Investigative and Forensic Interviewing : A Personality-focused Approach

Experienced investigators know that taking an interviewee’s personality into account can lead to a more productive interview outcome. This volume provides a window into the personality types most commonly encountered in the legal system and demonstrates how to use this insight to plan and conduct effective interviews. The personality types discussed include narcissistic, antisocial, psychopathic, borderline, inadequate/immature, paranoid, and schizotypal. The book is designed for law enforcement officers, attorneys, probation and parole officers, mental health workers, and anyone else who interviews witnesses, suspects, and offenders throughout the legal system.

Investigative and Forensic Interviewing: A Personality-Focused Approach looks at the personality styles most commonly encountered in the criminal justice system and demonstrates how to use this insight to plan and conduct a productive interview. The book includes chapters on narcissistic, antisocial, psychopathic, borderline, inadequate/immature, paranoid, and schizotypal personalities. Written by forensic psychologists and former FBI investigators, each chapter begins with a vignette that displays the personality of an interviewee investigators might encounter in a forensic setting and then covers:

• Descriptions of how each personality style views him or herself and the world, and how these views lead to problematic behavior
• Ways to indirectly assess a subject through interviews with associated others, and through review of records
• Behaviors investigators are likely to encounter during the interview, and responses those behaviors may provoke
• Clues garnered from nonverbal behavior, including eye contact, facial expressions, and posture
• What type of questions to ask, and how to ask them

Finally, each chapter applies all of this information to an actual interview based on the opening vignette. This book is not for diagnosing personality disorders, but rather exists to help forensic interviewers understand the core traits that influence people’s responsiveness. This personality-focused approach is helpful for professionals in a variety of areas including police, attorneys, parole officers, mental health workers, and others who interview witnesses, suspects, and offenders throughout the criminal justice system.