Interrogation

views updated Jun 08 2018

Interrogation

METHODS OF INTERROGATION

LIE DETECTION

CRIMINAL INTERROGATION AND INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWING

INTERROGATION AND THE COLLECTION OF INTELLIGENCE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Interrogation is a process that seeks to obtain information by questioning (usually direct questioning) from a person often described as either a suspect or a source. Interrogation may be conducted for a number of reasons, most commonly in pursuit of a criminal investigation or to collect intelligence concerning foreign states, terrorist groups, or other persons considered to be actual or potential threats to national security. Interrogation raises a variety of legal and ethical issues that turn upon the techniques employed. But a practical issue common to all methods of interrogation concerns the efficacy of the method deployed. This depends, in part, on the ability of the interrogator (or the interrogators associates) to detect deception. However, it is not possible to conduct a legitimate empirical study assessing the comparative efficacy of aggressive and nonaggressive interrogation tactics. Such a study would violate accepted norms of research ethics, not to mention numerous domestic and international legal provisions. For this reason, claims of relative efficacy tend to rest on sporadic anecdotal evidence.

METHODS OF INTERROGATION

Interrogation techniques range from so-called rapportbuildingwhich often uses conversation to gain the trust and confidence of the suspect or sourceto physical or mental torture that leaves the victim with permanent physical or mental scars. Between these two extremes are a number of aggressive tactics, such as stress positions, sleep deprivation, prolonged isolation, and exposure to temperature extremes. These techniquesparticularly when used in combinationoften constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in violation of international law as well as domestic legal norms. In some cases, aggressive tactics may constitute physical or mental torture, despite the absence of permanent physical injury or psychological damage. Although interrogational torture has been used (and is still used) throughout the world, public statements of experienced interrogators tend to eschew torture on the grounds that it yields unreliable results. This is because, under pressure, suspects tend to say what they think their interrogators want to hear.

Often suspects will confess in the hope that this will ease the pressure imposed by interrogators. These are sometimes called pressured-compliant confessions (Gudjonsson 2003). Sometimes persistent pressured interrogation leads suspects to doubt their own recollections, particularly in the face of apparently confident assertions by interrogators that the suspect is guilty of a crime. There have been a number of well-documented cases in which false confessionsand, as a result, criminal convictionswere obtained following the use of high pressure interrogation tactics. One of the best-known examples, given international prominence by the Oscar-nominated film In the Name of the Father (dir. Jim Sheridan, 1993), is the case of the so-called Guildford Four. It arose out of a devastating bombing campaign conducted by the Irish Republican Army on mainland Britain in 1974. Convictions were secured largely on the basis of purported confessions, despite the defendants claims that they had been threatened and assaulted while in custody. The convictions were not overturned until 1989, after the defendants had spent fifteen years in prison. In 2005 the British prime minister, Tony Blair, apologized to the Guildford Four and said that they deserved to be completely and publicly exonerated.

Interrogators have long been interested in using pharmacological agents to overcome resistance to interrogation. In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ran a program known by the codename MKULTRA, established in response to reports of alleged Soviet, Chinese, and North Korean mind-control techniques. (These reports were given some credence when thirty-six American airmen shot down in the Korean War falsely confessed to a vast plot to bomb civilian targets.) The MKULTRA program involved experiments (many of which were carried out on unwitting subjects) using psychoactive drugs such as LSD and mescaline in an attempt to control or influence human behavior. Other drugs reportedly used, either in experiments or during actual counterintelligence interrogations, include scopolamine, sodium pentothal, and sodium amytal. However, there is little evidence that any so-called truth serum has ever lived up to its name or its legend in popular culture. It has been alleged that, after the terror attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, the CIA took a renewed interest in using drugs as interrogation aids. It has also been reported that the CIA used drugs prior to interrogating (among others) Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a senior Al-Qaeda operative who is alleged to have been the architect of the 9/11 attacks and who was captured by the United States in 2003.

