Cross-cultural investigative interviews

Witnesses may bring culturally determined reporting norms into the investigative context, as they have been socialised into their respective cultures. Limited insight into the role of culture in eyewitness accounts can pose a challenge to investigators interviewing witnesses in cross-cultural settings. Attending to culture is crucial to the investigative interview of witnesses, especially as recent trends in migration have made cross-cultural investigative interviews inevitable. This chapter discusses the potential role that culture may play in the investigative interview of witnesses in cross-cultural settings. The first part of the chapter provides an overview of various cultural concepts. The second part of the chapter draws on these concepts and previous research to highlight some implications of eyewitness interviews.