What is Forensic Interviewing?

A forensic interview is conducted within a legal context to gather accurate and reliable information that informs decision-making. Unlike general interviews, forensic interviews serve legal needs, such as determining the facts of a case, protecting victims, and guiding judicial proceedings. For example, interviewing a child or adult following a report of abuse or assessing risk to ensure safety are both forensic interviews. In contrast, interviews conducted for non-legal purposes, such as job interviews, do not fall under this category.

Forensic Interviewing Across Different Contexts

Forensic interviewing is applied in various professional fields, each with distinct legal considerations and objectives:

• Child protection specialists assess harm, evaluate risk, and determine safety needs.
• Law enforcement professionals gather evidence and investigate crimes.
• National security and intelligence agencies assess threats and ensure public safety.
• Workplace investigators and HR professionals handle cases of harassment, discrimination, or policy violations.

The legal context shapes how interviews are conducted, the rights of the interviewee, and the standards of evidence required.

Forensic Interviews Across Different Stages of an Investigation

Forensic interviews occur at different stages of an investigation, each with distinct objectives:

• Preliminary interviews are concise and focused. They are conducted early in a case to gather essential facts, identify perishable evidence, guide the next steps, and assess immediate safety needs.
• Comprehensive interviews are detailed and structured. They are aimed at obtaining a complete and legally defensible account from an interviewee, often involving in-depth exploration of the interviewee’s knowledge and experiences.
• Supplemental interviews are used to clarify previous statements, explore new leads, monitor risk, or provide feedback to clients.

Interviews also vary depending on the role of the interviewee:

• Victim Interviews focus on determining whether harm occurred and identifying evidence and verifiable information.
• Witness Interviews gather objective observations of an event.
• Suspect Interviews must balance information gathering with legal protections and procedural fairness.

Interviewing Individuals from Diverse Backgrounds

Forensic interviewers must adapt their approach to effectively engage with individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and needs. Specialized techniques ensure accurate, ethical, and respectful communication.

• Age-Based Differences: Communication styles, memory recall, and response tendencies vary by developmental stage. Interviewers must adjust their techniques accordingly to ensure understanding and enhance reliability.
• Cultural Variations: Sensitivity to differences in communication styles, non-verbal cues, and social norms fosters respectful and effective interviews.
• Complex Needs: Interviewing individuals with intellectual disabilities, neurodivergence, or mental health concerns requires tailored approaches that consider cognitive processing, sensory sensitivities, and emotional regulation.
• Trauma Impacts: A trauma-informed approach minimizes distress and reduces the risk of re-traumatization. Establishing a safe and supportive environment is critical to obtaining accurate and reliable information.

Given these variations, a forensic interviewing model must be structured yet adaptable to accommodate diverse contexts, cases, and individuals.

Why Is the StepWise 360 a Reliable Model for Forensic Interviewing?

The StepWise 360 model provides a structured yet adaptable framework for forensic interviewers, ensuring flexibility while meeting key investigative objectives:

• Ensuring informed consent and upholding legal rights
• Establishing rapport and putting the interviewee at ease
• Making the process predictable through structured practice
• Cuing memory effectively while preventing contamination
• Testing hypotheses to minimize biases
• Eliciting verifiable information to build strong cases
• Motivating ethical disclosures

The model can be applied across different interview types (preliminary, comprehensive, and supplemental) and interviewees (victims, witnesses, and suspects). Each step is adaptable to an interviewee’s developmental level, cultural background, strengths, and challenges.

By balancing structure with adaptability, StepWise 360 ensures forensic interviews yield reliable, defensible, and ethically obtained information across diverse cases and contexts.