Interrogation Techniques

The training provided to military and polices forces for interrogation, helps in obtaining true information from subjects being questioned. The different techniques employed in interrogation are not just limited to questioning, but also carrying out torture. Techniques based on psychological studies help in manipulating the individual who is trying to hide information. The military interrogation techniques employed by the US army can be mainly classified into Incentive Approach, Direct Approach and Emotional Approach.

Police Interrogation Techniques

The different techniques used by the police for interrogation are explained below. The techniques being used range from deception, increasing suggestibility to even torture in few cases.

Increasing Suggestibility: The tendency of a person to listen to suggestions of others and act accordingly is their suggestibility. There are different ways to increase the suggestibility of the person being interrogated. Exposure to white noise, sleep deprivation and making use of drugs like sodium thiopental and sodium amytal are few of the techniques.

Deception: The technique of deception is used by the interrogators (police) to obtain important information which in some cases cannot be found out merely by asking for it. As per the laws in United States, an interrogator is allowed to lie while carrying out an interrogation process. The deception technique might involve the activity of making false allegations. The motive/intent behind such acts is to find out the truth because, the culprit is likely to get nervous as the interrogation process inches towards the truth.

Reid Technique: This interrogation technique is divided into three parts i.e. analyzing the facts, interviewing the subject and finally questioning him/her. Making direct allegations/accusations is not the method used in this form of interrogation. If the factual information reveals that the person being interrogated is guilty, attempts are made to persuade him in accepting the crime. Supporters of this technique claim that those suspects unwilling to accept their crime can be made to confess. However, according to critics, it is one of the techniques that can also lead innocent people to yield to the pressure and elicit confessions that are not true.

Torture: In this technique, the person in question is subjected to physical pain. The torture technique can result into three possible outcomes. The first condition is one in which innocent people are tortured. They may either make false confessions to avoid the physical pain or let the torture to continue. Hardened criminals may resort to misleading the interrogators by giving false information and thereby rescuing themselves from torture. The third possible outcome can be that of a culprit succumbing to torture and finally revealing the truth.

Good Cop/Bad Cop: It is a technique which involves interrogating by means of joint questioning. The suspect is interviewed and questioned by a pair of interrogators, one of whom makes allegations in an aggressive manner. Other interrogator plays the role of a sympathetic person who is kind to the subject. The technique is said to develop trust in the subject's mind towards the good cop. The subject may disclose the truth/correct information to the good cop.

Pride-and-ego Down: In the pride-and-ego down technique, the sense of personal worth of subjects is attacked by interrogators. This technique works if the subject makes an attempt to win back his self-respect and in the process, reveals the truth.

CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

The enhanced interrogation methods were used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US military intelligence soon after the infamous September 11 (9/11) attacks on World Trade Center in New York. The Attention Grab, Attention Slap and Belly Slap are few of the enhanced techniques. Waterboarding, Cold Cell and Long Time Standing were the torture methods.

The different interrogation techniques explained in the article should help in finding the truth in quick time. The facts gathered by police can be verified with the help of interrogation procedures mentioned in the article.