The Influence Strategies of Interviewees Suspected of Controlling or Coercive Behavior

This research examines how suspects attempt to influence interviewers during investigative interviews. Twenty-nine interview transcripts with suspects accused of controlling or coercive behavior within intimate relationships were submitted to a thematic analysis to build a taxonomy of influence behavior. The analysis classified 18 unique suspect behaviors: the most common behaviors were using logical arguments (17% of all observed behaviors), denial or denigration of the victim (12%), denial or minimization of injury (8%), complete denials (7%), and supplication (6%). Suspects’ influence behaviors were mapped along two dimensions: power, ranging from low (behaviors used to alleviate investigative pressure) to high (behaviors used to assert authority), and interpersonal alignment, ranging from instrumental (behaviors that relate directly to evidence) to relational (behaviors used to bias interviewer perceptions of people and evidence). Proximity analysis was used to examine co-occurrence of influence behaviors. This analysis highlighted combinations of influence behaviors that illustrate how different behaviors map onto different motives, for example shifting attributions from internal to external to the suspect, or to use admissions strategically alongside denials to mitigate more serious aspects of an allegation. Our findings draw together current theory to provide a framework for understanding suspect influence behaviors in interviews.

Are all complainants of sexual assault vulnerable? Views of Australian criminal justice professionals on the evidence-sharing process

Cases of historic child assault typically rely on the complainant's narrative due to lack of corroborating evidence. Although it is important that complainants give their best evidence, concern has been expressed that evidence-sharing procedures are suboptimal. This study explored criminal justice professionals’ perspectives on the utility of introducing reforms to the evidence-sharing process. We interviewed judges, prosecutors, defence counsel and witness assistance officers ( N = 43) on the utility of regulating the questioning of complainants and of using video-recorded interviews as evidence-in-chief. Many professionals perceived that adult complainants of child assault were vulnerable and supported reforms to evidence-sharing. Primary objections to these reforms were the belief that all adult complainants should share evidence in the same way and the poor quality of investigative interviews. This study illuminates potential barriers to the implementation of reforms which would change how adult complainants of child assault give evidence.

Sleep and Interrogation: Does Losing Sleep Impact Criminal History Disclosure?

Study Objectives Despite centuries of using sleep deprivation to interrogate, there is virtually no scientific evidence on how sleep shapes behavior within interrogation settings. To evaluate the impact of sleeplessness on subjects’ behavior during investigative interviews, an experimental study examined the impact of sleep restriction on disclosure of past illegal behavior. Methods Healthy participants from a university community (N=143) either maintained or curbed their sleep (up to 4 hours a night) across two days with sleep monitored via actigraphy. They were then asked to disclose past illegal acts and interviewed about them. Next, they were re-interviewed following an example of a detailed memory account (model statement). Disclosures were blindly coded for quantity and quality by two independent raters. Results Sleep-restricted individuals reported similar offenses, but less information during their disclosure with slightly less precision. Model statement increased disclosure but did not reduce the inhibiting impact of sleep loss. Mediation analysis confirmed the causal role of sleep as responsible for experimental differences in amount of information, and subjects’ reports suggested impaired motivation to recall information played a role. Conclusions The findings suggest that even moderate sleep loss can inhibit criminal disclosure during interviews, point to motivational factors as responsible, and suggest investigators should be cautious when interrogating sleepy subjects.

Just a Normal Conversation: Investigative Interviews in a County Jail

The majority of research on investigative interviewing has been on police attempting to solve a crime by obtaining a confession or gathering information, and comparatively fewer studies have examined interviewing at points “downstream” in the process, such as in the courts or correctional system. Furthermore, the focus of the research has been to measure the variable techniques or questioning strategies that produce confessions or information at the expense of analyzing factors related to the interview itself. Thus, we analyzed a sample of 50 corrections-based interviews for “dynamic” interviewing methods and interviewee responses that were measured at three points throughout the interview, and we measured 10 “static” interview factors. In the final multilevel model, we found that productive questioning methods increased a component score that combined interviewee cooperation, engagement, and forthcomingness, the several measures of accusatorial interrogation methods decreased the outcome measure, and the case-level variable of interviewee-initiated interviews increased it.

Investigative Interviews with Suspects and Witnesses: A Survey of Perceptions and Interview Practices Among Malaysian Police

Interviewing of suspects, victims, and eyewitnesses contributes significantly to the investigation process. While a great deal is known about the investigative interviewing practices in the United Kingdom and the Nordic region, very little is known about the framework used by Malaysian police officers. A survey was administered to 44 Royal Malaysian Police interviewers serving in the Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11) of the Crime Investigation Department. Respondents were asked about the investigative interviewing techniques they use with suspects, witnesses, and victims; how effective they think these techniques are; and the training they had received. Findings revealed that many police officers currently possess limited knowledge of best practice investigative interviewing. More training, feedback, and supervision is needed and desired.