POLICE INTERROGATION - FORMS, PROCEDURE, RECORDING - AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION FROM A COMMUNICATIONS SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

• NCJ Number: 46026
• Author(s): J BANSCHERUS
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 318 pages
• Corporate Author: Bundeskriminalamt
• Sale Source: Bundeskriminalamt
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: German
• Country: West Germany (Former)
• Note: BKA-FORSCHUNGSREIHE (RESEARCH SERIES)

Annotation

AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES AND THE LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION ESTABLISHED BETWEEN OFFICERS AND INTERROGEES IS DESCRIBED.

Abstract

THE REPORT PRESENTS THE PROBLEM OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE INTERROGATION SITUATION BOTH FROM A THEORETICAL AND A PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW. VARIOUS CONCEPTUAL MODELS ILLUSTRATING DIFFERENT LEVELS AND TYPES OF HUMAN COMMUNICATIONS ARE DIAGRAMED. THEY CLARIFY SUCH CONCEPTS AS SYMMETRICAL, COMPLEMENTARY, AND PSEUDOSYMMETRICAL COMMUNICATIONS. THE WRITTEN REPORT OF THE INTERROGATION -- ITS IMPORTANCE, FORMAT, COMPONENTS, AND FUNCTION -- IS DISCUSSED, ALONG WITH THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN REPRESENTING THE INTERACTION PROCESS OF THE INTERROGATION IN WRITING. THE PROCEDURES OF THE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION ARE THEN DESCRIBED. THE FIRST STEP CONSISTED OF PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION OF ACTUAL POLICE INTERROGATIONS. THE OBSERVATIONS SERVED AS A BASIS FOR AN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH INTERROGATIONS WERE SIMULATED. THESE EXPERIMENTS IN TURN PROVIDED THE MATERIAL FOR THE SUBSEQUENT INTERACTION ANALYSIS, WHICH EXAMINED THE DIFFERENT FORMS IN WHICH COMMUNICATION TAKES PLACE AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INTERROGATION, HOW CHANGES FROM ONE LEVEL TO ANOTHER COME ABOUT, AND HOW THOSE CHANGES ARE RELEVANT FOR THE INTERROGATION PROCESS AS A WHOLE. THE WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE INTERROGATION DIALOGS WERE COMPARED WITH TAPES OF THE DIALOGS IN ORDER TO LOCATE LOSSES IN INFORMATION RESULTING FROM THE TRANSCRIPTION. THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION ARE SUMMARIZED AND INCLUDE: (1) THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTERROGATION DIALOG INTO THE WRITTEN RECORD DEPENDS ON HOW THE INTERROGATOR JUDGES THE INTERROGEE; AND (2) LESS-EXPERIENCED OFFICERS GENERALLY SHOW MORE SYMPATHY FOR THE INTERROGEE AND ARE MORE DELIBERATE AND TOLERANT. APPENDIXES INCLUDE THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE SIMULATION EXPERIMENTS, SAMPLE CRIME REPORTS, AND DATA FROM THE ANALYSIS OF THE INTERROGATION REPORTS. REFERENCES, AN INDEX, AND AN ENGLISH SUMMARY ARE PROVIDED. --IN GERMAN. (VDA)