ASSIGNMENT
The Dutch Police Academy have recently developed a training programme to facilitate the rigorous but fair interviewing of suspects interviewed under caution as suspects for a criminal offence when the suspects have psychological vulnerabilities. Such vulnerabilities might include some form of neurodiversity such as autism or ADHD, or intellectual disabilities.
This thesis would begin with an internship, where you will be based within the PCRS department, but will also work collaboratively with interview training staff and researchers at the Dutch Police Academy to perform evaluations of their training. There will also most likely be an opportunity to build from this initial validation work in an MSc thesis.
KEYWORDS
Suspect interview; vulnerability; intervention evaluation; measurement design.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ORGANIZATION
The section Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety at the University of Twente has a distinctive and unique profile in the areas of risk perception and risk communication, conflict and crisis management and the antecedents of risky, antisocial, and criminal behavior. It currently includes 16 research staff members and 8 PhD students. We work from both a psychology and an engineering perspective and cooperate with other scientific disciplines, based on the “high tech, human touch” profile of the University of Twente.
Requirements
This internship will most likely require engagement with Dutch literature and participants that only speak Dutch, and so speaking Dutch will be an advantage.
AVAILABILITY
This internship is open for 2 students.
Please note that the internship is connected to a MSc thesis project, and it is expected that students that take this internship will continue to complete the associated MSc thesis.
INTERESTED?
Please contact the PCRS internship coordinator Miriam Oostinga (m.s.d.oostinga@utwente.nl).
LITERATURE
- Asquith, N. L., & Bartkowiak-Théron, I. (2021). Interviewing Vulnerable People. In Policing Practices and Vulnerable People (pp. 107-127). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62870-3_7
- Farrugia, L., & Gabbert, F. (2020). Vulnerable suspects in police interviews: Exploring current practice in England and Wales. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 17(1), 17-30. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/jip.1537
- Gudjonsson, G. H. (2010). Psychological vulnerabilities during police interviews. Why are they important? Legal and Criminological Psychology, 15(2), 161-175. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1348/135532510X500064
- Herrington, V., & Roberts, K. (2012). Addressing Psychological Vulnerability in the Police Suspect Interview. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 6(2), 177-186. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/par057
- Rispens, I., & van der Sleen, J. (2022). Handleiding verhoren van kwetsbare verdachten. Sdu.