Investigator Tips

The Reid Technique

The Reid Technique: International Research and the Value of Behavior Symptom Analysis

Apr 27, 2023

https://reid.com/admin/entries...Part One: International Research Validates the Core Elements of the Reid Technique

Over the years numerous international research studies have been conducted on the Reid Technique – here are a few that...

Interrogation and Confession Judicial Decisions Organized by Subject Matter

Oct 24, 2022

For many years we have published on our website and through our newsletters legal updates of cases which address relevant interview and interrogation issues. In this 504 page document we have attempted...

Principles of Practice: How to Conduct Proper Investigative Interviews and Interrogations

Apr 25, 2022

Principles of Practice: How to Conduct Proper Investigative Interviews and Interrogations

Since 1947 John E. Reid and Associates has been conducting investigative interviews and when appropriate, interrogations.

Since the mid 1970's we...

Conducting Effective Interviews and Interrogations

Jan 26, 2022

The following are guidelines, procedures and best practices that all investigators should follow:

[Absent a life-saving circumstance conduct an interview before an interrogation.]

The Essential Elements of the Investigative Interview

Conduct investigative...

Over 50 Free Reid Video Presentations

Jan 24, 2022

Below you will find over 30 helpful video tips on our YouTube page now organized in 6 Playlists:

1. Who are We and What is The Reid Technique

About the...

False Confessions: The Issues to be Considered

Jun 01, 2021

False Confessions – The Issues to be Considered

In this document we discuss the primary causes of and contributing factors to false confessions, and the Best Practices to follow to...

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...

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...