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Conducting Tough Interviews 253

Table 7.9 Possible responses to blocking questions

Reactions indicating innocence Reactions indicating guilt

Will usually make a full and honest disclosure Will fail to make an honest disclosure when given
and thereby clear himself of suspicion the opportunity
May seek clarification of the question
His response is most likely to avoid commitment

If the suspect admits to being less than open in response to a blocking question, you should
press home your advantage by pointing out the seriousness of the attempted deception and
then ask an important question to which the answer is not already known.

Example : ‘Your attempt to mislead me was very unfortunate. I am now going to give you the
opportunity to tell me all about [another important topic]. Please take great care over this.
You don’t want to make the same mistake twice, do you?’

Blocking questions are very difficult for the liar

INVITE THE SUBJECT TO VOLUNTEER

Ask the suspect whether there is anything he would like to tell you, and that this is his op-
portunity to come forward with any honest explanation. Warn him if he does not take this
opportunity, the evidence will come out and the fact that he has not offered the truth, when
given this chance, will obviously add to his difficulties. The guilty person will be stretched by
this question and will normally be very careful over the answer he gives (Table 7.10).

Table 7.10 Most likely reactions to an opportunity to volunteer information

Reactions indicating innocence Reactions indicating guilt

Volunteers facts, some of which may be against his Prevarication and failure to volunteer

self-interest (e.g. that he had made a mistake) information or ‘What do you expect me to say?’

QUESTIONS TO WHICH THE ANSWERS ARE KNOWN

In addition to preparing visual summaries of the key points (see page [xref]) you should also
make a special note of the evidence or intelligence that the suspect may not know you have.
You can then pose questions, based on this knowledge, to test the accuracy of his replies (Table
7.11).

Table 7.11 Most likely reactions to questions to which the answer is known

Reactions indicating innocence Reactions indicating guilt
Answers that accord with known facts Answers that do not accord with known facts