Assessment Two - Blog #2

Reflective Thinking Task – Blog #2

I agree with the statement that a more humanitarian approach when interviewing a suspect in a fraud, bribery and/or corruption case, can yield successful results. This is however, dependent on the suspect’s personality traits. When conducting an interview, typically three approaches can be taken;

-       R-E-I-D (an aggressive approach that uses interrogation methods)

-       PEACE (a non-aggressive approach that uses evidence to identify inconsistencies within the suspects account)

-       Motivational interviewing (a psychotherapeutic method that obtains information through the use of empathy).

In my experience being interviewed for a part time job, the interviewer was extremely friendly and genuine.  This type of interview suited my personality type, as I tend to over think situations and can quickly become nervous. The interviewer’s approach was able to calm me down and I felt very comfortable talking with her.  If the interviewer had been rude and hostile, I would have likely froze and would not have been willing to answer questions freely and openly.

Jessica Heuback outlined in her thesis, Suspect Interrogation: Strategies and Key Personality Constructs, that during the first stages of any discussion, the interviewer should assess the personality traits of the suspect, (2009).  This analysis should then shape the tone of the interview (i.e. whether or not an aggressive approach will be taken).

I would recommend to a forensic accountant that despite all of these approaches, the most important aspect of interviewing a suspect is to ensure you obtain a confession within the parameters of the law in the jurisdiction in which you are operating (rules of evidence). You must also ensure that a confession obtained is a complete account of facts, signed by the suspect, not just an admission of guilt.

References

Heuback, J. (2009). Suspect Interrogation: Strategies and Key Personality Constructs.

Retrieved from http://www.k-state.edu/actr/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/heuback-thesis_final_120709-editedpdf.pdf.

Useful  Link

This YouTube video outlines the science of integration and talks about interviewing techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzt8sOMU1WY.