NCJ Number
202689
Journal
Legal and Criminological Psychology Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2003 Pages: 223-228
Date Published
September 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article assesses the perceived impact of England and Wales 1999 Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act by practitioners and examines the role of investigative interviewing under the 1999 Act.
Abstract
In the past 20 years, there has been much criticism of the way the police in England and Wales have interviewed vulnerable witnesses. In 1999, the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act was enacted in an attempt to bring access to justice to vulnerable groups in society. The Act presented many new challenges to the criminal justice system as a whole. This study’s intent was to understand police officers, social workers, and the criminal justice system’s appreciation of the legislative changes that the Act would have on investigative interviewing of vulnerable groups. One-hundred and fifty police officers and social workers from England and Wales were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess the impact of the 1999 Act and examine how vulnerable groups are interviewed. Results of the study indicate that practitioners thought that a large number of interviewees would be eligible for the special measures allowed within the remit of the new Act. It was also believed that the Act would result in achieving best evidence with respect to groups; however, it was believed that implementing the Act would be demanding in terms of time and money. In the study, the main considerations for planning and preparation were identified as having the right environment, the type of vulnerability, and rapport building. Overall, both police officers and social workers shared positive and negative views regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the Act. References