The interview with Billy Brown falls squarely under the special population’s interview. Billy is 13 years old and should be rightly considered as a child. The detective applies the open ended interview method whereby the child is asked open questions that do not give him any ideas. This way, all information received emanates from the child and no particular piece of information can be said to have been introduced by the detective. In addition, the detective ensures that he builds on the answers that Billy gives to get even more information. This approach essentially enables the detective gather all the information without appearing to vex the child. Another interesting aspect involves the detective’s caution not to over burden the child with questions. He ensures that at the time the child sounds vexed and irritated; he shifts gears and approaches his questioning from a different angle.
In overall, the interview was carried out well. However, a few issues may have been addressed to make it more effective. The detective failed to introduce himself and his reasons for the interview before beginning. This would have avoided the suspicion in the child who is quick to clarify that he did not commit the offence and that he does not know why he is being interviewed. The detective makes this known later and finally thanks the child for being helpful in the interview. This should have preceded the interview process. Secondly, the detective in agreeing with Billy kept using the term ok and would immediately asked leading questions developed from what had previously been said by Billy. While this approach is appreciated for its attempts to get to the bottom of the story, it would have made more sense to be more precise. This is because once the child has intimated that he was in the scene, it is then allowed to ask leading questions. In that case, in order to gain more information and details, the detective would have put outright questions on issues within the event. It would have been acceptable to apply more direct questions in that respect. Had that approach been applied, it would have been easier to gain more useful information. However, since the detective indicated that more questioning may follow; it is still acceptable to follow up and now ask more detailed and leading questions rather than being limited to the closed approach in questioning.
In preparation to conduct an interview with a child, a number of steps need to be observed. One, the interviewer should ensure the child would be well briefed and made comfortable. This step is essential for its wins over the trust of the child. This is useful in order to gather as much information as possible. Secondly, it is critical to brief the child of his role in the case investigation. The child should be informed of the need to be precise, brief and honest. This step would be necessary in ensuring the interview remains relevant for the case. The preparation should, therefore, concentrate on the methodology and line of questioning that would ensure the interview process remains relevant. Thirdly, it is important to prepare for the open session. In the open session, the child would be left to narrate the story as he remembers best without interjecting. The preparation would help in ensuring focus and collection of the critical leads during that step. In overall, one must prepare adequately before meeting a child for the interview.
References
Herring, J. (2011). Criminal Law. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Samaha, D. (2010). Criminal Law. New York: Cengage Learning.
Weigend, T. (2006). Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative Law, 2(1), 214-227.
