Principles of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation, Second Edition [Hardcover]

Stan B. Walters (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0849310717 | ISBN-13: 978-0849310713 | Publication Date: September 17, 2002 | Edition: 2nd

How do you interpret a person’s behavior during their interview? Some people say it’s an innate quality that can’t be taught. But anyone who’s read Stan Walters’ Principles of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation knows that is FALSE. The overwhelming success of the first edition and the numerous success stories credited to the book prove that the art of kinesic interview, or behavioral analysis, is indeed learnable, and Walters shows you how to master it.

Why are some interviewers more successful than others? Why do certain techniques work only part of the time? Why did the subject confess? Why didn’t he confess? With information based on firsthand observations from over 900 interviews and interrogations, Principles of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation, Second Edition provides even more insight than the bestselling first edition into how people behave during interviews, what their behaviors reveal, and why they exhibit those mannerisms.

New to this edition:

·         Extensive references, including law enforcement magazines and peer-reviewed journals

·         50% more high quality photos depicting various nonverbal symptoms

·         Advances in the area of kinesic statement analysis, with more examples

·         Discussion of the phenomenon of false confessions, including contributing factors

·         A new chapter addressing the basic concepts of interview and interrogation, making the book more rounded and suitable for beginners

·         A short section on schizophrenia, brain disease, clinical depression, and suicidal personalities and their behaviors

Explore the complex challenges of basic and advanced interview and interrogation techniques. Determine behavior from body language, speech, and written statements. Thousands of readers gained invaluable skills from the first edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 2nd edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849310717
• ISBN-13: 978-0849310713
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinesics is the Key, January 19, 2000

By 

Jim Miles (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Principles of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigation) (Hardcover)

I have been a police officer for ten years, the last five as an Investigator. I came across this Stan Walters masterpiece in 1996 durring a search for Forensic Psychiatry books. The ability to recognize deception is extremely important in my field, and there are many manuals of instructions on the subject. Mr. Walter's, however, gives the reader/researcher the keys to EXTRACTING the verbal (speech) and non-verbal (Body) reactions the body has when stressed. It also covers what happens to the body and speech when a person is ready to confess. Everything is covered from how to approach a suspect initially to the personality types you may run across. Since my introduction to Mr. Walter's book (and subsequent Law Enforcement classes offered on this subject), my confession rate has sky rocketed! I obtain solid witness statements and when conducting Internal Investigations, officers come right out and "fess up" rather than be Interrogated. All my awards over the last three years including the 1998 Officer of the Year for my agency, I owe to this book. The only warning I can give is if you are a close minded cop who makes pre-judgements about people, you will waste your time with this book. Otherwise, for the benefit of your community, study hard!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Might be a useful reference for professionals, September 6, 2007

By 

Marjorie M. Chase (Keauhou, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Principles of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation, Second Edition (Hardcover)

This book contains basic methods for interviews/interrogations, mostly in relation to criminal investigations by authorities. It is not by any means an intensive academic/scientific/military study, although there are such references to past studies and references, namely one by Rand Corp. in relation to the importance of interviewing victims and witnesses.

The book is seriously lacking in deeper interrogation/intel gathering methods and/or advanced strategies during interviews, although Chapter 4 has some interesting takes on "Verbal Content", along with Chapter 5's "Information Recovery and Statement-Credibility Assessment".

One seriously negative aspect is the author's failure in defining VAST cultural kinesic differences, behavioral and linguistic/verbal differences amongst varying cultures, and especially failing to address backgrounds of pathological liars and career criminal manipulators of human interaction. There wasn't even an index listing for either "pathological liars" or "cultural uniqueness/definitions of kinesic behaviors".

I tend to believe that ANY novice who has no prior investigative training and/or skills and uses this book alone, would very easily misread many natural innocent human behaviors, as well as that same novice who might easily be taken in by "professional" career criminals.

Upside: The ABSOLUTE BEST STATEMENT IN THIS BOOK, as quoted from chapter one, "The first and most important of all Basic Practical Kinesic Prinicples is: No single kinesic behavior, verbal or nonverbal, proves a person is truthful or deceptive."

Chapter 6 provides at least 92 photographs of kinesics examples in relation to nonverbal behaviors with descriptions and discussions of the examples.

Downside: Most basic negative connotations would be the interrogator's inability to REALLY discern guilt from kinesics alone, but in the ability to collect behaviors, statements, interviews, evidence, etc, that might help LEAD an investigator "closer to the truth". The other downside is the dry writing style, along with what could have been better organized materials and cultural differences, especially noting the MANY unique behaviors amongst our myriad of foreign residents in this country that could EASILY be misinterpreted by an interrogator with no prior outside cultural experiences!

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any Criminal Investigator, May 10, 2000

By 

James Starkes (united states) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Principles of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigation) (Hardcover)

Principals of Kinesic Interview and Interrogation is a well written and well researched look into the physical and physcological traits of a deceptive person. As a criminal investigator with a large Department I have found it to be an invaluable resource. Stan Walters insights and experiences are related in understandable easy to read terms. An excellent book.