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Pitfalls in Interviewing Pitfalls in Interviewing Victims
In the assessment of victims, pay special consideration to issues that may affect the ways in
which the victims may react to your interventions. You need to do your homework and be
aware of issues of possible relevance to the particular person or families you will be
interviewing, whether you are:
? Interviewing a victim as part of a psychological evaluation for the court
? Working with law enforcement and need information to help in the prosecution of a
crime
? Working as a consultant to an attorney who is defending a person with a history of
trauma
Some of the factors possibly influencing people’s reactions to their traumatic experiences
and their receptivity to certain manners of interviewing include:
? Age, gender, and sexual orientation
? Religious or spiritual beliefs and background
? Cultural or ethnic background
? Education and intellectual functioning
? Physical illnesses
? Language proficiency
Tasks:
Select two of the factors listed above and explain in detail how they may affect your
approach in interviewing and assessing a victim. Support your responses using examples
and references from your textbook and other resources, such as websites. Include the
re

ferences at the end of your posting.
All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources. Answer Preview……………….Victims of various crimes are usually from diverse backgrounds regarding their cultural beliefs, physical abilities, and disabilities as well language among other factors. Therefore, as an interviewer, one should consider all the factors to ensure that the interviewing process goes on smoothly. It is also the role of the interviewer to make sure that even though the factors are considered, there is the least bias in the process to ensure that the prosecution gets the facts right rather than based on the interviewer’s perception (Thakkar, Jaffe & Vander Linden, 2015). Cultural differences and physical disabilities are some of the most common hindrances of communication during the interviewing of victims of crimes in readiness for the cases in courts. Several issues concerning the cultural background of people may affect the outcomes of the interviewing process unless care is taken. Sex of the interviewee is one of the factors. In some cultures, the interviewer may have problems questioning a victim of the opposite sex. Also……………APA 516 words
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