Christopher E. Kelly

The dynamic nature of interrogation.

Building on a substantial body of literature examining interrogation methods employed by police investigators and their relationship to suspect behaviors, we analyzed a sample of audio and video interrogation recordings of individuals suspected of serious violent crimes. Existing survey research has focused on the tactics reportedly used, at what rate, and under what conditions; observational studies detail which methods are actually employed. With a few notable exceptions, these foundational studies were static examinations of interrogation methods that documented the absence or presence of various approaches. In the present study, we cast interrogation as a dynamic phenomenon and code the recordings in 5-min intervals to examine how interrogation methods and suspect cooperation change over time. Employing the interrogation taxonomy framework, particularly 4 discrete domains-rapport and relationship building, emotion provocation, presentation of evidence, and confrontation/competition-we found that the emphasis of the domains varied across interrogations and were significantly different when suspects confessed versus when they denied involvement. In regression models, suspect cooperation was positively influenced by the rapport and relationship building domain, though it was negatively impacted by presentation of evidence and confrontation/competition. Moreover, we found that the negative effects of confrontation/competition on suspect cooperation lasted for up to 15 min. The implications of the findings for practice and future research include the benefits of a rapport-based approach, the deleterious effects of accusatorial methods, and the importance of studying when, not just if, certain interrogation techniques are employed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Examining Treatment Climate Across Prison-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Groups

ABSTRACT Background: With notable exceptions, few studies have looked critically at the role and effects of factors other than individual or programmatic differences that contribute to the climate within substance abuse treatment programs. De Leons work on the therapeutic community, however, indicates that factors beyond the individual and program can contribute to the overall functioning of similarly situated communities. Objectives: In this study, we introduce and examine the concept of the “treatment group,” the level of aggregation between the individual who participates in treatment and the organization that provides it. The treatment group refers to the social context and dynamics that operate among treatment participants, and we sought to study differences in treatment climate across 12 prison-based treatment groups within a single prison. Methods: Using data from 604 participants who were assigned at random to one of the 12 groups, we analyzed differences on seven treatment climate indicators from one month and six months into the program across the treatment groups. Results: No differences were found among the treatment groups at after one month; however, after 6 months, significant differences emerged across the groups on three treatment climate variables: program structure, counselor rapport, and counselor competence. Conclusions/Importance: This study is among the first of its kind to conceptualize and examine treatment climate across otherwise similar groups and find that differences emerge on several indicators of climate. As such, we argue that the treatment group may be important to consider in both the delivery and evaluation of substance abuse treatment.

Accusatorial and Information-Gathering Interview and Interrogation Methods: A Multi-Country Comparison

ABSTRACT Suspect interviewing and interrogation practices have been studied in many different countries, including those in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. These studies have produced useful and interesting findings, while also leaving an opening for future inquiry. Specifically, previous research has noted that we might expect interrogation and interviewing practices to vary among different countries or regions, due to distinct approaches to suspect questioning. However, to our knowledge, few previous studies have examined the comparative use of tactics, techniques, and procedures employed to elicit confessions and information from criminal suspects across multiple countries. In the present study, using a consistent survey, we contrasted the interviewing and interrogation practices of 185 practitioners from America, Canada, and Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In large part, we found that American and Canadian interrogators were similar to one another, and conformed to an accusatorial approach (in both deception detection and questioning techniques). In contrast, interviewers from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand conformed more to an information-gathering approach.

Counselor Knows Best? Clinician Assessments of In-Prison Substance Abuse Treatment Participants

Research has examined responses to substance abuse treatment among criminal justice populations primarily through client self-assessments, and comparatively fewer studies have focused on clinician ratings of client progress. Recently, Blasko and Hiller examined counselor ratings and their association with reincarceration but found no relationship between the two. The current study partially replicated their analyses and explored its own factor structure to compare the findings from a different sample using the same instrument, the Criminal Justice Counselor Rating of Client (CJ CRC). Analyses revealed that although none of the replicated counselor measures predicted reincarceration, higher levels of one measure produced from the factor analysis, Psychological Barriers to Recovery, indicated a significantly higher probability for reincarceration. In light of these conflicting findings, practical implications of this research suggested that clinical assessments of clients may be useful for criminal justice decision making.