What Is Interrogation?

An interview is when a person that is not suspected in a crime is questioned but knows something about the crime or the people involved (Hess & Hess, p. 184). Interviewing is an attempt to solicit information from a witness by using persuasive or congenial methods. It involves gathering information by talking to people and questioning them. At a crime scene, the main sources of information are the witnesses, the victim, and the complainant. In some cases these sources are the same person.
An interrogation is the questioning of a suspect that is directly or indirectly involved in a crime (Hess & Hess, p.184). It is usually more difficult to question a suspect than questioning a witness or a victim. Once the suspect is identified and located, the person can admit to the crime, make a statement, or confess to that crime (Hess & Hess, p. 190). An interrogation is accusatory. Investigators use behavioral methods to determine if the suspect is telling the truth. By using tactics such as using statements instead of asking questions can allow the person to confess.
This right must be known to the suspect before the investigators can question that person. The general meaning and application of the Miranda warning is that once an officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has committed a crime, that person’s constitutional rights are in jeopardy unless the Miranda warning is given before any questioning (Hess & Hess, p. 191). The term “in custody” is when an officer decides that a suspect is not free to leave, has been arrested, or where there is considerable deprivation of