Evaluation of the Dutch training for interviewing vulnerable suspects

Onder het thema 'opsporing' van de strategische onderzoeksagenda 2024 valt de onderzoekslijn politieverhoor, waarbij nieuwe inzichten wijzen op de noodzaak van een aangepaste aanpak voor kwetsbare verdachten. In de training 'Verhoren van Kwetsbare Verdachten' (VKV), aangeboden door Vakspecialistisch Politieonderwijs, ligt de nadruk op het ethisch en effectief verhoren van verdachten met een psychologische kwetsbaarheid. De effectiviteit van deze training was echter nog niet eerder onderzocht. Ons onderzoek richtte zich op de evaluatie van de VKV-training. Ervaringen van huidige VKVstudenten en VKV-specialisten die de training hebben gevolgd werden verzameld via digitale vragenlijsten en interviews. De kwalitatieve en kwantitatieve analyses wijzen op enkele verbeterpunten voor de training. De kwantitatieve analyse toont aan dat de training over het algemeen positief wordt gewaardeerd, met hoge niveaus van intrinsieke motivatie bij deelnemers. Participanten die in het verleden de training doorliepen geven aan over meer kennis en vaardigheden te beschikken om een verhoor aan te passen aan een kwetsbare verdachte, vermoedelijk door meer ervaring in het werkveld. Er zijn gemengde meningen over de praktische toepasbaarheid van de training, en er is behoefte aan betere organisatorische ondersteuning en afstemming op diverse opleidingsachtergronden. Deze resultaten kwamen tevens naar voren uit het kwalitatieve onderzoek. VKV specialisten hebben behoefte aan begeleiding van supervisors na het behalen van de training. Ook is er behoefte aan betere afstemming tussen voorbereidende cursussen en de training en bredere toegankelijkheid tot de training. VKV-specialisten vragen om meer praktijkgerichte oefeningen. Tenslotte is een sterke wens voor meer erkenning en aandacht voor kwetsbare verdachten binnen de politie, om het onderzoek en vertrouwen in de rechtshandhaving te verbeteren. Onze aanbevelingen richten zich op het verbeteren van de voorbereiding op de VKV-training, het vergroten van de toegankelijkheid en het inspelen op de leervoorkeuren van studenten. Daarnaast wordt geadviseerd om meer begeleiding en erkenning te bieden aan VKV-specialisten en hun rol, evenals een bredere aandacht voor kwetsbare verdachten binnen de politieorganisatie

Consistency across repeated eyewitness interviews: Contrasting police detectives' beliefs with actual eyewitness performance

In the legal system, inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts are often used to discredit witnesses' credibility. This is at odds with research findings showing that witnesses frequently report reminiscent details (details previously unrecalled) at an accuracy rate that is nearly as high as for consistently recalled information. The present study sought to put the validity of beliefs about recall consistency to a test by directly comparing them with actual memory performance in two recall attempts. All participants watched a film of a staged theft. Subsequently, the memory group (N = 84) provided one statement immediately after the film (either with the Self-Administered Interview or free recall) and one after a one-week delay. The estimation group (N = 81) consisting of experienced detectives estimated the recall performance of the memory group. The results showed that actual recall performance was consistently underestimated. Also, a sharp decline of memory performance between recall attempts was assumed by the estimation group whereas actual accuracy remained stable. While reminiscent details were almost as accurate as consistent details, they were estimated to be much less accurate than consistent information and as inaccurate as direct contradictions. The police detectives expressed a great concern that reminiscence was the result of suggestive external influence. In conclusion, it seems that experienced police detectives hold many implicit beliefs about recall consistency t hat do not correspond with actual recall performance. Recommendations for police trainings are provided. These aim at fostering a differentiated view on eyewitness performance and the inclusion of more comprehensive classes on human memory structure

Proportion of consistent details as a function of T1-interview type and group.

<p>The estimation group is split as a function of whether they had already followed the eyewitness lessons. Means in a row sharing the same superscript differ at <i>p</i> < .05.</p><p>Proportion of consistent details as a function of T1-interview type and group.</p

Design and procedure of the study.

<p>Design and procedure of the study.</p

Reasons provided by the estimation group for a low or high accuracy of reminiscent details.

<p>Reasons provided by the estimation group for a low or high accuracy of reminiscent details.</p

Proportion of reminiscent details as a function of T1-interview type and group.

<p>Means in a row sharing the same superscript differ at <i>p</i> < .05.</p><p>Proportion of reminiscent details as a function of T1-interview type and group.</p

Consistency across Repeated Eyewitness Interviews: Contrasting Police Detectives' Beliefs with Actual Eyewitness Performance

In the legal system, inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts are often used to discredit witnesses' credibility. This is at odds with research findings showing that witnesses frequently report reminiscent details (details previously unrecalled) at an accuracy rate that is nearly as high as for consistently recalled information. The present study sought to put the validity of beliefs about recall consistency to a test by directly comparing them with actual memory performance in two recall attempts. All participants watched a film of a staged theft. Subsequently, the memory group (N = 84) provided one statement immediately after the film (either with the Self-Administered Interview or free recall) and one after a one-week delay. The estimation group (N = 81) consisting of experienced police detectives estimated the recall performance of the memory group. The results showed that actual recall performance was consistently underestimated. Also, a sharp decline of memory performance between recall attempts was assumed by the estimation group whereas actual accuracy remained stable. While reminiscent details were almost as accurate as consistent details, they were estimated to be much less accurate than consistent information and as inaccurate as direct contradictions. The police detectives expressed a great concern that reminiscence was the result of suggestive external influences. In conclusion, it seems that experienced police detectives hold many implicit beliefs about recall consistency that do not correspond with actual recall performance. Recommendations for police trainings are provided. These aim at fostering a differentiated view on eyewitness performance and the inclusion of more comprehensive classes on human memory structure