Let ’em Talk!

  • Snook B
  • Luther K
  • Quinlan H
  • et al.
N/ACitations
Citations of this article
11Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The real-life questioning practices of Canadian police officers were examined. Specifically, 80 transcripts of police interviews with suspects and accused persons were coded for the type of questions asked, the length of interviewee response to each question, the proportion of words spoken by interviewer(s) and interviewee, and whether or not a free narrative was requested. Results showed that, on average, less than 1% of the questions asked in an interview were open-ended, and that closed yes–no and probing questions composed approximately 40% and 30% of the questions asked, respectively. The longest interviewee responses were obtained from open-ended questions, followed by multiple and probing question types. A free narrative was requested in approximately 14% of the interviews. The 80–20 talking rule was violated in every interview. The implications of these findings for reforming investigative interviewing of suspects and accused persons are discussed.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Snook, B., Luther, K., Quinlan, H., & Milne, R. (2012). Let ’em Talk! Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(10), 1328–1339. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854812449216

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free