Interrogations : The Reid Technique vs. PEACE Method

Interrogations : The Reid Technique vs. PEACE Method

 

 

An interrogation is the process of formally and systematically questioning an individual with the aim of eliciting useful information related to a suspected crime and is carried out by trained law enforcement officers or intelligence agencies. An interrogation is not the same as an interview in fact they would be conducted at completely separate stages of an investigation. An individual being interviewed by the police is not necessarily suspected to be guilty of anything but may have knowledge surrounding the victim or crime that is necessary for the investigation.

An interview is the first stage in the information gathering process and is often non accusatory with a conversational nature. The investigator will mostly use open-ended questions to establish certain facts and details if an individual is interrogating by the police is generally because they are believed to be directly involved in the crime with either direct or strong circumstantial evidence. To support this during an interrogation the investigator will often dominate the majority of the conversation, is purposefully designed to be accusatory in nature with the aim of encouraging the suspect to first make admissions of guilt and then ultimately confess their involvement in the crime.

 Throughout history interrogations were traditionally carried out alongside physical coercion and torture known as enhanced interrogation techniques at the time it was widely accepted that denying a person access to food water and sleep along with inflicting extreme physical

Pain would make them more amenable to interrogation and therefore more likely to expose any  information they possessed. For example British soldiers used these techniques following the end of the Second World War to interrogate German prisoners and though suspected of committing espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. The bad men Dorf interrogation center closed in 1947 after just two years of being open following serious allegations of abuse and mistreatment on prisoners. The US Armed Forces and CIA were also known for subjecting prisoners to beatings, waterboarding and sensory deprivation to elicit confessions. These interrogations took place in various sites like Guantanamo Bay. It is unknown exactly how many people died as a result of these extremely inhumane interrogations but following public controversy and internal investigations both the legal standards and public expectations of how interrogations should be carried out became much higher. Police have adapted to these regulations and there are many effective and more humane techniques that couldn't successfully lower the confidence of a suspect and increase their likelihood of confessing. It is important for interrogators to be able to read both the mindset and body language of the suspect as the direction of the interrogation will change depending on both the verbal and nonverbal cues picked up by the investigator. The setting that the interrogation takes place in is also important as this helps to establish the role and relative power of the investigator and suspect or an interview begins. Harris makes sure the box is set up in a way that gives him a psychological edge. The walls are kept a blank when people are under a lot of anxiety. Their mind can wander and focus on posters or picture instead of focusing on you. The suspects chair on straight legs while the interrogators is on rollers because I may start off being three to four feet away from the right about to confess, I may be within inches of them. Techniques will differ depending on the suggestibility of the suspect, the type of crime they are suspected of committing and the country or state that the crime took place in.

In the US and Canada the Reid technique has been widely used since the 1950s. This method is based on psychological manipulation and devaluation with the aim of getting confessions from suspects who may not otherwise have been willing to confess. An interrogation conducted using the Reid technique not always follow the same pattern but there are nine key steps that should be followed :-

The first step is direct confrontation. This involves the investigator presenting facts of the case, whether real or not, in order to raise the suspect stress levels while also moving closer to the suspect to increase their levels of discomfort

The next step is done in a non-threatening manner. Theme development is where the investigator will offer an explanation as to why the suspect committed the crime by making some sort of moral excuse or justification. The suspect is responsive to stopping denials as a keep step in the interrogation process. This is because allowing the suspect to verbally deny their guilt will only help to increase their confidence and resilience to questioning. Interrupting all attempts at denial helps to keep the suspects confidence low and generate feelings of powerlessness. An objection is different to a denial in that it can give the investigator information that can be used against the suspect and if handled correctly the investigator can make the objection look more like an admission of guilt. For example a suspect may make an objection such as my sister was sexually abused as a child that I saw how much it hurt her I could never rape someone, I would never do that. An investigator using the reed technique may respond by saying that's good you're saying that you wouldn't ever plan to do that it was out of your control, I know you care about women like your sister, it was just a mistake. By this point in the interrogation the suspect should be feeling frustrated and unsure of themselves. Investigators will capitalize on this by appearing to be the suspects ally and friend. This is achieved by using first names getting physically closer and offering gestures of concern like patting the suspect on the back or touching their shoulder which makes it more difficult for them to detach from the situation. The suspect will most likely be feeling a sense of defeat due to their inability to successfully deflect and deny the investigators accusations. Their body language will often reveal this hunched shoulders head in their hands and elbows on their knees. If the suspect becomes emotional or cries at this point is important for them to feel supported and comforted by the investigator as this is often a sign of remorse or guilt. Saying something like I know how much you've tried to keep this inside but I'm glad to see those tears because they tell me you're sorry this thing ever happened, you are sorry you did this on you. The alternative question is probably the most important stage. The investigator will present the suspect with two potential but equally incriminating motives for them committing the crime. One will be more socially acceptable such as it was a crime of passion, wasn't it, whereas the other will be much more undesirable and widely viewed as inexcusable such as you killed them for the money, right. The phrasing of the alternative question is important and I dearly would require the suspect to merely not their head or say yes as this makes it easier for them to admit their guilt. The investigator must develop any admissions of guilt that followed from the previous stage into a legally binding confession. This is done by using open-ended questions and avoiding any realistic or highly emotional terminology. Often other investigators will be brought into the interrogation room to witness the confession with the aim of increasing the suspects stress levels and willingness to confess. Once satisfied that they have obtained a sufficient confession the investigator will have the suspect write it out so it can be used later as evidence. At this point the suspect is often willing to do anything to escape the interrogation.

