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Oral Presentation: For the Record: A collaboration to improve evidential consistency in the production of police investigative interview records

22 June, 2022 @ 11:20 am - 11:40 am

Title: For the Record: A collaboration to improve evidential consistency in the production of police  investigative interview records

Abstract:

This paper will present the findings of a pilot project being undertaken as a collaboration between  academic researchers and an English police force, which applies linguistic research to the process of  producing written transcripts of investigative interviews with suspects (ROTIs). This process is of real  importance since these written records are the version of the interview which is routinely presented  in court as part of the prosecution evidence, yet the original spoken data are (necessarily)  substantially altered through the process of being converted into written format. Our aim is to  develop methods of reducing this routine interference with interview evidence.

The project involves linguistic analysis of interview audio and corresponding transcripts, focus  groups with transcribers and interviewers, and psycholinguistic experiments to demonstrate the  differences in interpretation that can result from different formats and transcription choices.

The intended outcome is to produce transcription guidelines and training to assist transcribers in  producing ROTIs which encapsulate more of the meaning conveyed by the original spoken  interaction, and to enable consistency of interpretation of features such as punctuation and pauses  for the reader (e.g. fellow investigating officers, CPS, courts). We are also seeking to recruit other forces to roll out the project more widely.

 

Authors: Dr Kate Haworth, Dr Emma Richardson, Dr James Tompkinson, Dr Felicity Deamer, Dr Magnus Hamann

Details

Date:
22 June, 2022
Time:
11:20 am - 11:40 am
Event Category:

Venue

WDC403