The Mindful Interview Method: Retrieving Cognitive Evidence, 1st Edition

The Mindful Interview Method: Retrieving Cognitive Evidence provides investigators with a proven methodology to gather authentic, reliable information from eyewitnesses to help identify potential suspects. The book offers police, and non-law enforcement readers, step-by-step techniques to improve gathering reliable evidence through a "mindful" interview process. The author also provides an assessment component that can measure the reliability of previous interviews performed, and further help to improve the interview process, the skills of the investigator, and thus the reliability of cognitive evidence gathered from future interviews. 　

It is notable that there is minimal to no instruction or training currently offered to those individuals most-often tasked with interviewing an eyewitness about a crime as part of criminal investigations. Despite the lack of training and certification, we allow interviewers to conduct questioning in the face of well-established research as to the malleability of human memory. The assumption is that officials, trained in the rules of evidence, will innately ask the right questions—and in the proper manner—without the proper understanding of the fragility of human memory or the proper training. That assumption is false, and the reality is quite the opposite. In fact, we learn of cases commonplace in the media, that frequently involve questionable interview tactics, misidentifications, and wrongful convictions of innocent people.

The Mindful Interview Method uses cognitive research to inform the methods and principles for a mindful approach to gathering only the information the subject remembers. This is the best way to use evidence-based lines of questioning, to perform interviews that elicit the most reliable accounts and information for investigative purposes. Considering current reforms on best practices throughout the criminal justice system, the book provides a path forward for professional interviewers to adopt interview methodologies that guide the practitioner to question anyone in a mindful manner.

Table of Contents

Part I: Perspectives 
1. Introduction 
2. A Different Path  

Part II: Establishing Principles  
3. Cognitive Evidence 
4. The Detective Mind 
5. Heuristics of Interviewing Eyewitnesses 
6. Investigating Mindfulness  

Part III: How We Interview Eyewitnesses 
7. Mindful of the Innocent 
8. Mindful of Interrogations 
9. Empathetic Strategy  

Part IV: Mindful Interview Method  
10. Principles Behind Mindful Interview Method 
11. How to perform the Mindful Interview Method  

Part V: Meta-eyewitness Interviews  
12. Eyewitness Interview Paradigm 
13. Eyewitness Interview Training 
14. Measuring the Noise  

Part VI: Analyzing Case Studies  
15. Case Study#1 
16. Case Study #2 
17. Case Study #3 
18. Case Study #4 
19. Case Study #5  

Part VII: Expectations  
20. Expectations and Future Research  Appendix A - Category of Questions and Comments  Appendix B - Sample MIM Script  Appendix C - Forensic Art Indexing  Appendix D - List of All Case Studies  Appendix E - Case Study Transcripts and EEIA Summary Reports