Communication in Investigative and Legal Contexts: Integrated Approaches from Forensic Psychology, Linguistics and Law Enforcement

Despite a number of research studies, there remain significant differences of opinion among psychologists, linguists and other practitioners on how best to describe particular types of questions and communicate most effectively in forensic contexts. Communication in Forensic Contexts brings clarity to the subject by providing readers with in–depth coverage of the complex area of communication in forensic settings, for example during investigative interviewing of victims, witnesses and suspects/high–interest groups, during discourse in courtrooms, and via legal intermediaries and interpreters. Drawing on knowledge from forensic psychology, linguistics and law enforcement worldwide, the text is unique in bridging the gap between these fields in a definitive guide to best practice, with chapters written by teams bringing together expertise and specialties from each field. Part of the Wiley Series in the Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law, the book is also linked to the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG) a worldwide network of interviewing professionals working with international bodies committed to improving investigative interviewing and ensuring all improvements are underpinned by a robust evidence base. Contributors are sourced from North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, ensuring International relevance.

Dr Gavin Oxburgh is a Forensic and Chartered Psychologist, a Chartered Scientist, and a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Newcastle University, UK. He is the Chair and founding director of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG; www.iiirg.org). He previously served with the Royal Air Force Police, specialising in the investigation of sexual offences. He has recently developed training for investigators from the International Criminal Court, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Dr Trond Myklebust is Assistant Chief of Police with the Norwegian Police University College (NPUC), a public university conducting research in areas such as psychology, police science and law. He has a background in police work, theoretical and practical experience in forensic psychology, and has specialised in investigation and forensic psychology in Norway and internationally. He is a member of the INTERPOL Specialist Group on Crimes against Children, and Deputy Director/co–founder of the iIIRG.

Dr Tim Grant is a Professor of Forensic Linguistics and Director of the Centre for Forensic Linguistics in the School of Languages and Social Sciences, Aston University, UK. He has qualifications in both linguistics and psychology and is particularly interested in the interaction between forensic linguistics and forensic psychology. His main research interests are in forensic authorship analysis and the conversations, which occur between attackers and victims in cases of serious sexual assault.

Dr Becky Milne is Reader in Forensic Psychology in the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK. She leads the distance learning degrees for investigators and police officers and, in 2010, opened the Centre of Forensic Interviewing. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, and the British Journal of Forensic Practice. Becky works closely with police and criminal justice organisations, and is the author/editor of several books.