LIE DETECTION

There are a variety of approaches to detecting deception in interrogation. They include analysis of verbal and nonverbal behavioral cues, analysis of the content of interrogation responses, and measurement of the physiological responses to questioning. Empirical research indicates that most people (including many professional interrogators) are unable to detect deception from demeanor. Several studies have demonstrated that accuracy is generally close to chance. However, a very small number of people have proven exceptionally prodigious in their ability to detect deception. According to psychologist Paul Ekman, these people are able to detect lies by observing microexpressions, fleeting movements of dozens of facial muscles. (Ekman has catalogued these microexpressions and taught others to recognize them [Ekman 2004].) Another approach, content-based criteria analysis, scrutinizes the contents of statements for potential evidence of truthfulness, such as superfluous detail and spontaneous self-correction.

Advances in technology often seem to promise simpler methods for detecting deception, but they usually fail to deliver. The polygraph (the so-called lie detector) relies on physiological manifestations of anxietychanges in skin conductance, heart rate, and respirationin order to flag deception. It is therefore not effective when the subject is a sociopath or has learned to suppress these manifestations. In addition, anxiety about being tested makes the polygraph intrinsically susceptible to producing erroneous results (National Research Council 2003, p. 2). A number of universities and private companiessome of which are reported to have substantial U.S. government fundingare trying to develop and promote technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and infrared spectroscopy in order to detect deception by monitoring brain activity. Since the publication of a scientific paper on fMRI-based lie detection in early 2002 (Langleben at al. 2002), there has been considerable interest in the use of fMRI in particular. Despite concerns about the artificiality of such laboratory studies and their limited application in real-world scenarios, there are reports that fMRI may have already been used in counterterrorism interrogations. Some commentators have argued that fMRI has the potential to make interrogation more humane. However, false positives create further risk of mistreatment and abuse, particularly if there is undue confidence in the ability of the new technology to screen terrorists from a pool of suspects. On the other hand, if new brain imaging technologies ultimately meet their proponents expectations, their impact on privacy and so-called cognitive liberty will need to be addressed.

CRIMINAL INTERROGATION AND INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWING

A popular approach to criminal interrogation in the United States is known as the Reid Technique, named after the late president of John E. Reid & Associates, a corporation that provides interrogation training to both public and private sectors in the United States. The Reid Technique is a nine-step process designed for use on suspects whose guilt seems definite or reasonably certain (Inbau et al. 2001). It commences with direct confrontation of the suspect by the investigatorwho states that the suspect is considered guilty of the offenseand is intended to lead to a formal confession. Proponents of the technique advocate the use of deception, including props such as a large file containing blank sheets of paper, to create the impression that the investigator already has incriminating evidence. At various stages, the investigator evaluates the suspects verbal and nonverbal responses. If the suspect listens attentively when he is offered a motive for the crime and a potential moral excuse, this may be taken as an indication of guilt. But if he reacts with resentment, it may be considered an indication of innocence. Critics of this approach claim that it rests on the assumption that the only method of solving many criminal investigations is by obtaining a confession from the perpetrator. They also challenge the need to use trickery, deceit, and psychological manipulation, including techniques that the general public would ordinarily consider unethical (Gudjonsson 2003).

There is considerable variationeven among Western democraciesin the legal rights accorded to suspects who are interrogated in the course of a criminal investigation. In the United States, before suspects in police custody are interrogated, they must be informed that they have the right to remain silent, that anything they say can and will be used in evidence against them, that they have the right to an attorney, and that if they cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for them. This is often described as the Miranda warning (while the rights themselves are referred to as Miranda rights ) after the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona (1966). That case made clear the necessity for the warning in order to implement and protect the privilege against self-incrimination (or the right not to be compelled to incriminate oneself) enshrined in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If, following a Miranda warning, the suspect refuses to talk, the prosecution will not be permitted to comment at trial on the suspects silence. A statement obtained by police without a Miranda warning cannot be relied upon by the prosecution in order to make its case at trial, unless the defendant contradicts that statement in his oral testimonyin which case, the statement may be used to impeach the defendant, that is, to undermine his credibility as a witness.

The Supreme Court has also made clear that suspects should not be threatened, tricked, or cajoled into a waiver of their Miranda rights. However, empirical studies suggest that in at least 80 percent of cases suspects do waive their rights and make a statement to the police. This may be due in part to strategies adopted by police interrogatorssuch as deemphasizing the importance of the Miranda warning by reading it in a monotonous voice or trying to persuade the suspect that he is being offered a good opportunity to tell his story and that the interrogator is trying to help him. These strategies will not invalidate the suspects waiver of the Miranda rights if, taking into account all the circumstances, the court concludes that the waiver was voluntary and intelligent.

