## Utah Ends Controversial Polygraph Tests for Sexual Assault Victims After Years of Pressure
Utah has officially banned the use of polygraph tests on individuals reporting sexual assault, ending a practice long criticized by experts and advocates. Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law this week, prohibiting police and other government officials from requesting the tests from alleged victims. The new law, which takes effect in May, overturns a policy that had persisted in Utah even as other states prohibited it due to the tests' notorious unreliability in such traumatic cases.

The legislative victory followed a two-year effort spearheaded by State Representative Angela Romero, the House minority leader, who sponsored the bill across three sessions. Her push was bolstered by investigative reporting from The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica, which highlighted the problematic practice. Experts argue polygraphs are particularly invalid for assault victims, as the intense stress and anxiety of recounting the trauma can be misinterpreted by the machine as signs of deception, potentially deterring reports and re-traumatizing survivors.

This policy shift signals a significant alignment with national standards on victim treatment and places new procedural constraints on Utah law enforcement. The change reflects growing scrutiny over institutional responses to sexual violence and removes a key barrier that critics say discouraged survivors from coming forward. The implementation this spring will test how agencies adapt their investigative protocols under the new mandate.
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- **Source**: ProPublica Health
- **Sector**: The Network
- **Tags**: sexual_assault, polygraph, law_enforcement, legislation, victim_rights
- **Credibility**: unverified
- **Published**: 2026-03-27 23:56:58
- **ID**: 38539
- **URL**: https://whisperx.ai/en/intel/38539