CCJ 4195 (Interviews & Interrogations) Midterm Study Guide

During an interrogation, notes should be taken ________.

after the suspect has told the truth

When obtaining initial facts from a fact giver, a good techniques for the investigator to ______.

reiterate what the fact giver has said and follow up with clarifying questions

An interrogation should be conducted only when the investigator is _______.

reasonably certain of the suspect’s guilt

Information provided by a paid informer should be viewed ______.

cautiously

The purpose of an interrogation is _________.

to learn the truth

In cases involving a victim the first person to be interviewed should be the ______.

victim

Interviews by their nature are ______.

nonaccusatory

An interrogation can be conducted early in an investigation before an interview, when ______.

the suspect is caught in an incriminating situation

A suspect who is guilty and realizes the inaccuracy of the investigator’s information will be ______.

more confident about lying

The ideal environment for an interview is a room designed for that purpose.

true

The investigator should focus their interviews on the individuals who seem most likely to have been involved in the crime.

False

The location of an interrogation is relatively unimportant

False

The investigator should not take notes during an interview

False

Interviews and interrogations are conducted in basically the same manner

False

When estimating the time of death a physician can normally be very accurate

False

When a series of money thefts occurs within a single establishment or unit, usually, ______.

only one person is the thief

A suspect who admits the criminal act but denies intent may not reveal their deception through verbal or nonverbal behavior because _____.

they are telling 95% of the truth

Allegations of past sexual abuse or physical abuse that first surface _______ should be considered far less reliable than those that are spontaneously reported to a loved one or friend.

during the course of psychotherapy

In thefts where even amounts of case ($1,000 or $2,500) are missing consideration as a suspect ________.

an employee with the best access

A sexually motivated _______ will usually remain at the crime scene long enough to achieve sexual gratification from the experience. 

arsonist

In cases of the sexual abuse of a child, if a child can identify the person suspected of being the abuser, and can also ______, their eyewitness identification is rarely invalid.

relate an account of the event itself

An investigator should ask three questions at the start of the investigation: (1) what did the guilty person have to know or possess to commit this crime, (2) what did the guilty person do to commit this crime, and (3) ________.

why was the crime committed the way it was and at the time it was 

Traditionally, motivations for criminal behavior fall into three broad categories; need, greed, and _______.

power

The initial discovery of physical evidence at a crime scene may point directly at an individual, the investigator needs to keep in mind that such evidence may give rise to completely fake assumptions.

True

Crime of homicide and arson are normally committed by a group of individuals

False

A suspect’s alibi can be checked out sometimes after the interrogation

True

When dealing with a repressed memory victim there should be no corresponding trail of associated problems and pathologies.

False

Of all the single factors that account for the convictions of innocent persons, the fallibility of eyewitness identification ranks at the top.

True

In cases where the reported loss is covered by insurance, consideration must be given to the possibility of a fraudulent claim.

True

In investigations of child abuse investigators should keep in mind that the child have been exploited by an adult with ulterior motives.

True

When interviewing suspects of _____, they should be addressed as Mr., Mrs., or Miss.

low socio-economic status

A professional interviewer and interrogator may be more objective in assessing a subject’s truthfulness because _________.

they have not had lengthy emotional ties with the victim or the victim’s family

If an interpreter is needed in an interview or interrogation they should be seated ______.

beside the investigator

During the interrogation the investigator should make it very clear that they are seeking ______.

the truth

In a non-custodial interview room there should be no locks on the door or _____.

physical impediments to the exit

At the start of the interrogation the investigator should sit _______.

approximately four feet in front of the suspect leaning forward

Perhaps the most important qualification of a good interviewer is to _____.

be able to separate the suspect from the crime they committed

Anger and hostility are commonly used by deceptive suspects to displace the anxiety from their deception and to help justify their lies.

True

Both innocent and deceptive suspects are uncomfortable with the silence caused by the investigator taking notes following a suspect’s response.

False

The benefits in recording an interview or interrogation may be significantly negated if the recording device is visible to the suspect.

True

If possible, the investigator who conducted the interview of a suspect should not conduct a subsequent interrogation.

True

When interviewing a suspect who is displaying an attitude of superiority the investigator should apologize for having to ask question to defuse the situation

False

In cases where a third person must be in the interview room they should normally be seated ________________.

