From the original creators of "investigative interviewing"

Conducting interviews with suspects is difficult and the consequences of any errors can be catastrophic: the innocent can be convicted, the guilty exonerated.

In the last thirty years there have been major legislative changes and technological innovations that have had a profound effect on the way that police officers question suspects. Even the language of questioning has changed: police officers no longer interrogate suspects, instead, they conduct investigative interviews.

But what is investigative interviewing? Is it really better than interrogation? Can interviewing skills even be taught?

These questions (and more) are at the heart of this course.

This course is designed to introduce you to the key concepts, debates, and theories relating to the interviewing of suspects in criminal investigations. The course begins with the history of interrogation and how the concept of investigative interviewing was developed. The course then considers how police interviewing techniques and suspect behaviours interact to affect the outcome of an interview (confessions, denials, and the use of the right to silence). It also reviews the evidence as to whether or not training in interviewing suspects is effective.

If you are a police officer, a trainer, or a member of a professional group that is involved in the interviewing of suspects, then this course is for you.

Drawing on our 30 years of experience in research and teaching investigative interviewing, the course features engaged teaching and learning, with real-world content.

Course overview


Module 1: A brief history of interrogation

Pre-policing interrogation ~  From torture to technology ~ The art of interrogation ~ The need for reform ~ Science and pseudoscience in investigative interviewing ~ Fake evidence ~ Key case: The Broadwater Farm interrogations.

Module 2: The art of interrogation: The Inbau and Reid approach 

Introducing the Inbau and Reid approach ~ What is the Reid technique? ~ The Behavioral Analysis Interview ~ How suspects respond to the BAI ~ The Reid technique for interrogation - The use of themes in interrogation Evaluating the Reid technique ~ Sidebar: Is the detection of deception possible?

Module 3:  The science of investigative interviewing: The PEACE approach

Principles of investigative interviewing ~ Introducing PEACE ~ The PEACE model ~ The five components of PEACE ~ Evaluating PEACE - Types of evaluations ~ Evaluating PEACE - Outcomes of evaluations ~ Key case: The interviewing of Jimmy Savile.

Module 4: Confessions

Why do suspects confess? ~ Confessions in the police station ~ Predicting confessions ~ So, does interrogation matter? ~ False confessions ~ The case of Dante Wyndham Arthurs ~ Key case: The murder of Maxwell Confait.

Module 5: Denials & silence 

The frequency of denials ~ Denial strategies ~ Passive denials ~ Active denials ~ Statement analysis ~ Active defence ~ Sidebar: Recall and comprehension of the Queensland Police cautioning statement amongst Australian Aboriginals.

Module 6: Conclusions

The current situation ~ Conclusions.

Who is this course for?

  • Psychologists

    Students of psychology and registered psychologists considering a career in legal or forensic psychology.

  • Professionals in the criminal justice system

    Police officers, lawyers and social workers interested in understanding how psychological processes impact on criminal investigations and legal decision-making.

  • Criminologists

    Criminologists interested in the application of psychology to the criminal justice system.

Course cost:

This is no ordinary course....

  • From interrogation....

    Learn how the art of interrogation became the science of investigative interviewing

  • .... to interviewing....

    Explore key cases that have helped to shape questioning practices

  • .... to investigative interviewing

    Download activity worksheets and links to additional resources

Meet your instructor

Dr Stephen Moston

Stephen's groundbreaking work on interviewing children changed the way that child witnesses are questioned. His subsequent work with the Metropolitan Police included creating a new information-gathering approach to questioning suspects, which Stephen labelled "investigative interviewing". This approach would become the foundation for the PEACE technique which has been the basis for police training in many countries for over twenty-five years. Stephen has been teaching legal and forensic psychology in Australia since 1992. He has been Head of Postgraduate Training in Forensic Psychology at two Australian Universities.

What others are saying

Previous students have said:

Real life examples

Adrian

The materials were delivered beautifully and with copious amounts of passion by Stephen Moston, who was always ready to give relevant real life examples. The practical component of the course was very engaging and I found it a very valuable introduction.

Thorough and inclusive

Elena

Stephen was very supportive and his teaching style thorough and inclusive, which I feel assisted me to complete the unit successfully; when I felt very much overwhelmed from the get go.

High expectations

Sara

I have studied under four different universities, and had many teachers in that time. Stephen is in a league of his own, and the best I have ever learnt from.I have already been implementing many of his teachings into my professional life, and have received great recognition from within my organisation for it.

FAQ

  • Forensii? Is that a typo?

    No, it's not a typo. Forensii combines all our favourite words - forensic, that's the "forens" part, and investigative interviewing, that's the "ii" part. Simple really. If you spot any other odd-looking words on our websites, those probably are typos. Sorry.

  • Can I get a refund if I’m not happy with the course?

    We have a 100% Money Back Guarantee. We believe in the high quality of our courses so much that if you are not 100% satisfied then you can cancel that purchase within 30 days of the purchase date to qualify for a refund of the full purchase price. Our one condition is that you should not have completed more than 33% of the course, or two modules (because if you really didn’t like the course you wouldn’t have completed more than that.

  • How do I pay?

    You can pay by credit card. We have a secure payment system powered by the leading online payment system: Stripe. If you need a payment plan, please contact us and we will help to set one up for you.

  • How long will it take to complete the course?

    It should take between 12 and 18 hours to complete the course, depending on how long you engage with some of the set ‘activities’. Each individual module takes between 2-3 hours.