INTERROGATION AND THE COLLECTION OF INTELLIGENCE

The laws of warin particular, the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949impose strict limits on the questioning of prisoners of war. Strictly speaking, prisoners of war are only required to state their name, rank, and serial number. They must not be subjected to physical and mental torture or any other form of coercion, and they must be protected against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults. If prisoners of war refuse to answer questions during interrogation, they may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind. Similar protections are also provided for civilian detainees by the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. The laws of war do not, however, prohibit positive inducements or incentives for responsiveness to questioning. International human rights lawwhich applies both in war and in times of peacealso prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and positively requires the humane treatment of detainees.

Prior to the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, official U.S. Army interrogation policy and practice reflected these international norms. Army Field Manual 34-52 (1992) on interrogation states that the laws of war and U.S. policy expressly prohibit acts of violence or intimidation, including physical or mental torture, threats, insults, or exposure to inhumane treatment as a means of or aid to interrogation. It also states that the use of torture and other illegal methods is a poor technique that yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say what he thinks the interrogator wants to hear. After 9/11, when further attacks were anticipated and feared, more aggressive interrogation techniques were formally authorized and adopted at U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Techniques used included sleep deprivation, stress positions, prolonged isolation, and exposure to temperature extremes. (Controversially, U.S. Army psychiatrists and psychologistsattached to military intelligence and acting as behavioral science consultantswere tasked with advising interrogators as to the most effective approach for individual detainees.) Such tactics were formally justified on a number of legal grounds, among them that terrorists were not subject to the protections of the Geneva Conventions and that the international human rights obligations of the United States did not prohibit cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of aliens detained abroad. (It was the latter claim that the U.S. Congress intended to rebut when it passed the so-called McCain Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill at the end of 2005.) The U.S. government has claimed that the use of more aggressive interrogation techniques has procured valuable intelligence, but this has not been independently verified.

The publication of photographs in 2004 recording the abuse of detainees by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq triggered public debate in the United States and abroad about the proper limits of interrogation. These debates were further fuelled by revelations that the CIA was interrogating detainees at secret locations in eastern Europe and elsewhere (called black sites, whose existence President George W. Bush subsequently confirmed) and that the United States had handed detainees over to nations known to torture suspects (a practice described as extraordinary rendition ).

In a landmark decision in June 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court held that suspected Al-Qaeda detainees are entitled to the basic protections found in Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld 2006). At a minimum, they must be treated humanely, and protected from cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and from outrages on personal dignity. A few weeks later the army published a new field manual on interrogation, Field Manual 2-22.3 (2006), which prohibits interrogation tactics such as waterboarding (a procedure designed to simulate the experience of drowning), the hooding of detainees, and the use of barking dogs. However, this manual does not apply to detainees in the custody of the CIA, and concerns about the continuing use of aggressive interrogation tactics were fueled by two further developments.

After President Bush criticized the provisions of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions for being too vague, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which purports to give the president the authority to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions (Sec. 6(a)(3)). When the president signed the act into law, he noted that it would allow the Central Intelligence Agency to continue its program for questioning key terrorist leaders and operatives (Bush 2006). Just days later, while lawyers and commentators were debating the effect of the act on permissible interrogation strategies, Vice President Richard Cheney sparked further controversy. When asked in a radio interview if a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives, Mr. Cheney replied, its a no-brainer for me (Eggen 2006, p. A2). He also expressed agreement with the view that the debate over interrogation techniques was a little silly (Eggen 2006, p. A2).

SEE ALSO Human Rights; Torture

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bond, Charles F., Jr., and Bella M. DePaulo. 2006. Accuracy of Deception Judgments. Personality and Social Psychology Review 10 (3): 214234.

Bowden, Mark. 2003. The Dark Art of Interrogation. Atlantic Monthly. 292 (3): 5176.

Bush, George W. 2006. President Bush Signs Military Commissions Act of 2006. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061017-1.html.

