Investigator Tips

The Reid Technique

25 Reid Video Tips

Jan 11, 2021


September October 2020 Investigator Tip

The September/October 2020 Investigator Tip provides you with links to 25 brief video presentations from our YouTube channel - The Reid Technique Tips, that...

The foundation for all effective interrogation techniques - projection and rationalization

Jan 11, 2021

As a youngster we have all had the experience of hitting one of our siblings, and then when questioned by our parents we justified our actions by saying, “he hit me first.”...

The Non-Confrontational Approach

Apr 16, 2019

The Non-Confrontational Interview

John E. Reid and his colleague, Northwestern Professor of Law Fred E. Inbau, developed the non-confrontational interview as an integral part of any questioning of a subject in...

A Description of The Reid Technique

Nov 01, 2018

The Reid Technique is oftentimes just thought of and is frequently referred to as simply an interrogation process - it is much more than that. The Reid Technique is a structured interview...

The Value of Behavior Provoking Questions - A Case Study

May 01, 2018

The investigative interview process in the Reid Technique is called the Behavior Analysis Interview (BAI). The BAI consists of three types of questions: Initial Questions designed to develop biographical information, establish rapport...

Clarifying Misrepresentations About Law Enforcement Interrogation Techniques

Mar 01, 2018

Over the years social psychologists, defenses attorneys and some academicians have offered a number of criticisms of current law enforcement interrogation practices, and, in particular, the Reid Technique. Some of these criticisms...

What Words Should I Use When I start an Interrogation?

Jan 01, 2018

The flexibility and effectiveness of the Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation is what makes it the most widely used investigative interviewing technique in the world.

The Reid Nine-Steps of...

The Fundamental Foundation of THE REID TECHNIQUE OF INTERROGATION®: Empathy and Understanding

Sep 01, 2017

The Reid Technique consists of a three-phase process beginning with Fact Analysis, followed by the Behavior Analysis Interview (which is a non-accusatory interview designed to develop investigative and behavioral information), followed by...

Using Open-ended Questions During the Investigative Interview (Part 2)

May 01, 2017

(See the March April 2017 Investigator Tip for Part 1)

Evaluating the Response to an Open Question

When relating an incident such as being the victim of a robbery or...

Using Open-ended Questions During the Investigative Interview (Part 1)

Mar 01, 2017

When evaluating an account, such as what happened to a victim, a suspect’s alibi, or what a witness saw or heard, the investigator should elicit this information by asking an initial open-ended...

Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Obtaining a Reliable Confession

Jan 01, 2017

Physical coercion, torture, duress, denial of rights, threats, and promises of leniency are the poison pills of legally admissible, reliable, and voluntary confessions. Obviously we should not engage in such behaviors or...

Positive Persuasion - Motivating the Subject to Tell the Truth

Nov 01, 2016


Positive persuasion consists of a variety of persuasive statements offered by the investigator to motivate, influence, and persuade the subject to want to tell the truth. The information developed in the...

There is No Behavior Unique to Lying

May 01, 2016

People oftentimes associate specific behaviors with deception, such as lack of eye contact. But there are many reasons a person may not have eye contact with the individual whom they are speaking...

Making a Murderer: THE REID TECHNIQUE® and Juvenile Interrogations

Jan 01, 2016

In the Netflix program, Making a Murderer, which examines the conviction of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey for the sexual assault and murder of Teresa Halbach, there is a reference made by...

The Reid Technique: A Position Paper

May 01, 2015


The Reid Technique: A Position Paper

Content

Core PrinciplesBest PracticesResponses to Criticisms The Courts’ View of False Confession ExpertsThe Courts’ View of the Reid TechniqueThe Best Way to Guard Against...

Empathy Guides the Investigator to the Truth

Mar 01, 2015

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will...

The Reid Behavior Analysis Interview

Jul 01, 2014

The Reid Behavior Analysis Interview

A recent article offered the following description of the Reid Behavior Analysis Interview, "The purpose of the interview is to provide a means by which investigators...

A Quick Guide to Best Practices for THE REID NINE STEPS OF INTERROGATION®

Jul 01, 2013

Within any established procedure (medical, therapeutic, manufacturing, education, engineering, etc.) there are optimum or ideal conditions under which the probability of success is maximized. These optimum procedures are called "best practices." Because...

Interview Before Interrogating

Sep 01, 2012

Throughout our seminars and textbooks The Reid Technique emphasizes the distinction between interviewing and interrogating, and the importance of conducting a non-accusatory interview before an accusatory interrogation. A recent legal decision reinforces...

What Exactly is the Reid Technique of Interrogation?

Jul 01, 2011

Part One

Despite the availability of specific information in books, training manuals and on our web site about the Reid Technique of interrogation, it is routinely mis-characterized. The following description...