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Effective Interviewing and

Interrogation Techniques

CJ 397
Introduction to Security
Truth and Lies
•Operating definition of the truth:
the deliberate, complete and objective communication
(verbal, written, or by gesture) of the recollection of a
person, place, thing and/or event, which the communicator
believes to exist, have existed, or occurred.
•Untruth (a lie)
the deliberate communication to another, either verbally,
written or by gesture, of something that the communicator
knows or suspects is not the case: or, the presentation or
omission of information, with the deliberate intent to
deceive, and mislead someone who is requesting the truth.
Why Do People Lie?
•First category of lies-white lies or ethically necessary lies
-harmless lies that are necessary to our social interaction
with others
-they reduce interpersonal fiction and foster goodwill
•The intentional harmful or self serving lie
-one most open to detection
-conditioned to feel guilty, fear detection and punishment,
which produces observable psycho-physiological reactions
-in telling a lie, the liar is attempting to evade responsibility
for an unethical, immoral, and/or illegal act
The Decision to Lie
•Two primary ways to proceed once a person decides to lie:
-lying by omission
-lying by commission
Lying by Omission
-generally the method of choice
-it is tacit, easier, and involves less risk since no intervention
is required
-the liar chooses the path that offers the least risk of
detection--the path of passive deception
-no commitment to fabricated information
-contains some element of fabrication of missing
information --knowledgeable interviewer can detect and
expose
Lying by Commission
•Can be viewed as active deceit
-involves commitment, invention and defense
-high risk of contradicting prior information that can later
proven to be false
-two choices when asked a question--tell the truth or lie
-the truth--free-flowing and requires no other mental energy
-lie--presented numerous choices and concerns
-the size of the lie
-what to put in
-what to leave out
-the majority of what a deceptive suspect says is true
Interviewer’s Observations
•A good interviewer must be able to sift through whatever truth there
is in a clever liar’s story
-don’t be mislead by a superficial reaction to the interviewees’s affect
or tone
-focus on the components of the statement that indicate possible
deception or deliberate omission of information
-understand non-verbal behavior and the assessment of unwitting
verbal cues
•Everyone interviewed is a little apprehensive and nervous
•Truthful people are afraid that they will be accused of a crime that
they did not commit
•Deceptive people are afraid that the interviewer will find out that the
interviewee bears all or some of the responsibility for the matter under
investigation
Elements of Interviews and
Interrogations
Interview Interrogation
Purpose is to gather information Purpose is to get a confession
Non-accusatory Accusatory
Free flowing Structured
Interviewer speaks 5% Interrogator speaks 95%
Suspect speaks 95% of the time Suspect speaks 5%
Varied locations Interrogator has “home field”
Distance between chairs is Distance between chairs starts at
personal/social Zone personal and goes to Intimate Zone
Statement may be taken Statement is taken
Miranda is not required Miranda may be required
Time limit May have time limit
Preparation for the
Interview/Interrogation
•Interview/interrogation room
-should not be a small, threatening space
-should be private
-all distractions should be cleared from desk, table, walls
-unplug/turn off telephones, intercoms or pagers
-room should not have windows or the blinds should be
drawn
-lighting should be adequate
-minimum number of chairs should be available (one for
interviewer/interrogator, one for interviewee/suspect, one for
witness)
Analysis of Verbal Clues
Truthful Deceptive
Wants truth known Wants truth hidden/not talkative
talkative
Tries to narrow or assist Has no information
investigation
Uses appropriate and strong terms Uses mild/evasive terms
Expresses real feelings Detached/distant
Admits the opportunity Denies opportunity/makes
sweeping declarations to exclude
self
Argues actual innocence Argues legal innocence
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
“He that has no eyes to see, and ears to hear, may convince
himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent,
he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him from
every pore.”
-Sigmund Freud
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
Non verbal behavior usually falls into one of three categories:
•Emblems
•Illustrators
•Adapters
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Emblems
-express the entire communication
-accurate descriptors of a suspect’s true feelings and
communication
-do not have the same meaning in all cultures
-the interviewer must be cautious so as not to misread
emblems as related to specific cultural and societal
backgrounds
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Illustrators
-nonverbal behaviors which help the listener better
understand the verbal communication
-indicate consistency between verbal and nonverbal
communication
-often occur as hand gestures and body position
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Adapters
-subconscious nonverbal behaviors that serve no purpose in
helping the verbal communication
-frequently distract from the communication
