| dc.description.abstract | Forensic linguistics is an emerging field of research that applies linguistics to analyze
language and its use in a legal setting, including criminal, civil, and family court
proceedings. Police interviews are a critical source of evidence in law enforcement
investigations, and the quality of the interview process is essential in analyzing police
interview transcripts. The detection of deception is a significant challenge in various
contexts, including law enforcement, politics, business, and personal relationships.
Language patterns can signal deception and indicate underlying cognitive and emotional
processes. Therefore, in this study, special attention is given to the use of language, both
verbal and non-verbal cues, to gauge the veracity of an individual, as well as the
application of police interview techniques and discourse analysis. The study aims to
determine the reliability of the suspect's statements during a police interview and
explore the effectiveness of different police interview techniques and their ethical
implications. The analysis will draw on existing research in the field of forensic linguistics
and aims to provide an accurate understanding of police interviews to inform legal
decisions. The thesis analyzes the reliability of linguistic information gathered through
interviews in a 2015 criminal case in the United States, using a forensic linguistic
perspective. The thesis explores relevant literature on police interviews, deception,
misrepresentations, interview techniques, and reliability discourse analysis. The research
questions focus on the reliability of police interviews, in particular on the spoken word,
misrepresentations within police interviews. The second research question focuses on
the use of police techniques and how they affect the reliability of interviews. The findings
suggest a nuanced impression of the reliability of the statements made within the
transcripts. | |
