Mental health and criminal justice professionals have been faced with the emergence of a new category of sex offender who utilizes the Internet to initiate or commit deviant sexual acts. Although the number of sex-related Internet crimes continues to increase, there is limited information pertaining to the characteristics and offense patterns of this specific subtype of sex offender, posing challenges in the assessment and treatment of this population. It is thought that the polygraph examination may have particular utility with Internet sex offenders given that little is known about the nature of their offense patterns. While existing literature offers preliminary evidence for the use of the polygraph with sex offenders, additional research is needed to examine the overall validity and accuracy of this instrument. More specifically, the growing population of Internet sex offenders with specific risk and offense characteristics suggests the need for research directly examining the utility of the polygraph in the assessment and treatment of this unique offender group. This research could assist in illuminating offense patterns, enhancing assessment techniques, and developing more efficient treatment strategies to prevent future offending among this particular subgroup of sex offenders. References