RT Article
T1 How do German police officers of varying empathy levels react to different styles of interviewing a suspected sex offender?
JF International journal of law, crime and justice
VO 74
A1 Baker-Eck, Bianca
A2 Bull, Ray
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1869926765
AB The United Nations' ‘Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’, disseminated an extensive ‘Universal protocol’ on interviewing/interrogation styles in summer 2021. Its implementation across the world is likely to be influenced by current practices in various countries (such as the rapport building and empathy employed). The aims of the present study were (i) to examine German police officers' estimates of suspect interviews in four different styles of suspect interviews (‘humane’, dominant’, ‘theme development’ or ‘neutral’); and (ii) to see whether interviewers' level of empathy is associated with their reactions to the interview styles. There were significant effects found in the dominant interviewing style regarding the participants' estimation of (i) interviewer fairness towards suspect, (ii) interviewer's understanding on suspect's thought-process toward the crime, (iii) whether the interviewer was aggressive, or (iv) humane, and (v) whether the interview was conducted well. Officers' empathy level only had an effect for the dominant interviewing style.
K1 Empathy
K1 German Police
K1 Interviewing style
K1 Investigative interviewing
K1 Police interview
DO 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2023.100610