Central Intelligence Agency. 1963. Kubark Counterintelligence Interrogation. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB27/01-01.htm.

Department of the Army. 1992. Field Manual 34-52: Intelligence Interrogation. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm34-52.pdf.

Department of the Army. 2006. Field Manual 2-22.3 (FM 3452): Human Intelligence Collector Operations. Washington, DC: Author.

Eggen, Dan. 2006. Cheney Defends Dunk in the Water Remark. Washington Post, October 28: A02.

Ekman, Paul. 2004. Microexpression Training Tools (METT) and Subtle Expression Training Tools (SETT). http://www.paulekman.com.

Gudjonsson, Gisli H. 2003. The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions: A Handbook. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley.

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 126 S.Ct. 2749 (2006). http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=05-184.

Inbau, Fred E., John E. Reid, Joseph P. Buckley, and Brian C. Jayne. 2001. Criminal Interrogation and Confessions. 4th ed. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.

International Committee of the Red Cross, International Humanitarian Law: Treaties and Documents. http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/CONVPRES?OpenView.

Langleben D. D., et al. 2002. Brain Activity During Simulated Deception: An Event-Related Functional Magnetic Resonance Study. Neuroimage 15 (3): 727732.

Mackey, Chris, and Greg Miller. 2004. The Interrogators: Inside the Secret War Against Al Qaeda. New York: Little, Brown.

Margulies, Joseph. 2006. The More Subtle Kind of Torment. Washington Post, October 2: A19.

Marks, Jonathan H. 2005. Doctors of Interrogation. Hastings Center Report. 35 (4): 1722.

McCoy, Alfred. 2006. A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation from the Cold War to the War on Terror. New York: Henry Holt.

Military Commissions Act of 2006. 2006. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s3930enr.txt.pdf.

Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=384&invol=436.

Moreno, Jonathan D. 2006. Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense. New York: Dana Press.

National Research Council: Committee to Review the Scientific Evidence on the Polygraph. 2003. The Polygraph and Lie Detection. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Persaud, Raj. 2005. Deception Special: The Truth about Lies. New Scientist 2510: 2831.

Society of Professional Journalists. Geneva Conventions: A Reference Guide. http://www.genevaconventions.org/.

Thaman, Stephen C. 2001. Miranda in Comparative Law. Saint Louis University Law Journal 45: 581624.

Thompson, Sean Kevin. 2005. The Legality of the Use of Psychiatric Neuroimaging in Intelligence Interrogation. Cornell Law Review 90 (6): 16011637.

Toliver, Raymond T., and Hanns Joachim Scharff. 1978. The Interrogator: The Story of Hanns Scharff, Luftwaffes Master Interrogator. Fallbrook, CA: Aero.

Vrij, Aldert. 2000. Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice. New York: Wiley.

White, Welsh S. 2001. Mirandas Waning Protections: Police Interrogation Practices after Dickerson. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Williamson, Tom, ed. 2005. Investigative Interviewing: Rights, Research, and Regulation. Devon, U.K.: Willan

Wolpe, Paul Root, Kenneth R. Foster, and Daniel D. Langleben. 2005. Emerging Neurotechnologies for Lie-Detection: Promises and Perils. American Journal of Bioethics 5 (2): 3949.

Jonathan H. Marks

Interrogation

views updated May 23 2018

Interrogation

The aim of a criminal interrogation is to obtain information from a suspect that the suspect does not want to divulge. Interrogation must be carried out in a manner that does not violate the suspect's civil rights or compromise the legal admissibility of the obtained information. There is often confusion between the concepts of interview and interrogation. The distinction is this: an interrogation occurs when one person asks all the questions and the other gives the answers; an interview is a conversation where both people ask and respond to questions. A thorough interview should always precede an interrogation, providing a foundation for the questioner to gather essential information about the subject's feelings, motivations, fears, and belief systems, which can then be used to direct an interrogation. Through the course of the interview, the subject is asked questions about him/herself, others involved in the event, and the crime itself. The interview process should be conducted in an informal and non-threatening manner; the goal is to obtain verbal and nonverbal information about the subject while building rapport and determining whether an interrogation is warranted.

