‘Show me what happened’: Low technology communication aids used in intermediary mediated police investigative interviews with vulnerable witnesses with an intellectual disability

Abstract

This study investigates the manner in which two types of communication aids (wooden mannequins and line drawings) that are selected, introduced and managed in real intermediary-mediated police investigative interviews, improve the quality of evidence with vulnerable witnesses and victims with an intellectual disability. Multimodality interactional work carried out by the interviewing police officer, an intermediary and the vulnerable witness with limited verbal abilities to answer the open question, ‘What happened?’ is analysed. We demonstrate that low technology communication aids can successfully be utilised to elicit the same type of information from those with limited verbal abilities, as the verbal open question ‘What happened?’, in an unrehearsed and unbiased manner. Aids used in this manner retain the functionality of open questions while reducing their linguistic complexity. This validates the importance of adopting special measures such as the involvement of an intermediary and communication aids in investigative interviews to promote equal opportunities and a fair trial for all.