ABSTRACT
Exploring interview practices with suspects in Israel revealed the tremendous differences that exist between interview practices with children under the age of 14, with children above the age of 14, young people and adults. Children under the age of 14 in Israel are protected by a unique law created in 1955, the Law of Evidence Revision (Protection of Children). This law requires all children who are suspects to be interviewed by a special practitioner (‘a child forensic interviewer’) and that this interviewer be the only one who can approach the children. Organizationally, the child forensic interviewer is part of the welfare office, specifically the Service of Investigative Interviews. Additional legislation that is highly important for the understanding of the practices is that the age of criminal responsibility in Israel is 12 years, which means that regardless of the crime, if the suspect is under the age of 12, s/he cannot be criminally charged.
