Final answer:
Police should use open-ended questions when questioning victims to avoid suggestibility and to preserve the accuracy of witness memories. Leading questions or suggesting suspects can lead to false memories and misidentifications, which is detrimental to the integrity of an investigation and judicial process.
Step-by-step explanation:
When questioning a victim about the perpetrator of a crime, the police should use open-ended questions. This approach is recommended to avoid the potential suggestibility of witnesses and the risk of creating false memories, which can lead to misidentification of suspects and wrongful convictions. It is essential for police officers and legal practitioners to conduct interviews with care, using neutral language and avoiding leading questions or suggestions that could influence a witness's recollection. Research indicates that when interviewers use neutral and less leading language, witnesses can recall events and individuals more accurately.
In legal practice, especially since Elizabeth Loftus's research in the 1970s, there has been a rising awareness of the weaknesses in eyewitness testimonies. Reforms in police practices, such as blind photo lineups, have been implemented to diminish suggestibility. Moreover, judges may inform jurors about the potential unreliability of eyewitness accounts or may suppress such testimony if deemed unreliable. Open-ended questioning helps ensure that the memory of the victim is not influenced by the interviewer, resulting in more trustworthy testimony crucial for solving the crime.
Therefore, suggesting possible suspects, asking leading questions, or withholding information are not considered appropriate techniques during police interviews with victims.