FORENSIC INTERVIEW WITH A CHILD

Abstract

A forensic interview is a complex and very demanding operational-tactical action that is most often undertaken by police officers in the pre-investigation procedure, because, as a rule, they are the first to come into contact with presumptive witnesses. It is the most common forensic action, the implementation of which still raises numerous doubts and is the subject of numerous controversies. In theory, there are various recommendations on how to implement a forensic interview, but these recommendations are often difficult to implement in practice. Various obstacles stand in the way of successful implementation, especially when a child appears as a presumptive witness. The problems that arise on this occasion concern the method of establishing contact and maintaining a positive relationship with the child, explaining the rules of the interview to the child, encouraging the child to provide details about legally relevant facts, the method and type of questions to be asked of the child, and the like. Until about thirty years ago, science did not have an adequate answer to these and many other questions, because there was not much relevant psychological research. Today, psychology, especially forensic psychology, is intensively involved in the way information is collected from children and can provide adequate explanations for most of the controversial issues and point out rules that, if applied, can greatly increase the quality and quantity of information collected from children. In this paper, we will therefore place special emphasis on criminal and psychological knowledge, the results of psychological research and their impact on the efficiency of conducting a criminal interview with children, we will analyze the phases through which the interview is carried out, especially the adequacy of the type of questions asked of the child and other factors on which the quality of the child's statement depends.