ABSTRACT
This chapter makes recommendations for collecting event memory evidence from victims of sexual misconduct that can inform criminal justice. In it we contend that to effectively gather information from victims of sexual abuse a highly skilled approach is necessary. The relevant, official government guidance in England and Wales is described (having been partly drafted by psychologists), as is research on cues to credibility. Also overviewed is the ’PEACE’ method of investigative interviewing first developed in the UK and now being adopted by a growing number of organizations in a variety of countries. The recent recommendation of a United Nations ’Special Rapporteur’ regarding non-coercive interviewing is mentioned. The skills necessary to ethically and sensitively gather relevant information are described, including those of the ’cognitive interview.’ We then focus on research which has found that even after extensive training, the principles of appropriate interviewing are rarely fully complied with in real life.
