1. 1 Book Cover Here Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Chapter 6 INTERVIEWS Obtaining Information from Witnesses Criminal Investigation: A Method for Reconstructing the Past, 7 th Edition

2. 2 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Questioning People Interviewing vs. Interrogation Interviewing – Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? – Modus Operandi Acquiring the Facts – Describing the Offender – Describing Stolen or Lost Property

3. 3 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Questioning People The victims and eyewitness(es) are first; next are those whose identities develop in the course of the investigation – Some people furnish complete and candid information – Some are less cooperative or will deliberately mislead authorities – Some need to be coaxed to come forward

4. 4 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Interrogation vs. Interviewing Interrogation – Applies to a suspect and a suspect’s family, friends, or associates — people who are likely to withhold information or be deceptive Interviewing – Applies to victims or eyewitnesses who can reasonably be expected to disclose what they know

5. 5 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Acquiring the Facts Complaint report / Investigation report – Designed with questions framed to ensure that vital information is not overlooked Frame-by-Frame Analysis (FFA)

6. 6 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Dealing with the Reluctant, Fearful, or Unaware Witness Securing Cooperation The Reluctant Witness The Fearful Witness Generating Long-Term Cooperation The Unaware Witness Canvass Indifferent Complainants

7. 7 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Canvass A neighborhood canvass may be undertaken to discover the offender or unaware witness – Difficult in large cities – Useful in homicide cases

8. 8 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Indifferent Complainants At times a complainant may display indifference or claim that s/he is too busy to be questioned. Why? Re-examining the alleged facts and the physical evidence may reveal that the crime was simulated Interrogations might have greater success

9. 9 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Behavioral Analysis Interviews Bridges the gap between interrogation and interview – To develop investigative information – To develop behavioral information – To determine whether person being interviewed committed the act under investigation Assesses Three Levels of Communication 1.Verbal channel 2.Paralinguistic channel 3.Nonverbal channel

10. 10 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved BAI Follow-Up Responses suggestive of guilt require follow- up: – By surveillance – Seeking an informant – Tracing the weapon – Questioning associates

11. 11 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Hypnosis Independently verify information Not recommended for suspects Concerns – Potential for psychological trauma – Suggestibility Future of Hypnosis

12. 12 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Eyewitness Evidence The Role of Perception and Memory – Sensory Input – Memory – Information Retrieval

13. 13 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Witness Errors Perception and Memory Environmental Conditions Personal Factors

14. 14 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved The Cognitive Interview Memory-Event Similarity Focused Retrieval Extensive Retrieval Witness-Compatible Questioning

15. 15 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Witness-Compatible Questioning Interviewers are better able to ask questions if they can place themselves in the witness’s frame of mind They should try to place themselves in the witness’s situation and then frame the questions on the basis of what was likely to have been observed at the time This means adjusting to the witness’s perspective rather than having the witness adjust to the investigator’s

16. 16 Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved Conclusion Solid interviewing skills separate the novice from the professional Cases are frequently made or lost based on interviews Need to overcome personal communication problems