FORENSIC INTERVIEWING OF CHILD WITNESSES BY LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL

Neylan ZIYALAR, Sevil ATASOY Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract Children involved as witnesses in legal proceedings may have to tell their story on several occasions. This starts with the initial interview and may culminate in examination and cross-examination in court. The primary reason for the existence of any investigation in the forensic scientific field is to gather information. The success of the investigation is directly related to the ability of the investigator to conduct effective interviews. Of all the topics in law enforcement academies and criminal justice training centres, one of the critical topics that always seems to get poor, little, or even no attention at all is the forensic interview with children. However, the skill of interview is a technique  that can be learned and must be included in the curricula. The aim of this paper is to present forensic interviewing techniques with children which is evaluated by Istanbul University, Institute of Forensic Sciences as a course in the curriculum of law enforcement academies. Key words Interview techniques; Children; Police. Download PDF © 2011 PROBLEMS OF FORENSIC SCIENCES Created by Jakub M. Milczarek