The How-To of Child Interviews
To a child, everyone is an authority figure, and this can complicate the process of interviewing a victim of abuse or neglect. While you know that your goal is to elicit the best possible interview, the child’s perception may very well be that he or she is being tested and must do well. That pressure […]
New York Reform Law to Prevent Wrongful Convictions
Since 1989, New York state has wrongfully convicted over 200 individuals of crimes. In addition to the obvious miscarriage of justice, in 38% of those cases DNA evidence has now been used to identify the actual perpetrators, some of whom have gone on to commit additional violent crimes. For these reasons, lawmakers in New York […]
How Child Advocacy Centers Help Kids
Before CACs existed, at-risk and abused children had a very different experience than they do now. Now, they serve over 300,000 children a year. Here are the most important benefits CACs provide. Carefully Trained Interviewers Prior to the existence of CACs, the interview process could vary widely from one case to another. Untrained interviewers might […]
Improving Teacher Observations Through Video
Improving Teacher Observations Through Video Recording technology can improve teacher buy-in at observation time, and make the review process both more fair and more productive. Here’s a list of reasons why. Video is objective. The nice thing about video observations is that it takes a lot of the subjectivity out of the process. Drop-in observations […]
Child Witnesses: The Right Approach
Child Witnesses: The Right Approach When a child is not the victim, but a witness, access can be complicated. Conflicting priorities place people who would normally be on the same side at odds with each other. How can law enforcement agencies navigate this complex situation to get the information they need while also protecting the […]
Videoing Child Interviews Safeguards Your Case
Videoing Child Interviews Safeguards Your Case A prosecutor’s office in Macomb County, Michigan was recently challenged for not videoing child victim interviews– by the defendant. How can this be? Well, as it turns out, the defendant’s lawyers honed in on a critical point: Macomb County’s policy of conducting non-recorded interviews was out of step with […]
Mobile Recording: Evidence of Every Interview
Mobile Recording: Evidence of Every Interview Interview rooms are routinely equipped with cameras, but there are unique interview situations that provide specific challenges. For example, interviewing a child is not like interviewing an adult. A child interview room is often provided with toys, art supplies, and multiple seating venues, which can present a real challenge […]
Recorded Interrogations and Good Police Work
Many law enforcement officers are concerned that recording interviews will adversely affect the quality of interrogations. However, departments who’ve adopted this technology are overwhelmingly happy with the results, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Here are five reasons why recorded interviews support and enhance your interrogations. Recordings Have More Impact Than Testimony Courtroom testimony […]
Interview Footage: Who Gets to See It?
Who gets to see the body cam footage your department collects? It’s important to have a consistent policy in place before it’s needed. Here are some key issues you’ll want to consider. If you’re going to have a policy for how and when you’re sharing data, you first need to address proper procedure for actual […]
Designing an Interrogation Room Around Recording Equipment
Recording interrogations is an important move, but if your interrogation room’s outdated, you’re less likely to have a confession to record! Let’s discuss how to design an interrogation room that get results. Historically, interrogation rooms are stark places with concrete floors and metal tables. The fact that such rooms are often featured in suspense or […]