A cardinal rule in interrogation is that there one best chance at obtaining a confession or the desired information, and it occurs the first time a subject is interrogated. There are several facets of interrogation that significantly increase the probability of successful outcome. The first involves laying adequate groundwork and thoroughly preparing for the interrogation. The interrogation must occur in an appropriate environment, where there is relative comfort but total freedom from distractions and interruptions. All potential distractions, such as cell phones, radios, beepers, etc. must be silenced; there should be no windows, telephones, or clocks in the room. The interrogator should be free to fully observe the posture, body language, and nonverbal cues of the subject throughout the course of the session. By eliminating other stimuli, the interrogator can be certain that all reactions stem from the line of questioning and the issues presented. An important aspect of environmental preparation entails prior preparation for documenting the information obtained. It is critical not to stop the process of interrogation. No matter what the means of recording the interrogation, it is imperative to obtain an signed, written summary statement of fact which will be admissible in a court of law. The interrogator must be certain to allot sufficient time to complete the interrogation, in order to maximize the likelihood of successful outcome.

The interrogator must be thoroughly familiar with the case facts, particularly those concerning the crime's commission. The interrogator gains immeasurable credibility and stature if he or she can communicate knowledge of how the crime was committed to the subject. Similarly, it is essential for the interrogator to become familiar with the subject's belief system, feelings, and attitude about the crime and victim. Psychologically, the interrogator must understand the subject's conflicts, needs, and goals in order to best elicit truthful information.

Interrogation is more direct than interviewing; its only goal is to elicit a confession or admission of guilty knowledge. The interrogator presents the subject with facts and information, and does not solicit new information. It is therefore critical for the interrogator to have previously amassed case facts and information with which to persuade the subject to tell the truth. The more experienced the interrogator and the more thorough the advance preparation, the more convincing the arguments will be.

There are several universal defense mechanisms that, if properly recognized and utilized by the interrogator, will greatly increase the likelihood of obtaining information: minimization, projection, and rationalization. Properly exploiting these defense mechanisms allows the subject to maintain a semblance of dignity while still being held accountable by the interrogator for their actions. If the interrogator minimizes the gravity of the incident by referring to it as an accident or an unfortunate mistake, the subject may also internally minimize the perceived impact of the incident and feel less resistant to talking about it By suggesting that someone else (often the victim) might share in the blame for the incident, the interrogator uses projection to allow the subject to feel that the incident is excusable. When an interrogator suggests that he or she can understand the subject's perspective (rationalization), it conveys empathy and allows the subject to feel like a decent individual who was in a bad circumstance at the time of the incident. By using careful wording, the interrogator can simultaneously decrease the subject's feeling of shame about the event and increase feelings of hopefulness about the ultimate outcome. The interrogator must be extremely careful not to mislead the subject into a belief in legal leniency or to in any way suggest denying the subject due process. Either event could lead to legal inadmissibility of the confession.

The interrogator presents a set of themes and arguments over the course of the interrogation, as many times and in as many ways as necessary to obtain a confession. In order to ensure a successful outcome, the interrogator must continually confront (degree and manner of confrontation must be person- and situation-specific) the subject with facts and information about the case and gradually limit the subject's ability to deny participation therein. One way to do this is by repeatedly stating the subject's participation in the incident(s) and questioning only the justification or motive for the event. Once the subject begins to acknowledge responsibility or participation in the crime, the interrogator can offer the individual reasons to confess without loss of dignity, such as an opportunity to tell his or her side of the story, to obtain psychological help, or to play a positive role in the ultimate outcome of the case. Successful interrogation outcome depends on maintaining a balance of the environmental, situational, and personality factors at play, while utilizing every available psychological technique and without compromising the legal integrity of the process.

see also Criminal profiling; Ethical issues; Polygraphs; Profiling; Psychological profile.

Interrogation

views updated May 18 2018

Interrogation

BRIAN HOYLE

Interrogation is a conversational process of information gathering. The intent of interrogation is to control an individual so that he or she will either willingly supply the requested information or, if someone is an unwilling participant in the process, to make the person submit to the demands for information. The latter can involve techniques of humiliation, intimidation, and fear. In more extreme cases in some countries, physical pain is inflicted.

