Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas):You like playing games don’t you?
Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) (recrosses her legs and adjusts her position in the chair): I have a degree in psychology, it goes with the turf. Games are fun.
-Basic Instinct
Unfortunately, questioning a suspect isn’t always like it is in the movies-only rarely do your suspects turn out to be hot blondes with a disdain for undergarments. According to Detective Chip Morgan, when questioning a suspect it’s important to keep things simple and direct. Try to read the subject’s personality-would a friendly or aggressive approach serve you best? Do you want to keep her sitting in a hot room under a hot light for hours before beginning your questioning, or make her feel comfortable? Listen carefully and watch your subject’s behavior for clues. Watch your subject’s lower body as well-you never know when you’ll get lucky.
Step 1: Before you begin questioning or even approach your subject, review all available information.
Gather and review any case files, witness accounts, or other information you have about the suspect. During the interview, be prepared to evaluate and reevaluate all the information in your head, always asking yourself, “Do the suspect’s answers jibe with the evidence, witness accounts, and crime scene evaluation?”
Step 2: Set clear goals for the interview-information, interpretation, or confession.
Are you questioning a witness, an accessory, or a criminal? In each case you must set a different goal. If you are interviewing a witness for information, then your goal is to obtain her version of the facts. If you are interviewing an accessory or a criminal, then your goal is to extract a confession. Set a goal of obtaining the answer to one simple question for each round of interrogation so that each piece of information leads to another.
Step 3: When interrogating a suspect, first have her relate her version of the event in her own words.
Do not interrupt the first retelling-simply let her spin her yarn. You will undoubtedly identify holes in her story, but don’t point these out yet-just take it all in. Be sure to record and/or take thorough notes of the interrogation.
Step 4: Watch the suspect closely at all times for changes in language, stuttering or stammering, and for other nonverbal clues of stress or discomfort.
Look for a “tell”-an unconscious gesture, expression, or verbal tic that can often indicate stress or lying. Common tells include scratching, twitching, shifting, and rapid breathing. Looking to the left is also thought to be a tell indicative of “creating” or lying, whereas looking to the right is thought to be “remembering.”
Step 5: Inject some stress into the interview by reviewing the suspect’s story again, step by step.
Again, watch closely for verbal and nonverbal cues. Mix relevant and irrelevant questions to throw her off balance, and review the story out of sequence. If she is reciting from a memorized story, it will be harder for her to jump in and out of events. As you are questioning her, ask yourself whether the facts jibe with your suspect’s story. Does her story make sense? Is it logical? Did the suspect exhibit any change in nonverbal behavior when you applied some stress? If you have identified a few aspects of your suspect’s story that elicited a heightened stress response, you are ready to attempt to break the suspect down.
Step 6: Accuse the suspect of the crime in question.
Make direct eye contact as you accuse her, then offer your suspect a way to “save face” and rationalize her crime. Did she need to steal for survival? Was it a violent act of passion? Does she feel badly about what she did? Suggest to her that her genuine remorse will make it much easier for you to cut a deal.
Step 7: You have your guilty party if the suspect starts to negotiate with you.
If the suspect offers you information about a “bigger fish” in exchange for more lenient punishment, she is either the perpetrator or an accessory. She must have information about the crime in question to make a deal of any kind.
Step 8: If the suspect does not readily admit to the crime, remind her of the three principles of the criminal justice system.
Three extenuating circumstances may help ameliorate her punishment:
- Does she admit guilt or remorse?
- Does she pose a continuing threat to society?
- Is she willing to make restitution?
If she does not confess, these three principles may lead a judge or jury to impose a more punishing sentence.
Step 9: If you cannot extract a confession and have no legal means of detaining her, you may have to let the suspect go.
Be sure to let the suspect know that you’ll be keeping an eye on her. Give her your contact information just in case there’s anything she “forgot” to tell you.
