OTHER INTERVIEWING

TECHNIQUE
-Tushar A. Wamanse
MSc-I, SEM-II Roll No 22
 What is investigative interview
• Investigative interviewing is a method of
communicating
• suspect,
• victim or
• eye witnesses
• within the investigation process.
 STATEMENT ANALYSIS
• Done in absence.
• Over emphasis on event
• Under Emphasis on the event
 Statement Validity Assessment’
 developed by Stellar and Koehnken (1989)
 Four Stages of SVA 
• Case-file analysis
• Semi-structured interview
• Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA)
• Evaluation of CBCA with the Validity Checklist
 list of 19 criteria of (CBCA)
1. Logical Structure
2. Unstructured Production
3. Quality of Details
4. Contextual Embedding
5. Descriptions of Interactions
6. Reproduction of Conversation
7. Unexpected Complications During the Incident
8. Unusual Details
9. Superfluous Details
10. Accurately Reported Details Misunderstood
 list of 19 criteria of (CBCA)
11. Related External Associations
12. Accounts of Subjective Mental State
13. Attribution of Perpetrator’s Mental State
14. Spontaneous Corrections
15. Admitting Lack of Memory
16. Raising Doubts About One’s Own Testimony
17. Self-Deprecation
18. Pardoning the Perpetrator
19. Offence-Specific Elements
• Zulawski and Wicklander (2001) describe the
normal structure of an account and how two
different variations can indicate
untruthfulness.
 SE3R’
• Developed by Ede and Shepherd (2000 )
• Use to analysing statements prepared by
police,
• Survey
• Extract
• Read
• Review
• Recall
 INTERROGATION TACTICS
• The aim of the strategies and accompanying
tactics is to help elicit information from
someone being uncooperative
• Interrogation in practice ranges from domestic
questioning to legal investigation
 INTERROGATION TACTICS
1. Intimidation (accusing the suspect of being a liar, exhibiting
aggressive behavior)
2. Situational futility (trying to convince the suspect that
continued denial only makes matters worse)
3. Discomfort and relief (persuading the suspect that denial
and lying only creates discomfort whereas confession will
be good for everyone involved)
4. Bluff (e.g., pretending you have more evidence than you
actually have)
5. Gentle prods (convincing the suspect to reveal information
by praising and encouraging him/her)
 Contd.
6. Minimisation (playing down the seriousness of the action or event)
7. Contradiction (using a firm but non-aggressive manner to point out
any contradictions, lies or inconsistencies in the suspect’s account)
8. Altered information (asking the suspect questions that contain
incorrect information, in order to see whether or not he/she is
telling the truth)
9. A chink in defence (getting the suspect to admit lying about a small
aspect and using this as a foothold to say the suspect is lying about
the entire matter)
10.Self-disclosure (interviewer reveals things about him/herself to
increase the suspect’s trust and willingness to talk)
 Contd.
11. Pointing out deception cues (telling the suspect that his/her body
language is indicating deception)
12. Concern (showing empathy and understanding, and being
concerned for the suspect’s welfare)
13. Keeping the status quo (telling the suspect to be truthful to retain
his or her current status in life e.g., by appealing to their pride (in
being a ‘good person’ etc) or by suggesting that their friends/family
will think less of them if it is discovered they have lied)
14. Direct approach (the interviewer tells the suspect directly to tell
the truth)
15. Silence (the interviewer maintains silence after the suspect has
said something, in order to make him/her feel uncomfortable)
 Reid Technique’
 Developed by John E. Reid in 1986
 it content :-
• factual analysis of information
• the interview of possible subjects
• the accusatory interrogation
 Steps of Reid Technique’
• Step 1 - Direct confrontation
• Step 2 - Try to shift the blame away from the
suspect
• Step 3 - Try to discourage the suspect from
denying his or her guilt.
• Step 4 - a reason why he or she did not or
could not commit the crime
• Step 5 - Reinforce sincerity
• Step 6 - move the theme discussion towards
offering alternatives
• Step 7 - Pose the “alternative question”
• Step 8 - Lead the suspect to repeat the
admission of guilt
• Step 9 - Document the suspect's admission or
confession
 REFERENCES

• Mary schollum , “investigative interview: the

literature” , published in September ,2005
• http://criminalconduct.blogspot.in/2012/07/intervi
ew-catching-liars-with-statement.html#.UxnLyz-Sw-
4
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_technique
• http://www.criminal-psychology.net/site/assessing-
child-abuse-the-interview/
THANK YOU