Interrogations: Getting the Suspect to Corroborate the Facts
This workshop examines interrogation strategies that go beyond obtaining a confession, focusing instead on developing accurate, voluntary corroboration of known facts in child abuse and human trafficking cases. Participants will learn how rapport, structure, and strategic questioning can help confirm timelines, relationships, motives, and actions.
Suggested Audience: Law enforcement and prosecutors
Full Description: A successful interrogation is not measured solely by whether a suspect confesses. In child abuse and human trafficking investigations, carefully developed corroborative details can be just as important in testing accounts, confirming timelines, identifying relationships, and strengthening the overall case. This workshop focuses on structuring interrogations to encourage accurate, voluntary disclosure while maintaining ethical and legal integrity. Participants will examine rapport-building techniques, behavioral considerations, and strategic questioning methods designed to move beyond simple admissions and develop specific, verifiable facts. The session emphasizes how investigators can use known evidence and structured prompts to assess credibility, clarify inconsistencies, and obtain details that can be independently corroborated throughout the investigation.
Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate how to structure an interrogation to elicit corroborative details from a suspect.
Apply rapport-building strategies to establish a productive detective–suspect relationship conducive to disclosure.
Use structured questioning strategies to confirm timelines, actions, and relationships that support fact-based investigations.
Speaker(s): David Clark
