ABSTRACT
Interviewing and interrogating racial and ethnic minority suspects in the context of criminal investigations is discussed. We review literature that shows significant behavioral differences between minority and non-minority individuals in this context – differences that suggest minority individuals are at an increased risk to experience coercive investigative practices. These coercive practices can produce undesirable outcomes, including decreased cooperation and information gain, increased elicitation of unreliable information, and reduced overall trust in law enforcement for minority individuals. We conclude with research-based suggestions for enhancing investigative interviewing methods with minority suspects. These methods can promote rapport, improve accuracy in classifying truthful and deceptive suspects, and increase the quality of information elicited.
