Investigative interviewing of youth with ADHD - recommendations for detective training

Kimberley J Cunial; Leanne M Casey; Clare Bell; Mark R Kebbell

doi:10.1080/13218719.2020.1742241

Investigative interviewing of youth with ADHD - recommendations for detective training

Psychiatr Psychol Law. 2020 Apr 21;27(5):797-814. doi: 10.1080/13218719.2020.1742241. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Kimberley J Cunial¹, Leanne M Casey^{1

2}, Clare Bell¹, Mark R Kebbell¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
² Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in youth can lead to a trajectory of early and repeated contact with the criminal justice system (CJS), where such youth face significant challenges due to the nature of their diagnosis and the lack of specialized detective training in this area. This article reviews Australian detectives' perceptions regarding contact with ADHD-affected youth, ongoing contact of such youth with the CJS, and the impact of ADHD on interviewing time efficiency and quality of information gathered. It explores detectives' perceived impact of ADHD on components of the Cognitive Interview (CI). It overviews detectives' perceptions regarding their own skill/ability, training availability and future training preferences regarding the interviewing of ADHD-affected youth. The authors highlight best practice in specialized detective training, as well as in working with ADHD-affected youth. Recommendations are made regarding the design features of a potential specialized training programme for detectives interviewing ADHD-affected youth.

Keywords: ADHD; Child Protection Investigation Unit; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; cognitive interview; detective; forensic; police; recommendations; training; youth.

Grants and funding

This project did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Kimberley J. Cunial currently receives financial support via an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.