Description
Interviews conducted across the world by police and other law enforcement agencies with suspects, victims and witnesses are crucially important in determining criminal justice outcomes. The Action Team knows from their combined expertise that there are two distinct approaches worldwide.
Firstly, several Member countries have developed (or are developing) an ethical approach termed ‘investigative interviewing’, that aims to obtain detailed and reliable information, while respecting human rights. This approach is consistent with the 2021 United Nations Declaration of the ‘Principles of Effective Interviewing’, known as the ‘Mendez Principles’ after the UN Special Rapporteur; Professor Juan Mendez. Over a three-year period, he led a committee of experts including those in law, forensic psychology and criminology alongside representation from civil society, culminating in the formal declaration of the principles that are grounded in science, law and ethics (see, https://interviewingprinciples.com/).
Secondly, however, it is well chronicled both from the literature and actual cases that law enforcement agencies in most countries remain unaware of the investigative interviewing approach, undertaking unethical practices, characterized by guilt presumption and confession-orientation that often rely on psychological manipulation, intimidation or physical torture, and can lead to miscarriages of justice and failed investigations.
This Action involves a timely and much-needed strategy of convening regional and in-country networks of researchers, practitioners and policy makers working with each other and with the Action Team to build on our early work to enable wider implementation of the ‘Mendez Principles’, ending cruel and inhumane practices that have adversely affected so many lives through unethical interrogations.
Action keywords
Investigative Interviewing - Interrogation - Torture - Suspects of Crime - Victims and Witnesses of Crime
Management Committee
Country | MC Member |
---|---|
Albania | |
Albania | |
Belgium | |
Belgium | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Bulgaria | |
Croatia | |
Czech Republic | |
Estonia | |
Estonia | |
Finland | |
Finland | |
France | |
France | |
Germany | |
Germany | |
Hungary | |
Hungary | |
Iceland | |
Iceland | |
Ireland | |
Ireland | |
Italy | |
Italy | |
Lithuania | |
Lithuania | |
Moldova | |
Montenegro | |
Montenegro | |
Netherlands | |
Netherlands | |
North Macedonia | |
North Macedonia | |
Norway | |
Norway | |
Poland | |
Portugal | |
Portugal | |
Romania | |
Romania | |
Serbia | |
Slovakia | |
Slovakia | |
Slovenia | |
Spain | |
Sweden | |
Switzerland | |
Türkiye | |
United Kingdom |
Main Contacts
Action Contacts
COST Staff
Leadership
Role | Leader |
---|---|
Action Chair | |
Action Vice-Chair | |
Grant Holder Scientific Representative | |
Science Communication Coordinator | |
Grant Awarding Coordinator | |
WG1 Leader | |
WG2 Leader | |
WG3 Leader | |
WG4 Leader |
Working Groups
Number | Title | Leader |
---|---|---|
1 | Investigation, Interviewing, Interrogation Themes | |
2 | Law, Human Rights, Criminal Justice Themes | |
3 | Vulnerability Themes | |
4 | Institutional and Governmental Leadership Themes |
Express your interest to join any of the working groups by applying below.
It is required to have an e-COST profile to submit your application. If needed, create it first and then click 'Apply'.
ApplyMembership
Name | Working Group | Country |
---|---|---|
WG 1 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Türkiye | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Spain | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Lithuania | |
WG 1 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Denmark | |
WG 1 | Estonia | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Lithuania | |
WG 1 | Netherlands | |
WG 1 | Germany | |
WG 1 | Netherlands | |
WG 1 | France | |
WG 1 | United States | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Poland | |
WG 1 | Indonesia | |
WG 1 | Iceland | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Cyprus | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Netherlands | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 4 | France | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Spain | |
WG 1 | Belgium | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Australia | |
WG 1 | Montenegro | |
WG 1 | Czechia | |
WG 1 | Slovenia | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Croatia | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Sweden | |
WG 1 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Norway | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Australia | |
WG 1 | Spain | |
WG 1, WG 2 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Finland | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Malaysia | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Estonia | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Germany | |
WG 1 | Italy | |
WG 1 | Brazil | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Netherlands | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Belgium | |
WG 1, WG 4 | United States | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Romania | |
WG 1 | Montenegro | |
WG 1 | Netherlands | |
WG 1 | Ireland | |
WG 1, WG 4 | Netherlands | |
WG 1 | Belgium | |
WG 1 | Lithuania | |
WG 1 | Serbia | |
WG 1 | Italy | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Poland | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Greece | |
WG 1 | Spain | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Philippines | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Croatia | |
WG 1 | Japan | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United States | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Moldova | |
WG 1, WG 4 | Ireland | |
WG 1 | Netherlands | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1 | Germany | |
WG 1 | Finland | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Slovakia | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Serbia | |
WG 1, WG 2 | North Macedonia | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Spain | |
WG 1 | Romania | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Brazil | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Ireland | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Serbia | |
WG 1 | Switzerland | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | France | |
WG 1 | Slovenia | |
WG 1 | Switzerland | |
WG 1 | North Macedonia | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 2 | North Macedonia | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Canada | |
WG 1 | United States | |
WG 1 | Brazil | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Brazil | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Spain | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Spain | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Finland | |
WG 1 | Finland | |
WG 1 | South Africa | |
WG 1 | Belgium | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Ireland | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Spain | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 4 | Romania | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Switzerland | |
WG 1 | Poland | |
WG 1 | Argentina | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Moldova | |
WG 1 | Canada | |
WG 1 | Mexico | |
WG 1 | Mexico | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Norway | |
WG 1 | Germany | |
WG 1, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Norway | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Switzerland | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Germany | |
WG 1 | Slovakia | |
WG 1 | Estonia | |
WG 1 | Switzerland | |
WG 1 | Germany | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Moldova | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1 | Netherlands | |
WG 1 | United States | |
WG 1 | Belgium | |
WG 1 | Egypt | |
WG 1 | Norway | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3 | Moldova | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Hungary | |
WG 1, WG 2, WG 3, WG 4 | Moldova | |
WG 1, WG 2 | Romania | |
WG 1 | United States | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Portugal | |
WG 1 | United Kingdom | |
WG 1, WG 3 | Portugal | |