The Aspects of Interview and Interrogation

The Aspects of Interview and Interrogation

There are many aspects that make up a successful interview or interrogation. An investigator does not become a skilled interviewer or interrogator over night. Training and experience are vital to becoming skilled at interviewing and interrogation. Experience is the best teacher, conducting interviews and interrogations is the only way to become more skilled. In this paper I will explain all the aspects that make up a successful interview. I will also explain the difference between an interview and an interrogation.

The goal of almost any interview is to collect testimonial evidence. Successful interviews just don’t happen. There are many aspects and steps that lead the way to a successful interview. Planning before conducting an interview is the first step, but before planning all interviewers must understand the basic needs of all interviewees. All humans share the same needs. An investigator must understand these basic human needs if they wish to become a successful interviewer. The basic human needs that all humans share are, control, belonging, and intimacy. Control is considered the need for security; everyone wants to be able to control their environment and what is happening around them. Belonging is the need for social recognition and approval. Intimacy is the need for love and affection, everyone wants to be loved or feel important to other people. These human needs must be incorporated in every interview and interrogation. Incorporating these needs is an important first step or first aspect to be considered by an investigator. Building up these human needs builds up the self-image and esteem on the interviewee. It is essential to build and maintain self worth of the interviewee, no one likes to feel humiliated or excluded. If these needs are understood and met the chances of having a successful interview are much greater. Having a positive attitude about everything you do is important. The same thing can be said for interviewing. Having a positive attitude going into an interview will have a positive effect on the outcome of the interview. A positive attitude is reflected to the interviewee and makes them more comfortable. No one wants to talk to someone who is negative. A positive attitude can impact the interview more that any other factor. Understanding human needs and the importance of having a positive attitude are important things to have in mind before interviewing someone, the next thing to consider is where the interview should take place.

In order to get the most out of an interview it must take place in a proper environment. The best environment for and interview is a location where there are no distractions for the interviewee, sometimes this is not possible however. It is always best the interviewee is not distracted so that they thought process is not disrupted. The worst thing that can happen during an interview is when it is interrupted when vital information in being gained or even worse a confession. That’s why it is important to conduct in interview in a proper environment such as a small room with no windows, clocks, TV’s, radios, ect. Privacy is the most important element when choosing a place to conduct an interview. Private environments like this enable the interviewer to get the most clear and precise information without distractions and interruptions. Sometimes however due to circumstances it is not possible to perform an interview in a perfect distraction free environment, it is then up the investigator to decide if they should conduct the interview at a different time and location. Personal space is also a factor that should be considered while interviewing. Most people feel most comfortable talking to someone at a distance of a foot and a half to four feet. Trying to communicate with someone beyond this personal space boundary could negatively affect the communication in the interview. The personal space boundary is different for everyone especially for people of different cultures and societies. Recognizing this boundary and it’s affect on communication will help any investigator become a better interviewer.

After thinking and understanding the needs and the feelings of the interviewee the next step is to decide how you want to interview the interviewee. Having a game plan going into an interview will greatly affect the success of the interview. The first thing an investigator should do when planning a interview is review the facts of the incident. This will tell the investigator who is evolved and will also serve as a basis for the interview plan. Getting a background check on an interviewee will also help with the plan. Once information is obtained on the interview subject an investigator could now choose an interview method such as the Reid technique. Methods such as the Reid technique are