FACT SHEET: the Reid Technique

Apr 02, 2026

John E Reid and Associates is the leading authority for training programs on conducting proper interviews and interrogations.

CORE PRINCIPLES: We teach that all investigators should adhere to the following Core...

The Use of Visual Aids During an Interview or Interrogation

Jul 01, 2008

Investigators rely extensively on their verbal communication skills to elicit information during an interview and to persuade a suspect to tell the truth during an interrogation. It is often beneficial to reinforce...

Evaluating One-On-One Allegations

May 01, 2008

One-on-one allegations are very common in criminal investigations. The accuser may be an alleged victim. The accused, of course, denies involvement and offers an explanation for the false allegation. In other situations...

Are you a good listener?

Mar 01, 2008

An investigator's ability to solve cases relies extensively on his/her ability to develop rapport, ask the right questions, identify deceptive responses and...

Conducting A Custodial Behavior Analysis Interview

Jan 01, 2008

Investigators who attend our training seminars learn the value of conducting a Behavior Analysis Interview (BAI) as a reliable means of eliminating innocent suspects and identifying the guilty suspect during the...

Interrogation Procedures: Promises of Leniency

Nov 01, 2007

Interrogation Procedures: Promises of Leniency

For a confession to be admissible as evidence it must not only be trustworthy, but also voluntary. The test...

Proper Techniques for Witnessing A Confession

Sep 01, 2007

No investigator wants to have his testimony questioned because it is his word against the defendant's. It is precisely for this reason that the investigator needs to have a witness verify...

The Role of a Subject's Attitudes in the Detection of Deception

Jul 01, 2007

Early in John Reid's career, he had a secretary named Mildred. In addition to typing and filing reports, Mildred scheduled appointments and greeted subjects as they entered the...

Catching A Suspect In A Lie: Not Always A Symptom Of Guilt

May 01, 2007

A skilled investigator learns to withhold certain inside information from a suspect during an interview in the hope that he can catch the suspect in a lie. For example, the suspect may...

Electronically Recorded Confessions

Mar 01, 2007

The topic of electronically recording interviews and interrogations comes up frequently during our seminars. Clearly, there is a national trend in which through state court decisions or legislative efforts police officers...

The Use of Rationalization During an Interrogation Theme

Jan 01, 2007

Two conditions must be satisfied before a person decides to commit a crime. The first is that the individual must believe that he or she will not...

Guarding Against Claims of False Imprisonment

Nov 01, 2006

The concept of "false imprisonment" is usually associated with a criminal act relating to abduction or kidnapping. However, this web tip relates to false imprisonment as a civil suit. The definition varies...

Quoting Statements in an Open Account: Truthful or Deceptive?

Sep 01, 2006

Quoting Statements in an Open Account: Truthful or Deceptive?

September- October

During most interviews the investigator should develop an open, or narrative account from the subject. It is called an open...

The Role of Motivation in Detection of Deception Research

Jul 01, 2006

Early reports on the accuracy of the polygraph technique were largely anecdotal. For example, if ten suspects were administered a polygraph examination on a particular crime and one of them failed and...

Eliciting A Subject's Willingness to Submit to a Voluntary Interview

May 01, 2006

In most instances, subjects will agree to answer an investigator's questions if the conversation occurs at the subject's home, place of business or over the phone. From an investigative perspective, however, it...

The Use of an Interpreter During an Interview

Mar 01, 2006

A question that is frequently asked during our seminars concerns the proper use of an interpreter during an interview. This is particularly true when we train military personnel who regularly utilize translators...

The Significance of Identifying Precipitators during a Criminal Investigation

Jan 01, 2006

The first step of any criminal investigation is factual analysis. This describes the process of collecting and analyzing information and evidence surrounding a crime. One of the goals of factual...

Common Errors in Evaluating a Suspect's Truthfulness Through Behavior Symptom Analysis

Dec 01, 2005

Over the years we have been consulted on cases in which an investigator was absolutely convinced that a particular suspect was lying when, in fact, the person was telling the...

Responding to a Suspect’s Request to See Evidence During an Interrogation

Nov 01, 2005

It is rare to conduct an interrogation under circumstances where the investigator has absolute proof of the suspect's guilt. At the outset of most interrogations there is merely circumstantial...

The Significance of Specific Denials During Interviews and Interrogations

Oct 01, 2005

Recently, I reviewed a videotaped interview of an 17-year-old suspect who was being questioned about starting a fire that burned down his parent's home. During the interview the investigator asked...

If a Lie is Repeated Often Enough, Can The Person Come to Believe That The Lie Is True?

Sep 01, 2005

During our seminars participants ask many interesting questions about the psychology of lying and factors that affect lie detection. A common question relates to the effects of repeating a false...