Now that all of the stages have been explained it is much easier to identify them being used why they were positively identified some misconception, that's a lie, I was in I did not shoot. We can prove that we're beyond that point buddy, we're beyond that man and based on our investigation and the trajectory and stuff like that we sort of believe that it could have been accidental discharge. But when you don't, when you're completely denying that then. Then I got to think another way it's the truth that firearm in my hand whatsoever, well you know, maybe you're not listening to what I'm saying we're going to process that gun and you know what it's going to tell us, your prints are on that gun all this to the judge and your lawyers gone. Yeah dude maybe you shouldn't have. With these detectives I'm not with you, I didn't touch that gun lips lever, you didn't know what I did. Yeah I know what I did I drink beer and watch right and you came outside you shot another round, I did not, I didn't do it, yes you did, no I didn't, yes you did not. This is like I'm dealing with a five-year-old Jimmy that's what I can't understand. There's people saying you did. We got independent women do it you can't tell us that you didn't fire that fourth shot anymore. You can't tell us we can prove otherwise, and if you do, the judge is going to throw the book at you, you fired that fourth shot brother we can prove it was only three shot on their doors for there's four, there's four dude, you fired the fourth shot. Now we need to know if you try to kill that deputy or just discharged a firearm and had some misdemeanor. We need to find out we have a good idea, we want to hear from you, we have a good idea what your intention was based on the trajectory of the round what we have witnessed observing this ship, because they've already heard three before rounds. There's witnesses, that observing deputies already on the other side of the street watching you setting up on the house the guy has a rifle trained throughout the front door. Because he doesn't know what is going on. Well you fired that shot brother. Think back real hard. Take back real hard so we can at least say you don't want the guy at the end. He came clean we don't think he was trying to kill anybody but yeah he's the fourth, that's the fourth round, that's there I'm going to make up there's four rounds there. All your roommates know it, Richard knows it, independent witnesses know it and there's a deputy watching you from down the street. The shell casings match the bullets that are inside of the gun. We're going to show that the extraction marks that it came from that gun matched that of the shell casings that we found on scene and we're going to put all of that together so that means that we've got that one round that that deputy witnessed you pull the trigger. You did it you made a mistake you discharged a firearm in public. That's a misdemeanor brother and we could tell you weren't trying to hit the deputy because we know the trajectory of the round. We have a witness where's a gun in your hand, no you don't remember up to a point you remember the whole thing. No I don't. Yes you do. That man oh no I'm being honest to God and so is my partner and so is the deputy that witnessed you because he broadcast that over a radio and we're pulling the tapes right now. We're pulling the dispatch tapes and you note this dispatch tapes are going to describe you holding a gun but I'm going to tell you something. You sit here and you hold on to this story I'm just telling you. It's not a threat when we put out of the evidence together in a court of law it's not going to look good my friend, it's not going to look good we know you did it you know you did it and everyone in the house. Is that too what do you think? Do I really have to answer that question?

 

In the UK a much less confrontational method of interrogation is used called PEACE which is an acronym for Preparation And Planning Engage In Explain Account Closure And Evaluate.  Investigators using this method should conduct their investigation before the interrogation takes place so that any evidence or witness statements can be included in their plan. This kind of cognitive interview presumes that the suspect is innocent and it is important for the suspect to be allowed to give their full account of what happened without being interrupted. Only after the suspect has given their account will any inconsistencies or contradictions be pointed out by the investigators. But this is usually done in a non-confrontational manner. The PEACE method does not allow for high levels of accusation or deception to be used as this helps to avoid leading a suspect to falsely confess, regardless of what technique investigators used to interrogate a suspect getting a confession is a highly complicated process that requires not only creativity and confidence also psychological expertise. No two interrogations are alike and two confession is not always guaranteed for example in the U.S. it is estimated that between 42 and 55% of suspects will confess during an interrogation. The fact that the most hardened criminals as well as those who are innocent can end up confessing demonstrates the knowledge and manipulation tactics that interrogators possess, whether or not these tactics are worth using, despite the possibility of false confessions continues to be widely debated you.