Improving the Interviewing of Suspects Using the PEACE Model: A Comprehensive Overview

In light of psychological research, a growing number of countries/organizations have decided to adopt a model/approach of “investigative interviewing” of suspects that does not rely on coercive or oppressive methods. In 2016, the United Nations' “Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatments” (law professor Juan Mendez) submitted his report to the United Nations, which stated that “The Special Rapporteur … advocates the development of a universal protocol identifying a set of standards for non-coercive interviewing methods and procedural safeguards that ought, as a matter of law and policy, to be applied at a minimum to all interviews by law enforcement officials, military and intelligence personnel and other bodies with investigative mandates. ” When mentioning this “universal protocol” in 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur noted that “The essence of an alternative information-gathering model was first captured by the PEACE model of interviewing adopted in 1992 in England and Wales … investigative interviewing can provide positive guidance for the protocol.” The “universal protocol” took three years to produce and was published in 2021. This article will overview (i) the evolution of the PEACE method, (ii) some of the research on effectiveness of aspects of the PEACE method, and (iii) the 2021 publication called Principles of Effective Interviewing .n light of psychological research, more and more countries and organizations have decided to adopt an “investigative interview” model or approach to suspects, which does not rely on coercive or oppressive methods. In 2016, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Law Professor Juan Mendez) submitted his report to the United Nations, in which he stated that the Special Rapporteur advocates the creation of 'a universal protocol establishing a set of standards for achieving non-coercive interview methods and procedural safeguards that should, within the framework of laws and policies, apply at the very least to interviews conducted by law enforcement officials law enforcement, military, intelligence personnel and other agencies with investigative mandates. When mentioning this “universal protocol” in 2015, the UN Special Rapporteur remarked that the essence of another information-gathering model was first captured by the PEACE interview model. adopted in England and Wales in 1992 and that the investigative interview can provide a positive orientation to the protocol. It took three years to produce the “universal protocol”, which was published in 2021. This article will review i) the evolution of the PEACE method, ii) research on the effectiveness of certain aspects of the method PEACE, and iii) the 2021 publication entitled the UN Special Rapporteur noted that the essence of another information-gathering model was first captured by the PEACE interview model adopted in England and Wales in 1992 and that the interview investigation can provide a positive direction to the protocol. It took three years to produce the “universal protocol”, which was published in 2021. This article will review i) the evolution of the PEACE method, ii) research on the effectiveness of certain aspects of the method PEACE, and iii) the 2021 publication entitled the UN Special Rapporteur noted that the essence of another information-gathering model was first captured by the PEACE interview model adopted in England and Wales in 1992 and that the interview investigation can provide a positive direction to the protocol. It took three years to produce the “universal protocol”, which was published in 2021. This article will review i) the evolution of the PEACE method, ii) research on the effectiveness of certain aspects of the method PEACE, and iii) the 2021 publication entitled Principles of Effective Interviewing.