C.B. Smith Training & Consulting Ltd.

Podcast

Craig was interviewed by Darren Dake of Coroner Talk in 2015. The podcast of the one hour interview about interviewing child witnesses to homicide is available at 

http://coronertalk.com/?powerpress_pinw=619-podcast

Interviews & Interrogations

The ability to obtain accurate information is an essential skill for anyone dealing with Child Abuse investigations. Interviews of young child  or adolescent victims and witnesses, non-offending spouses, background sources,as well as many other individuals, may be required during these cases.These investigations are often emotionally charged and it is imperative that the interviewer possesses a wide range of techniques and strategies in order to elicit the greatest amount of accurate information, while doing the least amount of emotional harm to the people being interviewed.

I provide practical information on how to assess credibility, sensitively overcome the reluctance of victims / witnesses, and gather the information necessary to determine whether or not a child has been abused.

I also train law enforcement officers in the art of interrogation. Television and movies have long portrayed interrogators as "bullies with badges", who obtain confessions by means of threats, intimidation and bright lights. These "techniques" are unacceptable practices in any democratic state adhering to the rule of law and in my experience, certainly do not reflect the actual interrogation methods used by professionals in the modern law enforcement community. My goal is to provide professional, practical, interrogation strategies that can be used to obtain truthful confessions that will be admissible in a court of law.

Child Abuse Investigation Training