In investigative interviewing, police conduct interviews with suspects or witnesses to gather information on a case. When doing so, they use specific techniques to gain information and for suspects to gain a confession. A major method that is used is the reid technique.
The Reid technique consists of three parts. The factual analysis, behavioral analysis interview, and interrogation (Orlando, n.d.). The factual analysis requires the police officers to gather factual information relating to the crime. Along with that, it evaluates and investigates the suspect themself. So, a factual analysis may look at a suspect’s age, race, social status, marital status, and gender. A factual analysis may also investigate possible motives, evaluate evidence both physical and circumstantial, and consider if the suspect had the opportunity to commit the crime (Orlando, n.d.). Ultimately, the factual analysis assists in gaining a confession during an interrogation.
In terms of the behavioral analysis interview, it is a set of questions that investigators use during an interrogation. The questions are formatted to be non-accusatory and avoid being misleading (Orlando, n.d.). Especially since this can cause the misinformation effect. The misinformation effect refers to an individual recalling a disrupted memory due to leading information provided by someone else (Gruman, 2016). The behavior analysis begins with background questions that lead to more provoking questions. Investigators do this, so they are able to distinguish differing behavior and determine if a suspect is being deceitful.
On the other hand, the interrogation itself only occurs if an investigator is reasonably certain of a suspect’s guilt. Once an investigator is positive of a suspect’s, the interrogation stage can occur. Within the interrogation stage, there’s 9 steps. Steps range from a positive confrontation with the suspect to an oral and written confession (Orlando, n.d.). In essence, the three components of the Reid technique assist in investigators gaining information about a case and a confession by a suspect.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
Orlando, J. (n.d.). Interrogation techniques. Connecticut General Assembly . https://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/rpt/2014-R-0071.htm