Deception Essay -- essays research papers

Deception   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether conducted by the patrol officer, the victim’s advocate, the prosecutor or the investigator assigned to a special unit in the criminal investigation division, the interview of a victim, witness, suspect or informant is a critical element of any investigation. Precious resources in the form of man power, money, time and equipment can be wasted because of the failure of the interviewer to conduct a complete interview and accurately evaluate the credibility of the information gained from the subject interviewed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a part of the three pillars of the criminal investigative process, a thorough and complete interview provides greater insight into the psychological elements of the suspect or even victim’s behaviors during the commission of the crime. The interview can also provide understanding of and give a clear definition to the evidence isolated by the forensic investigation of the case. In spite of its importance however, the value of the interview alone can be nil without the psychological and forensic pillars. By the same token a poorly executed interview along with a flawed effort to assess credibility can degrade if not destroy the efforts in the forensic and psychological portions of the investigation and any subsequent prosecution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A complete and successful interview will almost always be characterized by four basic elements: orientation, narration, cross-examination and resolution. In its own way, each of these four elements is unique and accomplishes specific goals. Without all four elements no interview will be complete. Orientation is accomplished on both an overt and covert level. Overtly the function of the orientation period is to establish some form of dialogue with the subject being interviewed. This can be achieved through personal introductions and possibly some form of brief light conversation if conditions and time permit. It is also the period during which the interviewer advises the subject as to the purpose of the interview, its importance, and the necessity to be totally forthcoming, honest and cooperative. Granted in many cases this is not going to be a socially comfortable situation nor will it always intended to be so. Covertly the objective of the investigative interviewer to establish some form of understanding of the person b... ...alysis of the subject’s narrative nor will they be effective at unlocking the truth during the cross-examination phase.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final element of a successful interview will be the â€Å"resolution† phase. It is during this portion of the interview that the subject after effective cross-examination acknowledges their responsibility in the commission of the act or in the least that they had a motive to at least deliberately lead or outright lie to the interviewer. For these acts they must accept the consequences and provide truthful information to the interviewer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is through a â€Å"narrative based† interview that the investigative interviewer will be able to obtain the largest quantity of information as well as the highest quality. Without dedication by the investigator to attain these goals their efforts in the psychological assessment and the forensic identification, collection, preservation and analysis may suffer severely and ultimately the satisfactory conclusion of their case. Invariably there will also be only one real good opportunity to achieve these goals. It is imperative that the interviewer gets it right the first time.