ABSTRACT
The initial information about a crime comes from a report by a person; this then becomes important for legal proceedings as testimony. Interviewing is usually the starting point for obtaining testimony. The process consists of helping people to remember, but also is an interpersonal transaction of some sensitivity, which varies depending on whether a victim, witness or suspect is being interviewed. In most Western legal processes, especially English-speaking jurisdictions, evidence is given by a witness, victim or defendant in court. A widely quoted illustration of how people who experience the same event remember it differently is the reference to the classic film by Kurosawa called Rashomon. The main problem with laboratory studies is that just because all conditions are carefully controlled, they can never have the richness or detail of actual events. An increasing number of researchers have used field studies or case analyses to assess eyewitness testimony.
