I have a friend who asks me, in nearly every conversation we have, if I want to “process” my day. It always make me chuckle, and then I start spilling the details, and ”processing” my day or situation. Some days, I greatly appreciate the more clinical approach of asking me if I want to “process”, rather than a casual “How are you?” or “What’s up?” approach. I try to remember this when interviewing a subject of investigation. Occasionally, guiding a victim statement with a process approach, allows them to tell their story by answering your questions, and responding with facts, helping them relay the information without the emotional rollercoaster. It is important to remember not to guide by influencing the story, but to clarify information, and possibly encourage memories to surface that are typically overlooked when emotions are forefront in the victims’ mind. Using this technique with a perpetrator, may be able to curb the frequency of them defending their actions, and allow the facts to be shared. Again, the emotions are theirs, but we need the facts.
