Criminal Investigation Fundamentals Flashcards

Under the cognitive interview technique, witnesses are often asked to recall events in reverse order primarily to:

Answer: Disrupt rehearsed or fabricated accounts and trigger additional details

Reverse-order recall makes scripted lying harder and can surface forgotten details.

What is the key difference between an interview and an interrogation?

Answer: An interview gathers information from cooperative people; an interrogation seeks admissions from a suspect

Interviews are non-accusatory fact-finding, while interrogations are accusatory and aimed at obtaining confessions.

Miranda warnings are required when a suspect is subjected to:

Answer: Custodial interrogation

Miranda applies only when a person is both in custody and being interrogated.

A 'false confession' risk is highest when which interrogation factor is present?

Answer: Prolonged isolation, coercion, or feeding the suspect non-public case details

Lengthy coercive interrogations and contamination with case facts greatly increase the risk of false confessions.

When constructing a photo lineup (six-pack), 'fillers' should be:

Answer: People who reasonably match the witness's description of the perpetrator

Fillers must resemble the witness's description so the lineup is fair and not suggestive.

Why is a 'double-blind' administration of a lineup preferred?

Answer: The administrator does not know the suspect, preventing unintentional cues to the witness

When the administrator is unaware of the suspect's position, they cannot consciously or unconsciously influence the witness's choice.

Statement analysis flags the sudden shift from 'we' to 'I' in a narrative as potentially indicating:

Answer: A change in relationship, tension, or distancing relevant to the event

Pronoun shifts can signal a change in the relationship or emotional distancing worth probing further.