Examining Rapport in Investigative Interviews with Suspects: Does its Building and Maintenance Work?

Rapport is an important part of the interviewing of suspects, enabling them to supply information more freely. This study
examined 142 actual interviews with suspects, focussing on key tasks that aid rapport. Using an established framework to examine
rapport building skills in the early stages of interviews, the study also measured how skilled attempts at sustaining rapport
were when interviewers attempted to gather information from suspects and probe accounts for their reliability. It was found
that opportunities were often missed to build rapport in the initial stages as several tasks were overlooked. Also, where
any rapport had been initially built, it was not always maintained as tasks undertaken later in the interview which may well
have assisted rapport maintenance were often conducted unsatisfactorily. Thus, initial rapport building of itself, therefore, is not sufficient in influencing overall interview quality and outcomes, since rapport also has to
be maintained throughout the interview.