Search results
1 – 10 of over 8000Martin Vaughan, Rebecca Milne, Gary Dalton and Steven Retford
High-stake crime investigations include cases such as murder and rape. The purpose of this paper is to outline the components of an interview strategy for suspects. In the UK…
Abstract
Purpose
High-stake crime investigations include cases such as murder and rape. The purpose of this paper is to outline the components of an interview strategy for suspects. In the UK, these interviews are often managed by Interview Managers who are tasked with developing effective interview strategies with the aim of ensuring all parties involved in the interview process are dealt with ethically and legally using research-based methods.
Design/methodology/approach
This practitioner paper is based on the experience of the authors who have provided advice and support during high-stake crime investigations both nationally and internationally using the research-base to underpin their practical advice.
Findings
To be effective, a suspect strategy constructed by an Interview Manager in high-stake crime investigations should be designed within a framework that covers the provision of strategic advice on research-based interview processes including: co-ordination of the interview process, monitoring of the interview process and evaluation of the interview process.
Practical implications
To ensure interviews are effectively managed during high-stake crime investigations, the suspect interview strategy must be developed to a professional standard to allow for quality assurance and outside scrutiny.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published paper that outlines the nature of a suspect strategy that is based on a Framework consistent with elements of the UK National Occupational Standards.
Details
Keywords
Steven Sellers and Mark R. Kebbell
The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of evidence in the interviewing of suspects.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of evidence in the interviewing of suspects.
Design/methodology/approach
Analyses were made of 55 interview transcripts about the questioning of suspected sex offenders by officers of an Australian police service.
Findings
In 22 per cent of these interviews the suspect actively attempted to discover what the evidence against them was and in 9 per cent the interviewer attempted to learn of the suspect's knowledge of this evidence. Interviewers tended to favour a strategy of first asking the suspect to provide a free account of their role in the alleged crime. If this approach failed to elicit a confession, interviewers would then disclose at least some of the evidence against that suspect. In 93 per cent of the interviews some form of evidence disclosure was made by the interviewer; this was usually achieved by referring to the evidence indirectly rather than explicitly.
Originality/value
Although such disclosures of information seemed to have little impact on suspects' decisions to confess, this study illustrates the important role of evidence in the suspect interviewing process.
Details
Keywords
Police interviews with terrorist suspects are perhaps one of the most challenging interviews a police officer will experience. The purpose of this paper is to explore the social…
Abstract
Purpose
Police interviews with terrorist suspects are perhaps one of the most challenging interviews a police officer will experience. The purpose of this paper is to explore the social context of these interviews and the impact that this might have upon the way in which police officers carry them out, including the use of robust, even aggressive tactics.
Design/methodology/approach
Risks associated with police interview tactics are identified, including obtaining unreliable information, problems with suspect cooperation and the potential impact upon communities including problems with the perceived legitimacy of the police and community cooperation.
Findings
Ways of mitigating the risks are considered including improving police officer cultural awareness, a consideration of interview tactics and the use of ethical interview approaches such as the planning and preparation, engage and explain, account, closure, evaluation interview model and conversation management.
Originality/value
The impact of the use of ethical interviewing is considered from a procedural justice perspective, and the paper illustrates how this approach may give rise to improved reliability of information from interviews and may impact upon perceptions of police legitimacy from communities.
Details
Keywords
Jade A. Hill and Stephen Moston
In the last decade, Australia has seen a series of high‐profile criminal cases come under court and public scrutiny due to improper interviewing practices, prompting a need to…
Abstract
Purpose
In the last decade, Australia has seen a series of high‐profile criminal cases come under court and public scrutiny due to improper interviewing practices, prompting a need to review and revise training in interviewing skills. This pattern echoes that seen in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s. What followed in the UK was a plethora of research examining different aspects of police interviewing. To date, there has been limited research in Australia on interviewing suspects. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into a large sample of current Australian police officers' attitudes and practices regarding investigative interviewing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involved a survey of current police officers from the Queensland Police Service (n=2,769), collecting data on attitudes with current training and supervision, importance of investigative interviewing and operational skills and competence.