-indicators of deception
-often occur as hand gestures and body position
-include any type of rubbing, picking, or touching of the leg
or face
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•General Posture
Truthful people
-use body position as an illustrator and have an open, settled, upright
position
-will lean slightly forward, indicating interest in what is being said
-shoulder tend to remain squared and their body is aligned with the
interviewer
Deceptive people
-show very closed and defensive positions (arms or legs crossed)
-often lean back and stretch out their legs (perceptually increase the
distance between themselves and the interviewer)
-may assume a position of defeat (shoulders forward, chin on their chest)
•Head
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
-tilting of head to the side (illustrator) suggests cooperation, interest and
belief in what is being said
-jaw jutted forward, not tilted, indicates anger or aggression
-chin on the chest, indicates defeat, depression, and/or boredom
•Face
-most common part of the body to observe, but the most difficult to
interpret
-facial expressions are easy to produce, which can become automatic
after time
-masking (the attempt to conceal the truth through facial expression) is
common
-the interviewer can usually identify the underlying emotion
-masking frequently occurs out of context, is held too long, and repeated
too often
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
-masks are usually distorted, exaggerated or incomplete
-smile is the easiest facial expression to use in an attempt to mask a
genuine emotion, such as fear
•Eyes
-breaks in eye contact at the appropriate time can be indicative of
deception
-exaggerated eye contact may be considered an indicator of deception-
attempts to simulate sincerity or to dominate the interviewer
-a preconception is that a “liar” cannot look the interviewer directly in
the eyes
-interviewer may be caught in a “staring contest”.
-staring contests may be ended by pointing the interviewee’s attention to
something else
-pupil dilation is a good corollary indication of emotional change
-eyes dilate when the individual is aroused or excited
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
-Closed eyes may indicate trying to mentally escape and block visual
sensory input
-Sudden increase in eye blinking indicates and increase in tension
-squinting indicates distrust
-Licking the lips due to “dry mouth” condition is a sign of stress
-No moisture in the mouth causes the lips to stick together, providing a
clicking sound as the person speaks
-Physiologically during “fight/flight” the throat muscles expand to allow
more air to be inhaled into the lungs
-May be responsible for the “lump in the throat”-experienced with
emotional states such as fear
-A “clearing the throat” emotional defense may result
-Increased incidents of swallowing or a bobbing Adam’s apple de to
increased salivation may occur
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Arms and Hands
-When experiencing an increase in tension, some men may finger their
the collars of their shirts--women tend to put their hands to their throats
-A suspects whose elbows are close to their body may may be under
severe tension
-Arms across the chest act a barrier or suggest defiance
-If the suspect is pointing away from his body when he is talking, he
may be trying to misdirect your attention from the topic of himself
-A suspect who is touching his chest while talking is directing the
interviewer to look at him
-If a suspect has his crossed tightly in front of him, it may indicate fear,
and the probability that he is being deceptive
-Steepled hands indicate confidence and truthfulness
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Sense arousal gestures
-Under times of stress, the body’s senses are enhanced by sympathetic
arousal
-Olfactory, aural, visual, and tactile senses are increased
-Touching or scratching of the nose is a good indicator of deception,
when the suspect is asked a critical question, or explains something
-Suspect holds his nose, or touches it as he speaks, he does not believe
what he is saying
-If he touches it while he listens, he does not believe the interviewer
-Touching the ear may indicate stress
-Covering the eyes and looking away may indicate that the suspect is
trying to hide or escape from the situation
-Rubbing the eye is an indicator of disbelief
-People will often rock back and forth, tap, swing their legs in rhythm
with their heart rate
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Feet and Legs
-Truthful people generally use open and “settled” foot and leg positions
-Sudden crossing, uncrossing, criss-crossing, or legs pulled under a chair
are goods signs of stress
•Arms and Hands
-Give clearer nonverbal clues
-Hand movements are less fleeting than facial expressions, easily
observable and are the main nonverbal means of recognizing illustrators
and adapters (illustrators-truthfulness, adapters-deception)
-Elbows close to the body may be under severe tension
-Elbows away from the body, suspect is relaxed, less defensive, more
likely to be truthful
-Arms across the chest act as barriers and may suggest defiance
-Arms across the stomach, not indicators of stress-probably truthful
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
-Suspect pointing away from his body when talking--may be
indication that the suspect is try to misdirect your attention
away from the topic of himself

