The Conversation Management Approach to Investigative Interviewing

This chapter establishes the scene for the rest of this book. It begins with a brief definition of the conversation management (CM) approach to investigative interviewing, before explaining the psychology of investigation as a decision-making process. Having distinguished the two opposing ethical perspectives on investigation, the chapter then introduces the context for the creation and emergence of CM with a detailed description of the practice of expedient interrogation of suspects and expedient interviewing of witnesses up to 1993: the year that PEACE — the national investigative interviewing model framed upon CM — was introduced. It also investigates the evolution of PEACE, the subsequent emergence of the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) approach to interviewing vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, and the Professionalising of Investigation Programme (PIP). Ultimately, the chapter concludes with a synopsis of research findings that underpin the effectiveness of CM and how we continue to develop our approach to CM.

Analyzing the paradigmatic cases of two persons with a disorder of consciousness: reflections on the legal and ethical perspectives

Background Media have increasingly reported on the difficulties associated with end-of-life decision-making in patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DOC), contextualizing such dilemma in detailed accounts of the patient’s life. Two of the first stories debated in the scientific community were those related to the cases of two women, one American, the other Italian, who captured attention of millions of people in the first years of this third millennium. Methods Much has been written about the challenges of surrogate decision-making for patients in DOC, but less has been written comparing these challenges across legal systems and cultures. In our paper, we propose a systematic analysis of the final legal documents written by the American and Italian Courts in relation to the two cases, developing our discussion around three areas: the level of certainty/reliability of diagnosis and prognosis, the reconstruction of self-expression, time of illness and time of care. They are examples of the typical issues discussed by legal authors and allow us to understand the link and the difference between the legal and ethical perspectives. Results The legal approach to the two cases has some common elements: the need to be certain about the diagnosis and prognosis and the fact that the clinical criteria are necessary in determining the most appropriate treatments, although these criteria are not sufficient unless they are supplemented by the patient’s will. The issue of relations takes on importance both from a legal and an ethical point of view, but from two different perspectives. While ethics safeguards relationships by guaranteeing their differences and makes them reconcilable, law safeguards relationships by guaranteeing the cold forms of respect, equality, impartiality, symmetry, reciprocity, and irreversibility. In this perspective, the link between the time of care and the decision of the family members assumes importance. Conclusions The most interesting point that emerges from our analysis is the issue of relationships and how they affect decisions, both from a legal and ethical point of view. For this reason, during the patients’ hospitalization, it is necessary to identify ways in which they might give their opinion about the moral issues underlying their choices.

Ethical concerns in Neonatal Intensive Unit: A Case Analysis

Neonatal nurses frequently encounter neonatal ethical issues related to provision of safe and quality care and communication in the NICU setup. This article discusses the hypothetical case of baby John diagnosed with neonatal sepsis. The ethical perspectives related to care and communication with the family members while their baby is receiving treatment in the NICU will be explored through the application of the QUAR framework.

A Method for Rapid Ethical Deliberation in Research and Innovation Projects

There are many and diverse methods available that can help researchers, designers, developers, and engineers integrate ethics in their research and innovation projects. In practice, however, they can find this challenging. They may believe that such methods are difficult and time-consuming, or that ethics hinders innovation and creativity. Borrowing from various methods, the authors created a lightweight method that researchers and designers can use to integrate ethics in their projects: rapid ethical deliberation. This research collaborated with four projects to assess this method in practice. The authors found that this method helped project team members in several ways: to envision the innovations they work in very practical terms; to look at these innovation from different normative, ethical perspectives; to look at their projects with fresh eyes and engage in creative and strategic thinking; and to articulate critical questions and associated actions to move their projects forward.