Skip to content
Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

Oral Presentation: Suspect responses to questions during homicide investigative interviews: What are the effects of suspect veracity and culpability?

22 June, 2022 @ 11:40 am - 12:00 pm

Title: Suspect responses to questions during homicide investigative interviews: What are the effects of suspect veracity and culpability?

Abstract:

During a police investigative interview how a suspect responds is often highly dependent on the questions used by the interviewer. Using appropriate types of questions is therefore of great importance. Appropriate question types are those that are productive in obtaining information from a suspect, whereas inappropriate types are those that inhibit or restrict a suspect from providing information. Accordingly, several studies have measured interview quality by examining the percentage of different question types used, though few studies have evaluated suspect responses to specific question types in detail. To explore suspect response, a specially designed coding frame was applied to 60 homicide suspect interviews. The study examined the type, frequency and yield (amount of information) of responses to certain appropriate and inappropriate question types. Responses were also examined in relation to the truthfulness of the suspect in interview, and whether the suspect was later found guilty or innocent. The most frequent response was for suspects to provide information, with open questions generating the largest yield. Guilty suspects denying their guilt were found to use avoidance strategies, such as remaining silent or providing a minimal or non-lexical response. This presentation outlines possible explanations to determine how and why homicide suspects respond differently.

 

Authors: Kate Miller (Principal Author; University of Chester), Dr Clea Wright (University of Chester), Associate Prof Michelle Mattison (University of Nottingham), Associate Prof Lisa Oakley (University of Chester).

Details

Date:
22 June, 2022
Time:
11:40 am - 12:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

WDC402