-Suspect touching their chest is directing the interviewer to


look at him; that he has nothing to hide.

-Hands crossed tightly in front suggest fear and deception

-Steepled hands may indicate truthfulness and confidence


Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Sense arousal gestures
-Under times of stress the body’s senses are enhanced by sympathetic
arousal
-Olfactory, aural, visual, tactile senses are increased
-Touching or scratching of the nose when asked a critical question is a
reliable indicator of deception
-Holds nose or touches it as he speaks, he does not believe what he is
saying
-Touches nose as he listens, he does believe what the interviewer is
saying.
-Touching the ear during stress may be a psychological attempt to shut
out ear stimuli
-Suspect coves eyes and looks away, may be trying to hide or escape
from the predicament
-Rubbing the eye is a sign of disbelief
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
-Fixing hair, straightening tie, hands on hips are signs of stress and
possible deception
-Rocking back and forth , tap, swing their legs are signs of stress
•Feet and legs
-These are reliable adapters
-They move slowly and are easily observed
-Truthful people generally use open and “settled” foot and leg positions
-Be alert to sudden crossing and criss-crossing of arms or legs
-Legs suddenly pulled under a chair, or feet in a runner’s position,
especially when pointed toward the door, are good signs of stress.
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Displacement activities
-For the deceptive suspect, the pressure of the interview creates an
unresolvable problem
-Due to sympathetic arousal the body is prepared for fight or flight
-Since suspect cannot do either, he must sit with the interviewer while a
surge of energy takes place
-Displacement activities may be used to dissipate nervous energy
-Adults often study their fingernails during moments of inner stress or
embarrassment
-Other activities may include tapping of fingers or foot, playing with
objects, restless body movements, swing a leg, pulling up socks,
smoothing out clothes, picking imaginary lint from clothing.
-This is an attempt to mentally escape from the threatening situation.
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
•Involuntary biological signs
-Yawning may indicate aggression
-White face--rage, red face-- anger, pale face--fear
-Increased blood flow, carotid artery can be observed--right artery more
visible under stress than the left.
-Other involuntary signs may include--stomach noises and the suspect
breaking out in a “cold sweat”.
Nonverbal Behavioral Assessment
Truthful Deceptive
-Relaxed and confident -Tense and defensive
-Face to face alignment -Evasive body alignment
-Uses illustrators -Uses adapters
-Natural/settled foot and -Tense, repetitive, restless
leg positioning
Integrated Interrogation Techniques
TEN KEYASPECTS OF AN INTERVIEW/INTERROGATION
•Make a forceful assertion that the suspect is guilty
-Interrogator must begin with a firm statement of the suspect’s
guilt
-Truthful people interrupt and begin to disagree--deceptive
people remain quiet, waiting to hear what else the interrogator
has to say--and what evidence or options will be offered.
-”There Is no doubt you did this, didn’t you?”
-If the suspect nods, the interview is over.
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Do not allow the suspect to deny the act
-90% of all suspects will at some point begin to deny their
involvement
-The more the suspect is allowed to deny the act, the more the
suspect’s lies are reinforce.
-Confessing will also be more difficult
-When the suspect begins to deny involvement, the
interviewer must stop the denial by either voice inflection, or
put his hand up, indicating “Stop”.
Integrated Interrogation Technique
• Offer a series of possibilities of how and why this may have
happened (rationalization)
-Offer possible scenarios to explain why the incident may
have been committed
-Go from possibility to possibility until the suspect appears to
show an interest in the scenario-then expand that scenario
-Minimize the blame for the impact of the act
-Suspects will accept possibilities when blame is placed on the