Findings
These are discussed in relation to the need for further systematic research into police interviews, improved training and the need for law enforcement organisations and agencies in Australia to implement organisational investigative interviewing strategies.
Originality/value
The paper shows that further systematic research is required to examine “operational” investigative interviewing practices (as opposed to perceptions) in Australia. Consideration also needs to be given to the development of investigative interviewing training frameworks that focus on the experience, skills and previous training of each officer. Moreover, interviewing needs to be recognised as a skill requiring regular maintenance, monitoring and evaluation.
Details
Keywords
Gavin E. Oxburgh and Coral J. Dando
The purpose of this paper is to discuss two distinct but interrelated areas, namely witness/victim and suspect interviewing, and to argue that both must continue to evolve…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss two distinct but interrelated areas, namely witness/victim and suspect interviewing, and to argue that both must continue to evolve, suggest how they might do so, and that this process must be driven by emergent theory and contemporary empirical research.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper outlines the impact of psychological theory and empirical research to investigative interviewing in recent decades.
Findings
It is argued that in order to stay ahead of the game, the field of investigative interviewing (suspect and witness) must continue to evolve in such a manner that not only protects and fosters the important practitioner/academic relationship, but also ensures that future directions are driven by empirical research, with recourse to emergent theory.
Originality/value
The paper outlines the impact of psychological theory and empirical research on investigative interviewing and the consequent enhancement of the interviewing of both suspected offenders and witnesses. The paper demonstrates that working closely together academic research can make a difference, and influence law, policy decisions and training guidelines in order to improve practice.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to illuminate to the academic and research audience the legal implications for suspects who are interviewed under caution for historical allegations…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illuminate to the academic and research audience the legal implications for suspects who are interviewed under caution for historical allegations, when the suspect’s responses rely on episodic memory recall.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a review of a multi-disciplinary literature base, necessary to understand the problem with the qualified right to silence.
Findings
The findings suggest that more research work is needed in order to be able to assess the difficulties for a suspect faced with answering questions of an episodic nature and the subsequent implications for the defendant once on trial. Implications: the current situation can lead to miscarriages of justice, which are difficult to rectify.
Originality/value
This paper brings together a number of sub sections of disciplines from criminal law, criminology, forensic psychology, and mainstream psychology (i.e. memory work) to identify a potentially serious problem for preventing miscarriages of justice with the current system of qualified rights to silence whilst being interviewed under caution in the case of historical allegations.
Details
Keywords
James Markey, Thomas Scott, Crystal Daye and Kevin J. Strom
Sexual assault investigations present uniquely challenging circumstances to detectives, and a small proportion result in arrest. Improving sexual assault investigations requires…
Abstract
Purpose
Sexual assault investigations present uniquely challenging circumstances to detectives, and a small proportion result in arrest. Improving sexual assault investigations requires expanding the evidence base to improve our understanding of how these investigations unfold and the factors associated with positive case outcomes, including the likelihood that an offender is arrested.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors abstracted data on 491 adult sexual assaults investigated by five large and midsized law enforcement agencies to describe the characteristics of sexual assault investigations and to explain the relationships between these characteristics and the likelihood that a suspect is arrested.
Findings
Overall, detectives move swiftly to investigate sexual assaults but tend to miss investigative opportunities that increase the likelihood of an arrest, like locating and processing the crime scene or pursuing interviews with key witnesses and leads. Sexual assaults typically lack physical evidence that can be used to identify and lead to an arrest of a suspected offender; when this evidence is present, the case is more likely to result in an arrest. Delayed reporting of the crime to law enforcement decreases the likelihood of a suspect being arrested, but the mechanisms are unclear.
Originality/value
Few studies have used a detailed data abstraction process for a large sample of cases from multiple law enforcement agencies to understand sexual assault investigations and their case outcomes. The results can improve practitioners' and researchers' understanding of sexual assault investigations, including those factors that increase the likelihood of a suspect's arrest.
