Interviewing Children: The Science of Conversation in Forensic Contexts

by Debra A. Poole

Because of children’s incomplete language development, their greater risk of retrieving inaccurate information in response to memory cues, and their desire to say what they think the interviewer wants to hear (whether truthful or not), child eyewitness testimony can be unreliable.

In this book, Debra Ann Poole presents a flexible, evidence-based approach to interviewing children that reduces the ambiguities and errors in children’s responses. Through her descriptions of best practices, brief summaries of supporting research, and example interview dialogs, Poole provides a roadmap for anyone working in a forensic context.

This book is essential reading for those who interview children, supervise interviewers, review interview findings, or craft local policies about interviewing children.

232 pages, Hardcover

Published June 16, 2016

Reviews

[Grace Perreault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for my job as a Forensic Interviewer at a CAC. Very informative and evidence based about how children can recall information and navigate forensic interviews. Children should not under or over estimated on what they’re capable of during interviews!
In addition to reading the Michigan Forensic Interviewing Protocol, this provided good insight on the interviewing process including the phases, alternative hypothesis, and open ended prompts.
4 stars because they teach person first language, which should not be taught in my opinion