Page 26 - Deception at work all chapters EBook

Introduction 17

Getting to the deep truth can be simplified as a three-stage process:

1 Recognizing that a lie has been told.
2 Using interviewing skills to get to the deep truth.
3 Using a legal and morally defensible process.

Stages 1 and 3 are easy and, for this reason, everyone seems to have concentrated on them,
including academics, lawyers etc., etc. Police training throughout the world is focused on
process rather than on deep-truth interviewing skills. If you don’t believe this, just read the
transcript of the interview with OJ Simpson (http://simpson.walraven.org) which from a
procedural point of view was uncontentious but which had no chance of ever getting off the
ground and into the deep truth.

Process suppresses skills

This is not to say that processes are not important, but they must be set against the skills
and techniques necessary to get to the deep truth. Figure 1.3 shows the relationship between
skills and processes and the fact that the two must work together.

Without process controls, ‘skills’ may go over the line into extreme areas such as violence,
torture, deprivation and truth serums. However, the methods currently used by law enforce-
ment agencies are too process-orientated and do not encourage the use of interviewing skills.
The result is that the deep truth never surfaces.

Putting down in writing the skills, tools and techniques needed to get to the deep truth in
all situations – involving achievement and exculpatory lies – is difficult and if there has been
any applied research on the subject, it is not visible.

Many groups are involved in the detection and resolution of deception, including academ-
ics – ranging from anthropologists, psychologists, psychiatrists to zoologists – politicians,

High

Courts

Formal processes Police (PACE)

Recommended

Improper High
Low methods

Interviewing skills

Figure 1.3 Interviewing skills and processes. Figure 1.3 shows that methods currently forced on law
enforcement agencies and the courts are dominated by the requirement to comply with set processes,
thereby reducing the likelihood that the deep truth will emerge.