victim or where they find ways to diminish their
responsibility
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Undermine the person’s self confidence
-All deceptive suspects fear what evidence may have been left,
or turn up, to prove they committed the crime
-Never use foolish bluffs to heighten the fear
-Instead, undermine the suspect’s self confidence with phrases
that begin, “What’s going to happen if…”
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Offer persuasive arguments for telling the truth
-Enhance the the suspect’s desire to confess
-Remind the suspect that he is guilty and how telling the truth
will relieve the stress that he has been experiencing
-If the suspect is a sociopath, and has no remorse, the
interrogator may play to the suspect’s pride of taking credit for
such a brilliant act
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Offer solutions to alleviate the person’s fear
-Interviewer should never make promises that he should not
keep
-He may overcome the barriers preventing the suspect from
telling the truth as the suspect brings them up.
-May ask the person “What is your biggest fear?”.
-What you have to do now is tell the truth, and get on with
your life.”
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Compliment the person
-By complimenting the suspect, the interviewer is recognizing
the suspect’s “good” side.
-Interviewer is appealing to the suspect’s superior qualities as
he leads the suspect to recognize his best option is to tell the
truth
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Use alternative and leading questions
-Use of alternative and leading questions makes it easier for a suspect to
admit his guilt
-Alternate questions facilitates a positive response, but allows reduce
culpability
-Leading questions enable a less threatening admission through a
nonverbal submission
-Alternative questions offer two possibilities, one that is more severe
than the other.
-Leading questions make it easier to admit to wrong doing by asking to
admit with minimum verbalization or guilt. A nod of the head may
indicate an admission
-Leading questions are utilized by the interviewer who knows the
suspect is willing to confess, but is having difficulty voicing it.
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Watch for the “buy” signs
-Getting a confession is selling the truth as opportunity
-Signs that the suspect is ready to tell the truth
-May include
--sudden silence
--listening intently to what the interviewer is saying
--dropping the head and shoulders
--nodding the head up and down
--a statement such as, “What would happen if someone would do this?”.
Integrated Interrogation Technique
•Move in and press for the confession
-When buy signs are noted, move n for the confession
-Move into the suspect’s zone may be more comforting than intimidating
-Interrogator’s press should include a an alternative or leading question with a soft or
accepting tone
-Do not be reluctant to press for the sale
-Overcome any negative feelings about the suspect or your own fear of failure.
-Use the Ten Key Aspects repeatedly, until a confession is obtained
“How” and “Why” solutions allow the suspect to admit to a lesser act, blame the
victim, minimize the crime and the motivations for the crime
-The interviewer moves the suspect from the position of “Nothing happened”, toward
an admission
-Interrogators counsel truth and convince the suspect that it is in their best interest to
tell the truth
-The suspect must be aware that telling the truth does something for him, not the
interrogator. People behave based on their own self interest
-The interrogator must come from a supportive mode in making the case for truth
Integrative Interrogation Techniques
Ten key aspects to obtaining a confession
•Make a firm statement the person is guilty
•Do not allow the person to deny the act
•Offer possibilities of how and why this may have happened
•Undermine the person’s confidence
•Offer persuasive arguments for telling the truth
•Offer solutions to alleviate the person’s fears
•Compliment the person
•Use leading and alternative type questions
•Watch for the “Buy” signs
•Move in close and press for the confession

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