
PMID32189386
OpenAlexW3011097829
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited45

Penile plethysmography (PPG) is an objective measure of male sexual arousal in response to the presentation of a series of erotic and neutral stimuli. This measure is now widely recognized as the most reliable means of objectively measuring male sexual arousal to specific stimuli. Many clinicians and researchers consider PPG to be a vital contribution to the assessment and treatment of adult men with paraphilic interests and men who have committed sex crimes. PPG contributes to the clinical assessment of paraphilic interests, appraisal of risk of recidivism, and provides an objective measurement of changes in sexual arousal in response to treatment. There is strong support for the utility of PPG within clinical and legal contexts. This article addresses ways in which PPG has been utilized in the courts as part of expert clinical opinion. History of its use, details regarding admissibility in court, and case law are explored within the legal systems of Canada, the UK and the USA. Support for the inclusion of PPG as expert evidence is provided and judicial misunderstandings on the rationale for PPG use and its clinical utility in forensic assessments are discussed

Arousal · Paraphilia · Psychiatry · Recidivism · Sexual arousal · Sexual behavior · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology · Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment

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