{"id":19059,"date":"2025-07-08T11:15:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nscr.nl\/?p=19059"},"modified":"2025-07-08T11:15:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:15:22","slug":"interviewing-suspects-with-mild-intellectual-disability-requires-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nscr.nl\/en\/interviewing-suspects-with-mild-intellectual-disability-requires-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Interviewing suspects with mild intellectual disability requires training"},"content":{"rendered":"

Potential consequence: statements that are incomplete or even incorrect, and a real risk of wrongful case outcomes. ‘Tailored interviewing and rights protection are crucial for this group in particular,’ says Kranendonk.<\/p>\n

About one in three suspects has a mild intellectual disability (MID)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The study estimates that roughly one in three suspects interviewed by police has a MID. Yet this often goes unnoticed, partly due to suspects appearing \u201cstreetwise\u201d or overly compliant. Basic-level police interviewers are often not sufficiently trained to recognize signs of a MID. ‘In 44% of the cases we studied, there were clear signs of a MID, yet the interviewers had no prior information about the suspect\u2019s vulnerability,’ Kranendonk explains. ‘A suspect with a MID won\u2019t always say they don\u2019t understand something. Their compliant behaviour actually makes it harder to see they need support.’<\/p>\n

Failure to recognize MID undermines legal protection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not recognizing a MID can seriously harm a suspect\u2019s legal position. These suspects often struggle to understand their rights, answer questions accurately, or provide complete information. They\u2019re also more susceptible to suggestive questions and more likely to say \u201cyes\u201d even when it\u2019s not accurate. Without adaptations to the interview process, their statements may be incorrect – sometimes even leading to false confessions. Necessary support might also be missed. ‘If you don\u2019t understand what\u2019s being asked of you, you can\u2019t give a proper statement. That undermines the criminal justice process,’ says Kranendonk.<\/p>\n

Trained interviewers recognize more and adapt better<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Interviewers who\u2019ve received additional training and are aware that a suspect has a MID are better able to respond to their needs. They use simpler language more often, and take more time to build rapport. They\u2019re also more likely to ask open-ended questions and check the suspect\u2019s understanding.<\/p>\n

An open and attentive attitude, combined with active listening techniques and the verification and summarisation of information, helps not only suspects with a MID but also improves the overall quality of interviews,’ says Kranendonk. These factors increase the likelihood and amount of reliable, case-relevant information even when the suspect does not have a MID.<\/p>\n

Findings directly applicable in practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The study offers practical tools for identifying suspects with a MID and tailoring the interview approach to their needs. These insights can be immediately applied in police education and training. This is especially important given the high number of MID suspects in common criminal cases, and the fact that the basic police training program has been shortened – leaving officers potentially less equipped to work with this group. ‘To interview suspects with a MID in a fair and effective way, we need to invest in awareness and training. Especially now that interview training is showing such positive effects. This benefits both the suspect and the integrity of the justice system,’ Kranendonk stresses.<\/p>\n

Benchmarked against international standards<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By comparing Dutch interviewing practices to international standards like the\u00a0M\u00e9ndez Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering<\/em>, this study contributes to the further professionalization of (inter)national interviewing practices. The findings are relevant for law enforcement, the criminal justice process, policymakers and scholars, and help promote a fair justice system that protects even the most vulnerable suspects.<\/p>\n

Study based on real-life interviews and expert input<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The research combines a literature review with 53 interviews with MID experts, police detectives, prosecutors and defence lawyers. It also includes analysis of 92 video recordings of police interviews\u2014covering both common and more serious criminal cases.<\/p>\n

These reveal how interviewers detect signs of a MID, what kinds of questions and techniques they use, and how these affect the content and reliability of suspect statements.<\/p>\n

Defense<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kranendonk will\u00a0defend<\/a> her PhD based on this research on 26 June at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

\n

Robin Kranendonk<\/a> currently a researcher at the NSCR and the Dutch Police Academy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Potential consequence: statements that are incomplete or even incorrect, and a real risk of wrongful case outcomes. ‘Tailored interviewing and rights protection are crucial for this group in particular,’ says Kranendonk. About one in three suspects has a mild intellectual disability (MID) The study estimates that roughly one in three suspects interviewed by police has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":18846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInterviewing suspects with mild intellectual disability requires training » NSCR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nscr.nl\/en\/interviewing-suspects-with-mild-intellectual-disability-requires-training\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Interviewing suspects with mild intellectual disability requires training » NSCR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Potential consequence: statements that are incomplete or even incorrect, and a real risk of wrongful case outcomes. ‘Tailored interviewing and rights protection are crucial for this group in particular,’ says Kranendonk. 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