Every interrogation is intended to strip away the subject's defenses and resilience. If the process is successful, the subject will eventually "give in" and supply the interrogator with the information being sought.

The interrogators hold much power in the interrogation process. By various techniques that are intended to manipulate the subject psychologically, the interrogator's aim is to dominate the subject. For example, an interrogator can display a great knowledge of the subject's background and actions. Whether or not the interrogator actually knows much about the subject is irrelevant. The point is to convince the subject that what the interrogator says is true, and so that resistance is pointless.

The surroundings are also an important part of the interrogation process. Often, as in a police station, jail, or clandestine hideaway, the conditions are foreign, Spartan, and even uncomfortable to the subject. This throws

the subject off balance. If the conditions are abruptly changed, as for example, being brought out of solitary confinement to be given a hot shower and a tasty meal, a subject's mood may change abruptly from despair to relief. Then, information may be offered to the interrogator out of gratitude.

During the early stages of an interrogation process, an interrogator will "get to know" the subject. It is important to find out whether a subject is, for example, zealously dedicated to a cause, to the point of becoming a martyr, or whether the subject needs little persuasion to become compliant.

A skilled interrogator will also observe a subject's physical posture and listen carefully to the tone of his or her voice, especially if behavior changes in response to some aspect of the conversation. For example, many people who are nervous or under stress will unconsciously and protectively draw their elbows in to their sides. As another example, when many people are talking about something they either know a lot about or are passionate about, their rate of speaking increases. But, if a subject area is uncomfortable, many people pause and speak slowly. Knowing what topics a subject is sensitive to, and observing visual cues, can be used later as levers.

If a subject is reluctant to offer information, an interrogator will often begin to probe the topics that make the subject uncomfortable. By turns an interrogator can be calm or bluntly insistent. Both the topics discussed and the interrogator's manner are intended to keep the subject tense and off-balance, and to indicate to the interrogator how hard he or she may need to press to gain the information that is sought. A subject can become hostile during this phase of an interrogation, or may be compliant.

In the next phase of an interrogation process, the interrogator attempts to elicit the sought-after detailed information. The interrogator is firm and to the point at this stage, never allowing the conversation to stray off topic. The interrogator also will want to establish whether the subject's information is reliable. The interrogator can employ a variety of tactics, including leaving the subject alone for some time, making the subject think that he or she has no allies, using threats, talking about the subject's family, and even adopting a warm tone.

An interrogation is sometimes accomplished by a pair of interrogators, often with very different personalities. One person will be domineering, crass, profane, and loud. The other interrogator will be friendly, sympathetic, and quiet. This contrast, which is reinforced by a rehearsed routine, can work to the interrogator's advantage, particularly with women, teenagers, and shy people, who usually will respond to the quiet interrogator.

An interrogation can take place over days, with periods of solitary confinement in between. These solitary periods serve to build up tension in the subject and, especially if the surroundings are loud or uncomfortable, to make the subject exhausted.

As of late 2002, Amnesty International estimates that torture is part of interrogation in over 100 countries worldwide if a subject is especially uncooperative or displays great resiliency. Interrogation with torture may utilize drugs, hypnosis, threats of violence, and physical pain and injury to extract information.

FURTHER READING:

BOOKS:

Elliston, Jon. InTERRORgation: The CIA's Secret Manual on Coercive Questioning, 2nd ed. San Francisco: AK Press, 1999.

Gordon, Nathan J., William L. Fleisher, and C. Donald Weinberg. Effective Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques. New York: Academic Press, 2001.

SEE ALSO

Interrogation: Torture Techniques and Technologies
Language Training and Skills

interrogation

views updated May 23 2018

in·ter·ro·ga·tion / inˌterəˈgāshən/ • n. the action of interrogating or the process of being interrogated: would he keep his mouth shut under interrogation? | he had conducted hundreds of criminal interrogations. DERIVATIVES: in·ter·ro·ga·tion·al / -shənl/ adj.

interrogation

views updated May 18 2018

interrogation The sending of a signal that will initiate a response. A system may interrogate a peripheral to see if it requires a data transfer. The response is normally a status byte. When a number of devices are interrogated in a sequence the process is called polling. Interrogation terminals are more generally called inquiry stations.

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