​Handling Deception (7.5 Hours)

Course Number: CR-555
Course Length: 3 Days or 4 Separate Blocks

Classes are available on a limited basis.

The interviewing series consists of four complete days of instruction in the art and science of gathering accurate and more complete information from persons by means of oral interviews and assessing non-verbal communication. This involves oral interaction, interpretation of non-verbal behaviors, and assessment of deception. This process is discussed from the standpoint of various interviewing situations including mere encounters, traffic stops, vehicle collision investigations, interviews of victims and witnesses, interventional interviews, and interrogations of criminal suspects. Beginning with Interviewing I, and progressing through Interviewing IV, the participant explores the alternatives available for obtaining information from those who wish to furnish assistance, as well as those who attempt to conceal information. Each successive workshop builds on the preceding one, but is complete by itself. Through the use of videos, demonstrations, and classroom exercises, participants learn how to prepare for interviews, assess subjects, and conduct routine and formal interviews. Participants review and assess actual interviews and critique them for proper application of strategy and tactics. Interviewing methods introduced are discussed within the range of routine interviews to the interrogation of a suspect in custody.

Interviewing IV: Handling Deception is the last of the interviewing series, and covers an in-depth analysis of the various forms of deception and how to deal with them. Participants learn the major causes of deception and the five basic kinds of deception in interviews. They discuss the five stages of an interrogation of a guilty suspect, as well as factors that affect the selection of the proper approach to an interrogation. The James-Lange Theory of Emotion is presented as a model to be applied to interviews of all types to detect stress that may be the result of deception. Participants learn to apply the stress reaction of “fight – flight – freeze” to deception detection, and learn to detect anxiety, leakage, and other symptoms of the fear of detection. Topics include deception indicators such as those seen in oral statements, oral responses to questions, “non-responses”, posture, attitude, specific body movements, and other indirect indicators. Participants become able to assess the diminished responses inherent in certain types of suspects, and learn how to question them. The traits, attitudes, and defenses of the untruthful suspect are explored and recommendations made for improving communications with them. Contents include the employment of empathy, observational effects of stress, reasons for deception, indicators of deception, development of admissions, indicators of a pending confession, avoiding false confessions, and interviewing problems with sociopaths and psychopaths. Several exercises involve the assessment of segments of actual cases and discussing videotaped interviews of a person charged in a famous homicide case. Other videos are used to permit participants to detect deceptive clues covered throughout the training series.