In back and to the side of the investigator

After catching a suspect in a lie, the investigator should ______________.

give the impression they knew all along the suspect was not telling the truth

The investigator should take a written note following each response the suspect offers. This accomplishes two important purposes; is slows the interview down and _____.

it documents the interview

During an interview of a person suspected of involvement in a crime the initial open question should ______.

be as broad as possible

Which of the following is an indicator of deception in a subject’s response?

perfect chronology throughout the account

The interview process should be non-accusatory so the investigator should avoid _____.

challenging questions

Miranda warnings must be given _____.

during custodial interrogations

When making opening statements to victims, investigators should exhibit concern and understanding toward _________________________ who are generally very reluctant to reveal the details of the offense.

sex crime victims

Questions that are usually closed and are asked to elicit a specific position or answer from the subject are known as _____.

direct questions

When interviewing a suspect who is probably guilty of the offense the investigator should _____.

emphasize their objectivity

Generally three types of questions that should be utilized during most interviews: non-threatening, investigative, and ______.

behavior-provoking

Deceptive subjects will try to reduce personal responsibility within the response by using terms such as “Not that I can recall. These are known as ______.

memory qualifiers 

Once the subject has completed their response to the initial open question the investigator can go back and ask clarifying questions. These can be divided into three categories: questions to elicit more information, questions to seek an explanation, and _____________________.

questions that develop information about the subject’s feelings or thoughts

Prior to the interview the investigator should write out each question they intend to ask in the order they want to ask them

False

In an introductory statement to a suspect they should be assured that if they are innocent the investigation will indicate that, and conversely, if they committed the crime their involvement will be identified.

True

When interviewing victims of sex crimes the investigator should offer statements of sympathy which send messages that the investigator believes what the victim is saying.

True

There are certain phrases that indicate the subject has consciously edited information from the account such as “The next thing I remember” of “Eventually.”

True

When questioning a suspect, victim, or witness, early in the interview the investigator should ask an open question.

True

A subject’s posture during the interview reveals three important assessments of the subject: (1) their level of confidence, (2) their level of emotional involvement, and (3) _______.

their level of interest

Certain behaviors, such as laughs, coughs, or clearing of the throat immediately after a denial, are indicators of deception. They are known as _______.

erasure behavior

Physically, a person has three responses to a threatening situation, they can fight it, flee from it, or ______.

freeze

A type of qualifying phrase indicating deception involves the use of phrases such as “I would have to say no” or “My answer would be that I did not.” This type of qualifying phrase is known as ____.

an estimation phrase

When a subject’s response is predicated on some earlier communication such as, “like I wrote in my statement” an investigator should suspect deception.  This is known as __________.

lying by referral

The underlying knowledge of guilt or innocence will cause the suspect to form fairly predictable thoughts and perceptions, which are collectively referred to as the suspect’s __________.

attitude

During an interview the subject’s hands can do one of three things one of these is for the hands to move away from the body and gesture, this is known as ________________.

illustrating behavior

Adaptor hand behavior can be divided into three categories: personal gestures, grooming gestures, and __________.

supporting or protective gestures

One type of paralinguistic behavior that considers the length of time between the last word of the interrogator’s question and the first word of the subject’s response is 

response latency

When a deceptive subject is asked a direct question during an interview they have essentially four verbal responses from which to choose: deception, evasion, truth, or ____________.

omission

Communication occurs at three distinctly different levels: the verbal channel, the paralinguistic channel, and the _________.

nonverbal channel

When asked by an investigator what they did at a particular point in time, a deceptive subject may use a phrase such as: “generally” or “typically.” The investigator should suspect deception, this is a qualified response known as _________.

a generalization statement

The average latency of truthful suspects is longer than that of deceptive suspects.

False

In responding to questions, the innocent subject generally offers lengthy, free-flowing, responses during an interview and volunteers information.

True

A truthful subject will demonstrate dynamic posture during the interview changing it a number of times.

True

In instances where a subject has a mental history of delusions or hallucinations, ______.

little weight should be placed on their behavioral symptoms

The incidences of psychopathy is relatively small along the population as a whole, approximately ______ of convicted criminals are psychopathic of have psychopathic tendencies.

40%

The most identifiable aspect of the psychopath’s criminal behavior is that it is impulsive and _____. 

for profit

To help evaluate the subject’s suitability for behavior analysis it is helpful to have them _____.

fill out a data sheet prior to the interview

The subject’s normative behavior can be established at the beginning of the interview by asking nonthreatening background questions.

True

An attitude of despair and resignation is just as common in the innocent subject as in the guilty one.

False

The legitimate use of medication for physical or psychological problems can distort an innocent subject’s behavior.

True

When asked if they can vouch for any individual’s, the deceptive subject’s typical response would be either they don’t know the people that well or they would vouch for everyone.

True

When asked if they have any suspicion, as to who might have committed the crime the deceptive suspect will deny having any suspicions unless, ______.

the opportunity to commit the crime is limited to only two people, they will cast suspicion on the other person;

When asked if they have any suspicion as to who might have committed the crime, the truthful subject will normally name one or more people and ________.

offer a reasonable basis for their suspicion

Question’s regarding the subject’s background and casual conversation are called _______.

non-threatening questions

When asked if they can vouch for any individuals, the deceptive subject’s typical response would be either they don’t know the people that well or that they would vouch for everyone.

True

When asked an “objection question” the guilty subject may ______.

offer a response that involves reference to future consequences, “I don’t want to lost my job.”

When asked if they know who might have committed the crime the truthful subject will ______.

indicate they have given previous thought to who might have committed the crime

When asked who would have had the best opportunity to commit the crime, a truthful subject will ___________________.

often include themselves as someone with possible opportunity