Details
Keywords
Durant Frantzen and Salih Hakan Can
Experimental research on lie detection has indicated that accuracy rates hover around chance but that police are significantly better in detecting deception in “high” stakes…
Abstract
Purpose
Experimental research on lie detection has indicated that accuracy rates hover around chance but that police are significantly better in detecting deception in “high” stakes rather than “low” stakes situations. This paper has three objectives: to compare confidence levels in lie detection for property crime and violent crime detectives; to compare differences in confidence levels for custodial and noncustodial interviews; and to evaluate the relationship between interrogation techniques and lie detection confidence.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses self‐report data from a sample of Texas police detectives.
Findings
The results of this study show that property crime detectives are significantly more confident in their lie detection ability than are violent crime detectives. The results also highlight the fact that police detectives are significantly less confident in their lie detection abilities when the suspect has been provided his or her Miranda warnings.
Originality/value
The study highlights the disparity in findings derived from self‐reported data and experimental studies on veracity judgments and the need to account for contextual factors that ultimately impact the ecological validity of this research.
Details
Keywords
Richard A.E. North, Jim P. Duguid and Michael A. Sheard
Describes a study to measure the quality of service provided by food‐poisoning surveillance agencies in England and Wales in terms of the requirements of a representative consumer…
Abstract
Describes a study to measure the quality of service provided by food‐poisoning surveillance agencies in England and Wales in terms of the requirements of a representative consumer ‐ the egg producing industry ‐ adopting “egg associated” outbreak investigation reports as the reference output. Defines and makes use of four primary performance indicators: accessibility of information; completeness of evidence supplied in food‐poisoning outbreak investigation reports as to the sources of infection in “egg‐associated” outbreaks; timeliness of information published; and utility of information and advice aimed at preventing or controlling food poisoning. Finds that quality expectations in each parameter measured are not met. Examines reasons why surveillance agencies have not delivered the quality demanded. Makes use of detailed case studies to illustrate inadequacies of current practice. Attributes failure to deliver “accessibility” to a lack of recognition on the status or nature of “consumers”, combined with a self‐maintenance motivation of the part of the surveillance agencies. Finds that failures to deliver “completeness” and “utility” may result from the same defects which give rise to the lack of “accessibility” in that, failing to recognize the consumers of a public service for what they are, the agencies feel no need to provide them with the data they require. The research indicates that self‐maintenance by scientific epidemiologists may introduce biases which when combined with a politically inspired need to transfer responsibility for food‐poisoning outbreaks, skew the conduct of investigations and their conclusions. Contends that this is compounded by serious and multiple inadequacies in the conduct of investigations, arising at least in part from the lack of training and relative inexperience of investigators, the whole conditioned by interdisciplinary rivalry between the professional groups staffing the different agencies. Finds that in addition failures to exploit or develop epidemiological technologies has affected the ability of investigators to resolve the uncertainties identified. Makes recommendations directed at improving the performance of the surveillance agencies which, if adopted will substantially enhance food poisoning control efforts.
Details
Keywords
– The purpose of this paper is to show the development of Appropriate Adult services in Scotland over the past nine years and considers how this differs from the rest of the UK.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show the development of Appropriate Adult services in Scotland over the past nine years and considers how this differs from the rest of the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
New analysis of existing statistical information is provided to show pattern of demand, type of interview, nature of mental disorder involved and regional differences.
Findings
Growth in demand for services is identified for both suspect and witness interviews, with people with learning disabilities most frequently receiving support. There is significant variation in the pattern of referrals across Scotland.
Practical implications
The results reflect heightened awareness amongst police officers of the need for Appropriate Adults, but there should be examination of the different types of provision to promote equity of service.
Originality/value
This is the first time that these figures have been collated and subject to analysis. They provide comparative information within Scotland that is also of relevance to the rest of the UK.
Details