Ethical Interviews Flashcards
Why are ethical interviews used?
Ethics are important in modern day society therefore its important to engage with offenders and suspects in a more respectful way compared to traditional methods of interviewing.
What were the traditional interviewing methods used by police?
- Beatings
- Torture
- Police dominated the interviews
-Interrogation which lead to false confessions
What does the BPS say?
- Every human should be treated with dignity
- Interviews should be conducted in a non-judgmental way
- Trust must be the focus not gaining a confession
Why is it important to have an ethical interviewing process?
Investigative interviewing is a safeguard against false confessions and errors in justices.
What are the 5 stages of PEACE?
- Prepare and planning
- Engage and explain
- Account
- Closure
- Evaluate
What is prepare and planning?
Its what happens before the interview takes place. Its not a formal script that the officer must follow however is a framework to base their questions off. They look at all data they have and possible evidence needed to gain as much useful information as possible.
Example of prepare and planning?
Practical arrangements such as whether they have a disability or need an interpreter, and reviewing investigation and what evidence they still require,
What is Engage and explain?
Officers must explain what the interview is going to be about and why the individual is being questioned. Its also expected that the officer explains what good practice looks like for example explaining that they will be taking notes throughout. They must also encourage conversations and engage with the interviewee and ensure they clearly understand why they are being interviewed.
Examples of engage and explain?
Active listening to maintain a good rapport with the offender/interviewee
What is Account?
The interviewer will expand and clarify the interviewees account and break it down into manageable chunks.
Examples of Account?
Letting the interviewee pause to collect their thoughts without interrupting and disrupting their thought patterns
What is closure?
The interview should have a planned ending so it doesn’t end abruptly. If there’s 2 interviewers, the lead checks the 2nd interviewer has no other questions. Then they wrap up with an offenders statement - state time and date then turn off the recording.
Examples of closure ?
Any Q’s interviewee has should be answered and then be told what happens next.
What is evaluate?
The officer completes a crime report to record all the information gathered and checks the reliability of the interviewees accounts. They judge if the witness is suffering from trauma and refer to a specialist if needed.
Strength - Roberts 2011
Examined how different interview strategies in terrorist cases might affect the relationship between the police and communities. It was found that aggressive interviewing strategies are likely to result in unreliable information being shared suggesting that ethical interviews would be more productive at gaining reliable information.
