A Confession Code? Ditch the Decoder Ring. Just Listen!
When a subject starts asking what might happen if they talk, you may be hearing a shift away from resistance. In this week’s ITIR, I use Ralphie’s decoder ring and a trip to the camper lot to show what those questions reveal about the consequences a subject is weighing.
“Bro…We Ain’t Close.”
When an investigator crowds a subject into a corner, is guarded body language evidence of concealment—or a response to the investigator? Before interpreting someone’s behavior, examine what you may be doing to produce it.
The Bull Don’t Care
The bull don’t care how you planned to ride. In the interview room, staying present means listening beyond the answer you want, recognizing what the subject gives you, and adapting your approach.
Worse or Worser: Compromising Reliability
Making an admission easier to obtain does not make it more reliable. Explore how minimization can leave serious conduct unresolved, imply leniency, and lead an innocent person to agree simply to escape interview pressure.
Interview the Cat! Ask about the Mouse.
What does Schrödinger’s Cat have to do with investigative interviewing? Discover how preconceptions can limit information gathering—and why understanding the person may reveal what investigators never expected to find.
Don’t Ask for More Details. Execute Better Retrieval.
Investigators often ask for “more details” when what they really need is a better retrieval strategy. Effective interviewing uses structured recall methods to help reliable information emerge, then tests that information against the evidence.