Interrogation facts for kids

Interrogation (also called questioning) is when trained officers formally or informally ask questions to someone who might have important information. This often happens if someone is thought to have committed a crime. Police, military groups, and spy agencies all over the world use interrogations.

The main goal of questioning is to get information. The person asking the questions is usually an officer trained in different ways to talk to people. The methods they use can change a lot, depending on who they are questioning and why. For example:

• A person might be a witness and willing to share what they know freely.
• Someone might be suspected of a crime, and the goal is to get them to confess.
• A person might not be a suspect but still not want to give any information.

How Interrogations Work

An interrogation often starts with simple questions that have a "yes" or "no" answer. For example, an officer might ask, "Are you comfortable?" or "Would you like a drink?" The idea is to make the person feel relaxed and in control of the conversation. This helps them think they are not in trouble.

Next, the questioner might ask open-ended questions. These help find out what the person knows about a topic. After that, the interrogator might ask more direct questions. During the whole talk, officers might ask "cross-questions." This means asking the same question in different ways or at different times. They do this to see if the person answers the same way each time.

The Reid Technique

Since the 1970s, police interrogators have been taught a method called the Reid technique. It was named after a Chicago police officer who created it in the 1940s. This method is used a lot in North America because it often leads to confessions. However, sometimes it leads to false confessions.

This technique is based on old ideas about psychology. It suggests that if a person shows stress, they are lying. But many people show stress when they are in a stressful situation. Suspects are often questioned by teams of police officers. The "Good cop/bad cop" routine, which you might see on TV shows, is an example of the Reid technique. Police use this method to try and convince a suspect that confessing is the best way out, whether they are guilty or not. Sadly, many false confessions have happened this way, leading to people being wrongly put in prison.

Informal Questioning

A police officer can stop and ask someone questions at any time. They do not need to give a Miranda warning before asking informal questions or before making an arrest. However, any information gathered this way cannot be used against the person in a trial. A Miranda warning tells a person their rights before they are questioned while in police custody. If a person asks an officer if they are free to leave, they are not in custody. That is one of the few things a police officer cannot lie about. During questioning, police may use trickery, lying, or other forms of deception to get a confession from a suspect.

The PEACE Method

A newer way of questioning is being used in the UK, Denmark, New Zealand, and other places. The word PEACE is an acronym that stands for:

• Preparation and Planning
• Engage and Explain
• Account
• Closure
• Evaluate

This method is seen as a more ethical way for police to question people. It aims to stop wrongful convictions by not using any force or tricky methods. When it was tested in England and Wales, it led to the same number of convictions as older methods. The PEACE method is more like how a journalist would ask questions. It believes that someone who is lying will find it harder and harder to keep their story straight. Eventually, they might break down and confess.

The "Third Degree"

A very old method of getting confessions was called the "third degree." This involved treating a suspect very badly. They might be kept awake for long periods without food or water. People were beaten and threatened. Often, a suspect would confess just to make the abuse stop. Then, the suspect was forced to sign a paper saying they were not forced or tricked into giving their statement. In 1937, a court threw out a confession after learning it was not given freely. The person had been hung from a tree and whipped until they confessed. This shows how unfair and illegal this method was.

Torture

Even though it is a serious break of most international agreements, torture is still used by some police, military, and spy services. Torture is against international law, but it is still used in some places. In 2014, the Senate Intelligence Committee found that the Central Intelligence Agency had tortured people suspected of terrorism. This highlights that even though it's illegal, it can still happen.

Images for kids

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  A police interrogation room in Switzerland

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  Omar Khadr pulling his hair in frustration during a February 2003 interrogation by Canadian officials

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  Film set of a Japanese police interrogation room