Forensic Psychology For Dummies (29 page)

Interviewing and its connection to other sources of information

Interviews with victims, witnesses and suspects aren’t the only sources of information available to an investigation and to the courts. All of the sorts of forensic science information that TV shows like
CSI
and
Silent Witness
draw on are used in real cases too. I don’t discuss those here because you can glean a lot about forensic science from those shows as well as many other books.

When it’s available you can also use:

Biological evidence:
Blood stains, semen, excreta and so on.

Crime scene records:
Especially photos or videos.

Geographical information:
Plus related location information.

Impressions:
Fingerprints, tyre tracks or ‘ear prints’.

Personal records:
Diaries, suicide notes and computer information like e-mails or Facebook pages.

Records:
From hospitals, births, deaths and medical treatments.

Traces:
Fibres, soil particles, gunshot residue and so on.

Any or all these pieces of evidence can be used to get a fuller picture of the crime and those involved, and together with the interview, for example, can test the claims made by victims, witnesses or suspects.

Managing the process: Interviews as conversations

When you’re carrying out an interview you’re making use of the witness’s memory. The purpose of an interview is to draw out facts about a crime from a person who has some special connection with it; the interview is a live event and not just a theoretical exercise as in a laboratory experiment.

An interview consists of two or more people involved in a dialogue, and so one way of thinking about the process is as
conversation management.
By forming a friendly, but professional, working relationship with the person being interviewed, the interviewer can encourage confidence and honesty.

Establishing rapport is important, but you also need to have the flexibility to move the questions carefully in relation to the answers being given, rather than bulldozing through the questions you think you ought to be asking. Doing so can be difficult with a reluctant witness, or one who’s anxious about what’s going on. A traumatised victim may be in an emotional state that makes answering questions clearly very difficult. They may need careful encouragement and to be given time to respond.

As an interviewer, you can develop rapport by:

Explaining clearly what the interview is for and how you’re carrying out the interview.

Listening carefully.